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Handout
San José State University

Essay Exams: Common Question Types

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
Novice writers often struggle to determine what style of essay to write when given a prompt. This worksheet helps to identify an appropriate form based on the language of the question. For example, key words like prove or justify...
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Lesson Plan
Ohio Literacy Resource Center

Compare & Contrast Essay

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Comparing two texts can build a greater understanding of the texts and themes of the works. Take some time to follow the steps here to guide your pupils through the process of composing compare-and-contrast essays.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

The Last Word: Using Critical Thinking and Analysis to Reach a Decision

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Want to explore the process of writing a persuasive essay and tie it in with the upcoming elections? Class members use Venn diagrams and the hamburger model of persuasive writing to write a five-paragraph essay on elections and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

9/11 Essay Questions

For Teachers 8th - 10th
After reading about the events of September 11, 2001 learners can think critically with the aid of nine interesting questions. They answer each question in a full sentence and answer as if they were confronted with these questions at the...
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Website
University of North Carolina

Essay Exams

For Students 9th - Higher Ed Standards
For decades, the sight of blue books has struck fear in the hearts of collegians. Those books usually signal an essay exam, the topic of one of the handouts in a larger series on specific writing assignments. Using the handout, writers...
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Assessment
New York State Education Department

Comprehensive English Examination: January 2016

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Poetry and prose often have more in common than it initially appears. A sample comprehensive English exam has test-takers compare and contrast two passages to answer short response questions. The exam, which is part of a larger set of...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Lesson 3: Essay Organizer

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
A three-minute exercise warms-up scholars' writing abilities in order to follow a writing process that ends in an essay. The essay's topic is a barrier and the values used to break it. Four steps include choosing a topic, jotting-down a...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Final Performance Task: Fishbowl Discussion about Editorial Essay

For Teachers 5th Standards
Using the resource, learners share their essay revisions with a partner. Afterward, they participate in a Fishbowl discussion, receiving peer feedback about their editorial essays. 
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Assessment
New York State Education Department

Comprehensive English Examination: August 2013

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Individuals exercise their minds by taking the Comprehensive Examination in English, which assesses listening and reading comprehension and writing aptitude. Scholars answer multiple-choice questions and write two short-response essays....
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Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Unit 2: Post-Revolution: The Critical Period 1781-1878

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
The post-Revolutionary Period of 1781-1787, also known as the Critical Period, is the focus of a series of lessons that prompt class members to examine primary source documents that reveal the instability of the period of the Articles of...
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Study Guide
Spark Notes

Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt: Study Guide - Essays

For Students 9th - 12th
Use an online interactive literature instructional activity to test comprehension and critical understanding of the book, Homecoming. Learners respond to eight short answer and essay questions about Cynthia Voigt's novel. Answers to...
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Website
University of North Carolina

Application Essays

For Students 9th - Higher Ed Standards
There's a lot riding on good writing! Often, an application essay is the difference between acceptance and rejection. As part of a series on specific writing assignments and contexts, a handout helps scholars craft the perfect personal...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Working in your Cubicle: Critical Thinking and Writing

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Explore informative and explanatory writing with this lesson. Using a cube labeled with directives to describe, analyze, compare, associate, apply, and argue the topic, middle schoolers work individually or in groups to answer questions....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

News or Propaganda?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What is considered news vs. propaganda? Learners will discuss objectivity and press responsibility while exploring these two concepts. They work in small groups to explore the article in-depth, guided by reading comprehension and...
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Assessment
New York State Education Department

Comprehensive English Examination: June 2015

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Heroes rise from adversity. That theme forms the focus of the critical lens essay in a sample comprehensive English examination. The exam, which is part of a larger series of sample standardized tests, also includes two short response...
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Unit Plan
New York City Department of Education

Grade 5 Literacy in English Language Arts: Should the School Day Be Longer?

For Teachers 5th Standards
Scholars read newspaper articles relating to a longer school day and complete note-taking organizers as they read. They then form opinions and complete outlines before writing essays supporting their point of view. 
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Lesson Plan
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Encyclopedia Britannica

Candidate Reflection Essay

For Teachers 9th - 12th
After writing about which of the 2020 presidential candidates the class has researched most closely represents their ideas, young political scientists take a 2020 Presidential Election Candidate Quiz to determine what candidate they in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Critically Examining, Analyzing and Evaluating Picture Books on Aboriginal Canada

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students combat pervasive stereotypes. In this Critical Analysis lesson, students examine and evaluate the stereotypes of Aboriginal groups, as depicted in a picture book. Students will use primary and secondary sources to compose...
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Organizer
Curated OER

Century of Progress: Homework Packet

For Students 9th - 12th
An entire packet of reading passages, critical thinking questions, graphic organizers, and web links is here for the taking. Here is a 12 page activity focused on document analysis, reading comprehension, and critical thinking, related...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Tomma Abts: Abstract Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
One must first learn how to analyze art before they can properly respond to it. Here, young analysts examine six abstract pieces in a systematic and formal way. They then respond to one of the pieces in either a poem or an essay. An...
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PPT
Curated OER

Answering an Essay Style Question

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Writing an essay can seem like a daunting task, but it can be a lot easier when learners are given an outline of expectations. This resource provides a step-by-step explanation of how to answer an essay question. However, the...
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Assessment
New York State Education Department

Comprehensive English Examination: August 2015

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Looking at literature through a critical lens helps readers connect the text to the larger world. An essay examining the theme "There is no ill in the world without a remedy" forms the main part of a sample comprehensive English...
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PPT
Curated OER

Compare and Contrast Essays

For Teachers 7th - 10th
One of these things is not like the other. But, so what? Why is it important to examine the similarities and differences between two entities? Here's a presentation that shows viewers how to go beyond a mere listing to create and support...
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Lesson Plan
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US House of Representatives

Permanent Interests: The Expansion, Organization, and Rising Influence of African Americans in Congress, 1971–2007

For Teachers 7th - 12th
New ReviewThe fourth installment of the seven-lesson unit focused on African Americans elected to and serving in the US Congress looks at the period from 1971 through 2007. Class members read a contextual essay that provides background information...