Explore writing techniques by analyzing newspapers and magazines with middle schoolers. They will collaborate in small groups to read local news stories and identify the main ideas and author's intent. They also utilize an information...

A simple activity for young readers, this introduces the idea of author purpose. Learners analyze various types of texts (newspaper articles, magazines, books, advertisements, etc.) and determine if the author's purpose for writing was...

Students review what author's purpose is by understanding that authors either persuade, inform, describe, or entertain with their story. In this language arts lesson, students bring in junk mail and in small groups discuss what the each...

Students read an outline on how to prepare an informative speech. In this informative speech lesson plan, students read an outline and then prepare a speech.

Fifth graders determine the meaning of author's purpose. In this author's purpose lesson, 5th graders apply the PIE (persuade, inform, entertain) strategy to determine why an author wrote a piece of writing. They examine passages and...

Students write persuasive essays about their favorite breakfast cereal after seeing how advertisements are used to influence people.

What strategies are employed when creating propaganda? Your young historians will learn about six different techniques utilized in the construction of political propaganda, particularly in the advertisements of World War I. The...

Pupils examine and discuss author's purpose and the influence of an author's perspective in his or her writing. In groups, they read scenarios and respond to them from the perspective of a designated character. Materials are attached.

Students examine various products and analyze the marketing strategies used to entice consumers. They bring in a product they like to use, and using persuasive writing, they write their own advertisements for their products.

Young scholars examine the newspaper. In this writing purposes lesson, students read the newspaper and discuss the purpose: to inform, entertain and persuade. Young scholars identify facts and opinions. Students write an article and...

Examine author's purpose in a persuasive text using this scaffolded plan. You essentially have a verbatim script here, but it can definitely be used as an outline instead. Review questions that readers should ask themselves when...

After investigating various forms of print, oral, and electronic media as sources of information, class members research a historical figure and produce a résumé for this person. While templates are provided for an initial sorting...

Students study newspaper articles and rewrite events from literature into news stories about kindness. In this news article lesson, students read sentences from newspaper articles and identify the purpose of the article. Students...

Students write persuasively through description and word choice while reviewing a topic of interest to them.

Students use persuasive devices to construct oral or written arguments. For this arguments lesson, students discuss the types of persuasive devices used in arguments and form groups to select a topic to research. Students create a...

Young scholars survey forestry foundations to see how they represent important information into their logos and mission statements. In this forestry lesson plan, students use the information to better understand visual representations...

Determining an author's purpose can help readers understand a text more deeply. Using a PIES chart (persuade, inform, entertain, share) and poems from Leaf by Leaf: Autumn Poems by Barbara Rogasky, class members organize...

Students research current environmental problems in order to develop and deliver an oral presentation. The presentation persuades the audience to act on the student's point of view on the issue.

Learners role play, persuading and staying neutral during arguments. In this viewpoint lesson, students examine the viewpoints of soldiers in the Spanish-American War and role play. After a discussion, some learners try to persuade the...

Students choose a sport and promote a real or imaginary team by creating press releases, business cards, and ads or commercials.

As an introduction to a series of related resources that examine political advertising and commercials from 1952-2012, class members use the provided rubric to analyze and rate the effectiveness of the emotion, persuasion, factual...

This lesson is a culminating lesson which follows students researching, collecting citations, evaluating and selecting text, graphic materials and visual aids. In this concluding lesson, 5th graders discuss the assessment task and how to...

In groups, write persuasive essays telling people whether or not they should be eating vegetables.

Students make a chart of the media's manipulation techniques and examples of them while watching and listening to a video tape of past news events.