Curated OER
Assessing the Traits: What is Good Writing?
High schoolers examine samples of writing and discuss the score it received. They brainstorm what qualities make a good writer and stories.
Curated OER
What is Good Writing
Students identify the qualities of good writing. In this writing lesson plan, students use the 6+1 Traits of Writing and use a rubric to discuss samples of writing on the overhead. Students discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each...
Millard South Patriots
Trait Practice: Sentence Fluency
Do your young writers need a little help varying their sentence structure? Have them work on common errors, sentence fluency, and writing patterns with a series of language arts activities. The resource includes reading passages as well...
Curated OER
Reliving History through Slave Narratives
Helpful for an American literature or history unit, this lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine slavery in the United States. They read slave narratives that were part of the Federal Writers' Project and then conduct their own...
Curated OER
The Passive Voice in Questions
In this recognizing the active and passive voice worksheet, students read interrogative sentences in the active voice and rewrite them in the passive voice. Students write 12 answers.
Curated OER
Creative Writing Poem
Fifth graders write poetry using imagery and practice poetry presentation. In this poetry lesson plan, 5th graders listen as the teacher reads a humorous poem using different voice modulations and presentation techniques. They discuss...
Curated OER
English Tenses and Verb Forms
Distinguish between passive and active voice with a grammar worksheet. It contains three exercises in which pupils turn direct speech into indirect speech and create new sentences using passive voice.
Curated OER
In My Opinion
Young writers craft letters to the government stating their opinion on different topics. They pick an environmental or ocean issue, research it, and craft their formal persuasive letter. Ensure your learners include supporting facts and...
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling
Scholars of all ages can use the various tools of technology to construct and illustrate a story. Utilizing this resource, learners work with a partner to brainstorm and draft a story based on personal experience. They use computer...
Curated OER
Ban That Book!
Take advantage of Banned Book Week to pique students' interest and get them reading! Create a classroom display of previously banned books and allow each member of your class to choose one to read. After they have read their book, get...
Curated OER
Make a Memory with Movie Maker
There is nothing more exciting than allowing learners to express themselves through a creative medium. In groups, they write narrative stories, focusing on building a strong storyline and dialogue. Next, they transform their stories into...
Aspen Institute
The Voice That Challenged a Nation
Included here are step-by-step instructions for conducting a close reading of The Voice That Challenged a Nation by Russell Freedman. After an individual and class reading, class members read carefully through the text excerpt,...
Curated OER
The Sound of…Poetry!
Scritch, scratch, scritch. It's the sound of pupils writing poetry! Focus on sensory language and onomatopoeia with a writing lesson. After listening to some sounds, learners examine a couple of poems that include sound words and then...
Curated OER
Things Fall Apart: Research, Writing & Presentation Project
A great resource for your unit on Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Small groups conduct research about related topics (list included), write papers, present PowerPoint slide shows, and take a student-created test. Fill in a few gaps to...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Journeys: Challenge Activities (Theme 1)
This nine-page packet, the first in the series of support materials for the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt thematic units on journeys, contains enrichment activities for learners who have mastered the basic concepts of the lessons. Kids...
Curated OER
Choosing the Correct Voice
In this writing voice worksheet, students complete three activities that help them understand and use the correct writing voice in formal papers.
Curated OER
Active Voice and Passive Voice
In this identifying active voice and passive voice activity, students review definitions and examples, label sentences, and rewrite sentences changing the voice from passive to active. Students write seven answers.
Curated OER
Write Me a Mystery
Eleventh graders, in groups, pre-write, draft, edit and revise a murder mystery short story to hone their skills in short story drafting, editing and revision, group collaboration and computer usage. They also evaluate writing for both...
Virginia Department of Education
Revising Writing
Junior high writers investigate other student’s sample writing and critique on how it could be improved. Skill emphasis is place on elaboration, voice, and sentence variety. The student writing is provided, but the checklist for revision...
Grammar Net
Active to Passive
Do they inspect the trains, or are the trains inspected? Change twelve sentences from the active voice into the passive voice with a grammar worksheet.
Ogden Museum of Art Education Department
Literacy and Landscapes
As the saying goes, art often imitates life ... and literature! A series of activities designed to accompany a visit to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art encourage writers to find inspiration in various landscapes. The lesson includes a...
St. John-Endicott Schools
End of Year Reflection Questions
Wrap up your course by asking students to reflect and consider some of the most meaningful and important moments from the year. This document includes 15 different reflection questions, from identifying a best piece of writing or an...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
6 Traits: Voice
Students explore the trait of voice. In this language arts lesson, students focus on the writing trait of voice. Students view a video and practice writing.
Curated OER
Passive Voice Verbs Worksheet
In this passive voice verb worksheet, they rewrite 5 sentence using a passive verbs, rewrite 4 sentences to maintain meaning, change 10 sentences to the passive form, and change 10 passive sentences into the active form.