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Activity
Shmoop

ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.9

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Guided by close-reading questions, groups examine the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they look at how the principles are presented in these two foundational US...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Animal Farm: Allegory and the Art of Persuasion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Introduce your class members to allegory and propaganda with a series of activities designed to accompany a study of George Orwell's Animal Farm. Readers examine the text as an allegory, consider the parallels to collective farms and the...
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Handout
Deer Valley Unified School District

Close Reading: Analyzing Mood and Tone

For Students 9th - 12th
The AP Literature and Composition exam is all about close reading. Test takers are presented with a passage and asked to analyze how an author uses literary devices to create a desired effect. Prepare your students for the exam with a...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Transition Words and Phrases: Road Signs for the Reader

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Therefore! However! Furthermore! Explore the power of transition words and phrases. Signal your readers by suggesting the relationship between different thoughts or points. Help them demonstrate an understanding of word relationships. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Thinking About Hate

For Teachers 8th - 10th
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...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Comparison and Contrast: Neat People vs. Sloppy People and Batting Clean-up and Striking Out

For Students 6th - 8th
After your class reads Neat People vs. Sloppy People and Batting Clean-up and Striking Out, provide them with this resource. Use it as a quiz or a homework assignment to assess your class's understanding of the author's purpose, the...
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Cultural Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers research the passage of the 19th Amendment as an illustration of the mutual influence between political ideas and cultural attitudes. They also read the Seneca Falls Declaration and explore the cultural shifts it both...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespeare's Othello and the Power of Language

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the basis of Iago's persuasive power by analyzing his astonishing command of rhetoric and figurative language. The diverse set of activities below include short group performances, writing exercises and the guided use of...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

From Courage to Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners analyze Frederick Douglass' narrative about Christianity and slavery. In this Frederick Douglass lesson, young scholars read his slave narrative and analyze its word choice, imagery, irony, and rhetorical appeals. Learners...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

From Courage to Freedom: The Reality behind the Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study how Frederick Douglass uses language to describe a realistic picture of slavery in his writings which are primary source documents. They examine his use of word choice, imagery, irony, and rhetorical appeals and use slave...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rebecca Brown's "Forgiveness" and Christine Delea's "CoCo Chanel in the Stairwell"

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students, after reading and analyzing Rebecca Brown's "Forgiveness" and Christine Delea's "CoCo Chanel in the Stairwell," explore and focus on the author's tone and genre analysis. They interpret different rhetorical situations as they...
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Interactive
Curated OER

Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Students 7th - 12th
In this online interactive history learning exercise, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about the accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive learning...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Unit Plan for Mark Twain and American Humor

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

From Courage to Freedom: Slavery's Dehumanizing Effects

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners analyze slavery and its effects on humanity using Frederick Douglass' autobiography. For this slavery instructional activity, students analyze instances of reality and romanticized myth using a slave narrative. Learners explore...
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Activity
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John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Recipe for an Inaugural Address

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
An inaugural address represents the first moments of a new beginning. Using John F. Kennedy's speech as a model for guided practice, groups examine the ingredients of an inaugural address. Individuals then repeat the analysis process...
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Lesson Plan
Main Memory Network

Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith" and Whitman's "Song of Myself"

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Although the work Americans do has changed over time, the plight of the American worker has largely remained the same. Facilitate a class discussion aboutAmerican workers using Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "The Village Blacksmith" and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespeare's Othello and the Power of Language

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students explore the basis of Iago's persuasive power by analyzing Shakespeare's use of rhetoric and figurative language. In this Othello lesson, students analyze Iago's rhetoric in monologues and dialogues with other characters....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Approaching Walden

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine their natural surroundings as a way to begin thinking about an abstract idea. They analyze and compare or contrast the rhetorical stategies of two essayists. Students interpret and evaluate images culled from...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"i Have a Dream" As a Work of Literature

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read and analyze Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. They answer discussion questions, and write and compose a speech that addresses an injustice in society.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Renaissance Realities

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students analyze passages by Niccolo Machiavelli and Francis Bacon as an analysis of Renaissance ideas in contemporary situations. In this Renaissance writings lesson, students read excerpts from Machiavelli's The Prince and multiple...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abolitionists in U.S. History

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read and discuss excerpts from the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass and Sarah Parker Redmond. They compare and contrast the views of the three abolitionists concentrating on the experiences and reasons for...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Figurative Language at Black Bayou Lake

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students visit the Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge. They take digital pictures and make notes with information about the scenic life. Back in the classroom, they use the digital pictures to complete a figurative language...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Making of a Leader

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers participate in a class discussion and conduct independent research about the life skills Ralph Bunche developed because of the influences of others, his life experiences, and the obstacles he had to overcome as a youth....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Longfellow and Dickens: The Story of a Trans-Atlantic Friendship

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Pupils examine the relationship between Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Charles Dickens. They read and analyze a manuscript, answer discussion questions, conduct Internet research, and discuss societal and historical context of the...