Mountain View High School
World War I Research Project
Here is a fantastic World War I research project that includes clear guidelines for topic choice, guiding questions, and suggested presentation products. Research subjects range from battles of the war, trench warfare, and weaponry, to...
Curated OER
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Students write a literary response essay to Maya Angelou's novel, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this literary response instructional activity, students complete pre-writing activities, discuss the rubric for the essay, and visit...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Writing the Artist's Statement
Learners read and write an artist's statement. In this artist's statement lesson, students read Dorothea Lange's artist statement before writing one of their own about their photography. They examine their own photography and use...
Curated OER
I Believe
This activity is designed to teach students the definition of persuasive writing, and to have them use the elements of persuasive writing to complete a writing assignment. The Web site will be used to introduce persuasive writing and the...
Scholastic
Hold the Presses!: Revising for Connotation
Middle schoolers discuss the meaning of the sentence, The student asked to go to the office." Ask the class if the sentence gives the reader any information about the student. Can they visualize the way the student asked the question?...
Curated OER
Wilson and American Entry into World War I
Students explore the events that led to American entry into World War I. In this American history lesson plan, students examine the policies of Woodrow Wilson at the dawn of the war, analyze challenges to the neutrality policy of the...
Concord Consortium
Mirror, Mirror I
How do you see yourself? Young mathematicians consider whether it's possible to view their whole bodies in a mirror with a length that is half their height. They write a letter to a friend explaining their positions mathematically.
K20 LEARN
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie: Conditional Statements
If, then, Else is not only a basic programming language command, it is also the basis for conditional statements used in writing. Middle schoolers try to craft conditional statements with a card sort activity and then collaborate on a...
Curated OER
The 5 Paragraph Persuasive Essay
This PowerPoint highlights the steps one should follow to craft an organized essay. It addresses the purpose, audience, and format, and briefly touches on prewriting and organizing. This presentation is designed to review the very basic...
Poetry4kids
Writing Riddles
What's got 60 eyes, 150 fingers, and an endless number of ideas? Your language arts class! Challenge young writers to come up with clever riddles with an online poetry lesson.
Achievement Strategies
CCSS Unpacked Learning Targets for Reading and Writing History/Social Studies
How do all the lessons and activities you have planned for your class align to Common Core State Standards? This can feel like a very daunting question. Help ease the process by referencing a template that not only lists and organizes...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Communicating with I-Messages (2/2)
Class members read a handout to learn about using I-Messages—honest statements that begin with I to get their points of view across. Next, learners practice using I-Messages with partners to better communicate without hurting others'...
Curated OER
Understanding Paragraph Basics
Full of informative, helpful, and accessible activities, a language arts packet is sure to be a valuable part of your writing unit. It's versatile between reading levels and grade levels, and focuses on the most efficient ways for your...
Oakland Writes
Exploring Thematic Motifs in The House on Mango Street
Explore identity and community through an expository essay based on The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros. This two-week unit on writing an essay provides a brief description of each day and all of the worksheets and materials you...
Curated OER
Writing Persuasion Papers: Thesis Statement
Using a "Hamburger" essay outline and actual hamburger buns, you will demonstrate the role a thesis plays in a persuasive essay. This is a simplistic visual representation of how an argumentative paper should be composed and not an...
Curated OER
I Really Love This More
Young language arts learners choose between two activities and then attempt to convince their classmates of their choice as a way of practicing persuasive speech. This particular instructional activity uses Valentine's Day as a theme;...
Curated OER
Entrepreneurship: What Business Am I In?
To better understand entrepreneurship, learners examine the goals and mission statements in actual business plans, then outline a mission/vision statement for their own company. They develop objectives for the first three months of their...
Ereading Worksheets
Persuasive Essay Examples
Your young writers will practice identifying the hook, position statement, and main points of two examples of persuasive writing.
Novelinks
Running Out of Time: Anticipation Guide
Get your class ready to read with this anticipatory set for Running Out of Time. Small groups each consider one thought-provoking statement. After each group comes to a consensus, the whole class participates in sharing ideas and voting...
University of North Carolina
Clichés
When it comes to writing, cliches are as old as dirt. A handout on tired phrases provides examples of cliches, as well as a description of the negative effects they have on a paper. Writers discover specific words and phrases to avoid,...
Curated OER
Persuasive Writing: Fact or Opinion
What is the difference between a fact and an opinion? Middle schoolers categorize statements as either facts or opinions before writing a persuasive essay to support a thesis statement they create. This is a great introduction to...
Curated OER
Visible Speech: A Short Course in the Fundamentals of Writing/Lesson 3
Focusing on writing an introduction, this presentation provides a variety of techniques for how to begin. Although the question marks on slide six obscure the writing, the other slides are clear and legible and display good examples for...
TV411
Avoid Mushy Writing: Be Specific
Replacing, bland, inexact generalizations with specific statement and precise information is the focus of a worksheet that models how to transform general statements into specific ones. After examining four models, learners have an...
Curated OER
Ambiguous Statements
Discuss the dangers of ambiguous statements using this presentation. There are a list of often funny statements, such as I saw her duck. Learners will love talking about these statements and coming up with their own.