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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What's the Purpose Anyway?

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Examine author's purpose in newspaper articles, comic books, cookbooks, encyclopedias and other forms of written materials. Working in groups, middle and high schoolers read teacher-selected articles and write an explanation of the...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

"The Island of Plenty": Reading Guide

For Students 11th - Higher Ed
Johnson C. Montgomery’s controversial plea for American social isolationism, “The Island of Plenty,” launches an in-depth study of the structure and logic of the essay. After responding to a series of questions, individuals craft a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Main Idea in Informational Text

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Individuals complete a pre-assessment to gauge their ability to determine the main idea and supporting details in nonfiction text. They examine a new piece of nonfiction reading by looking at the table of contents, headings, and index...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Details from Text to Identify Author's Purpose

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
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...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Hundred Penny Box with Multiple Viewpoints and Persuasive Letter

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read The Hundred Penny Box and complete comprehension activities. In these perspectives and letter writing lessons, 3rd graders read and discuss the story then complete a Venn Diagram to explore the different viewpoints in...
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Worksheet
K12 Reader

National Symbols

For Students 2nd - 3rd Standards
What are the most prominent symbols of the United States? Learn about the bald eagle, the American flag, and the Statue of Liberty in a reading comprehension activity that includes a short passage and five reflective questions.
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Worksheet
K12 Reader

An Independent Nation

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
If your kids are curious about the American Revolution, help them understand more about its background with a reading passage and comprehension questions. Kids use context clues to answer each question, some of which require more...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Curated OER

American Dream and The Great Gatsby

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Is the American Dream alive and well or has it dried up and died? As part of a study of The Great Gatsby, class members search for articles on the state of the American Dream, analyze the arguments presented in those articles, and then...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Persuasive Techniques in Advertising

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Help your 21st century learners develop their media smarts with this resource that has them examine the persuasive techniques advertisers use to influence specific demographics and then to use these techniques to craft their own ads.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

English Lesson Plans for Grade 12

For Teachers 12th
HIgh schoolers respond to a persuasive article on using animal research. In this english lesson, writers listen to a conversation, and discuss the point of arguments. They write a critique on a certain film and share it with their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Franklin D. Roosevelt

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Discuss the life of Franklin D. Roosevelt. This story, called "Franklin D. Roosevelt" by Laura Hamilton Waxman, is used to explore comprehension skills. Some of these skills include identifying prefixes and suffixes, making comparisons,...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Descriptive Persuasive Texts

For Students 5th - 7th
In this Language Arts worksheet, students read about persuasive writing. Students read an example and complete a chart that organizes the information into facts and opinions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Movie Poster: Persuasive Text

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create movie posters based upon short stories they've recently read.  In this persuasive writing lesson students analyze a poster that  is intended to persuade people to want to see the movie and convince Steven Spielberg to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storyboard for Persuasive Text

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students demonstrate their knowledge of the main elements of a story by creating a storyboard.  In this persuasive writing lesson students create storyboards that are intended to persuade a director to make a movie out of the short story...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Name is___________.

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Read to gain an understanding of the author's intent or purpose. Learners analyze a persuasive text, identify the author's purpose, and evaluate the claims used as support. They then compose a persuasive essay of their own.
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Worksheet
Great Schools

Letter of Complaint

For Students 4th Standards
If you've ever received bad service or disagreed with a company's decision, writing a letter of complaint might be a good skill to have. Review the format of a letter, author's purpose, and other aspects of persuasive writing with an...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Making a Claim and Advocating Persuasively: Preparing for the Practice Fishbowl

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars consider their reading in The Omnivore's Dilemma to develop a claim answering the question, "Which food chain would you choose to feed your family—the local sustainable food chain or the hunter-gatherer food chain?" To guide...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Determining Author's Point of View: The Sneeches

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Determine the author's point of view in a text. Young readers read Dr. Seuss' The Sneeches and identify the author's purpose in the story. They identify persuasive techniques in writing, asking and answering questions to better...
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Lesson Plan
3
3
Curated OER

Jim Murphy, The Great Fire - Grade 6

For Teachers 6th Standards
The Great Fire by Jim Murphy provides the text for a study of the Chicago fire of 1871. The plan is designed as a close reading activity so that all learners have the same background information require for writing. Richly detailed, the...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Hic-Hic-Hooray!

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What is really the best way to get rid of hiccups? Investigate some old wives' tales and folk remedies related to health. Middle schoolers explore the science behind why people might believe these myths to be true and find the real...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Main Idea in Informational Text

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Readers identify main ideas and supporting details using informational texts. In this literacy instructional activity, they make predictions and read the text to find the main ideas. They use a table diagram to define the main idea and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rhetorical Devices

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders identify and analyze examples of rhetorical devices as valid or invalid inferences. In this text analysis lesson, 12th graders research a controversial topic in teams and identify rhetorical devices for the topic....
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Writing
2
2
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Writing Prompts for Middle School

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Scratching your head when it comes to engaging writing prompts? Check out a list of prompts designed for middle school classes, which includes topics for persuasive writing, expository writing, how-to essays, personal narratives, and...
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Unit Plan
5
5
Santa Ana Unified School District

The Power of Point of View

For Teachers 7th Standards
Sometimes a whole story can change based on the perspective of the person telling it. Practice identifying and analyzing point of view in various reading passages and writing assignments with a language arts packet, complete with Common...