Students perform the six steps of writing an extemporaneous speech including, choosing a topic, researching, writing, practicing delivering and processing.

High schoolers examine Seventeen Magazine's America's Sweetheart contest and one of their finalists by reading about Sunia Arif and what made Seventeen choose her. Students then write a 300-word essay about what would make them or...

This lesson starts out with a guided discussion about the statement "Birds fly in the sky; airplanes fly in the sky; therefore, airplanes are birds" and goes on to cover logical fallacies and reliable sources, relating these to the topic...

Students examine and create persuasive essays. In this writing lesson students engage in activities that allow them to understand how a persuasive essay is constructed so they may compose their own.

Students write persuasive letters based on "The Tell Tale Heart." They brainstorm topic sentences, main ideas, and details. They analyze the character and determine if he is innocent or guilty. They create a map listing their reasons to...

In this persuasive writing learning exercise, students determine whether Act II, Scene II of The Crucible should be included in a production of the play.

Students work together to brainstorm dialogues intended to persuade another person to engage in a sexual activity. They supply creative and persuasive refusals to these requests.

Readers identify the author's purpose. First, they read a passage and utilize details from the piece to determine the author's purpose. Then they will explain how they arrived at their conclusion. Links to materials are provided.

Does your conflict management style keep you cool and persuasive, even under pressure? Young behaviorists practice analyzing conflicts and using conflict management skills during lesson five in a 15-part series. The resource contains...

Fourth graders review a fictional book in which they give an overview of the characters and storyline. Microsoft Word is used to type a final draft of their review and to create a cover page with a picture.

In groups, learners design sets for the play, "Shakespeare Stealer." They sketch a scale model of a set and present it to the teacher, who will choose which group gets to design the entire set. 

Here's a formal plan for what many effective teachers already do: Provide a week's worth of aphorisms and have learners choose one to write about in their journals each day. They reflect on the meaning of each aphorism and project how it...

Learners use context clues to define words with multiple meanings. After extensive practice with their teacher, learners read through six sentences, they then identify a word with a multiple meaning, and determine its meaning based on...

Students role-play to determine the best types of magazines that should be purchased for their media center. They create a sales presentation for a particular magazine in small groups. As they listen to each presentation they evaluate...

Students describe what happens when a piece of jellied toast is dropped off a table. From these observations, students pose a question concerning which side of the jellied toast land on the floor.

In this propaganda activity, students analyze posters of Rosie the Riveter and respond to 4 short answer questions about the poster and World War II realities.

Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students participate in hands-on activities that replicate building a foundation and providing for future generations.

Students evaluate nonfiction text. In this evaluating nonfiction lesson students read two pieces of nonfiction text and respond with a short free-writing piece. Students discuss the content and focus on the accuracy.

Students create a survey to explore people's perception of beauty. In this biology lesson, students explain how an animal's appearance helps it survive. They analyze survey results and present findings in class.

Quiz your class on "The White Seal," part 4 of The Jungle Book, with this resource. Learners respond to ten surface level questions about the story and receive immediate online feedback. You'll need to look closely at the content of the...

Students complete a unit on clouds and a report about one type of cloud. They collect data through observation about different types of cloud cover and then create a spreadsheet to reflect their observations over a 2 week period.

Having a debate doesn't mean you're fighting. Introduce middle schoolers to debate with a resource which distinguishes between an quarrel and a debate, describes the debate process and format, and presents some possible debate topics.

Students read a persuasive story study persuasive language. They then write a 50-word online advertisement for a target audience to try and sell an unusual item to a targeted audience.

Pupils choose their favorite television show, craft and illustrate an advertisement for this show, and then write a short paragraph about why the show appeals to them. No provisions are made for children with limited or no viewing...