21 x 20 Media
A+ Writing Prompts
Shake it up! Shake your tablet to bring up a unique writing prompt for journaling or blogging with your class. Shake again and a new one appears. Prompts can come from different categories (sketches, scenes, texts, words, news) to help...
Curated OER
Writing a Literary Analysis
What makes writing literary? What comprises analysis? A 15-slide PowerPoint presentation, created by the Purdue University Writing Lab, tackles these questions. The explanations of what makes writing literary and what comprises analysis...
EngageNY
Selecting Evidence and Partner Writing: Aligning “The Hero’s Journey” and The Lightning Thief (Chapter 5)
Around and around we go! Scholars work in groups to connect The Hero's Journey and The Lightning Thief with a Carousel of Quotes activity. They then independently reflect on the two texts and answer questions about how they connect to...
Curated OER
Conventions: Quotation Marks
Fifth graders determine the difference between indirect and direct quotations. In this grammar lesson, 5th graders recognize that direct quotations have quotation marks and understand what the rules are for using quotation marks.
Curated OER
Pendemonium Unnatural Selection: Quotation Marks
Students practice the correct use of quotation marks. In this grammar lesson, students watch and then discuss a video on the use of quotation marks. Students find examples of quotation marks in books and periodicals and then convert...
Curated OER
The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle: Graphic Organizer
After completing the first five chapters of The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle By Avi, use direct quotes to make inferences about how Charlotte feels about certain characters. Later, when the novel has concluded, revisit the text to...
Freeology
Abraham Lincoln
Six witty quotes from Abraham Lincoln make up a worksheet that challenges scholars to examine the words and state their meaning in one to two sentences.
EngageNY
Writing and Argument Essay: Peer Critique with Rubric (Chapters 29-31, Including Synthesis of Scenes in Previous Chapters)
Hungry? Try a quote sandwich! Writers discover the concept of using a quote sandwich to introduce and analyze a quote in an argumentative essay properly. Additionally, pupils engage in peer critiques, analyzing each other's drafts and...
Curated OER
Write Some Dialogue
Students write dialogue. For this character development lesson students use direct or indirect speech to include a confrontation between two characters in their story. Students portray the emotions of the characters in addition to what...
EngageNY
End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 1a: Writing Body Paragraphs
It is not what you say but how you say it. Class members prepare for writing their A Long Walk to Water essays by analyzing row four in the writing rubric. Learners discuss the words used and talk about the importance of correct grammar...
Curated OER
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe - Direct Speech
Direct speech, and the use of quotation marks, are the focus of this language arts presentation. The story, The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe is used to illustrate examples of direct speech and how quotation marks are used. The final...
Curated OER
Quotation Response Speech: Public Speaking Skills
Improve high schoolers' public speaking with an engaging activity. Class members select three personally relevant quotes from a list. They then write a short speech for each quote, explaining how the quotes are personally relevant. The...
Curated OER
Italics or Quotation Marks?
Be sure to click "Download this Activity" to view the plan in its formatted version. The first worksheet has learners review what types of titles are italicized, underlined, or placed in quotation marks. The second page contains the...
Curated OER
Rewriting a Dialogue (removing quotes)
This is a great activity! Upper elementary learners read a dialogue-driven passage. Then, they rewrite lines of dialogue by removing the quotation marks and shifting the verb tense to past. Grammar and great writing skills all in one. An...
EngageNY
Taking Notes and Citing Quotes from Text: Gathering Information on our Rainforest Insects
In other words. Scholars practice using paraphrasing and quotes. They partner in pairs to write a paraphrase for an information text strip. Individuals then use their skills to paraphrase information from the text Fire Ants.
Novelinks
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer: Writing Assignment
Ask learners to focus on one scene in Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in order to write an analytical essay about Twain's ideas surrounding childhood. The final assignment in a unit, this writing prompt requires learners to use...
EngageNY
Using Quotes and Opinion Writing: Ingenious Inventions by Women
Scholars complete multiple reads of Ingenious Inventions by Women: The Windshield Wiper and Paper Bag machine to determine gist, use quotes, define words, and form an opinion about the importance of the interventions. Learners work in...
EngageNY
End of Unit Assessment: Using Quotes to Explain Relationships and Support an Opinion
Think big! Scholars complete an end of unit assessment using their notes and graphic organizers along with the texts Big Thinkers: Was Steve Jobs This Generation’s Thomas Edison? and Steve
Jobs. To complete the assessment, they answer...
EngageNY
Paraphrasing Quotes and Analyzing Visual Elements: Investigating the Scientific Method with Max Axiom Super Scientist
Pay close attention. Learners discuss the things close readers do and record them in a chart. They then silently reading section 1 of Investigating the Scientific Method wit Max Axiom Super Scientist and write the gist of the text in...
EngageNY
End of Unit 2 Assessment, Part 1b: Writing Introduction and Conclusion
Writers continue looking at the rubric for their A Long Walk to Water essays. This time, they analyze the demands for the introduction and conclusion paragraphs. Pupils compare the rubric to the opening and closing of the model essay,...
Curated OER
How to Integrate Quotations
Quotations add validity to an argument or an analysis, but how do you integrate them into your writing? Several examples are provided, and your emerging writers will surely benefit from looking at different ways to add quotations....
Curated OER
Documenting Sources: An Introduction to Incorporating and Documenting Outside Sources in Your Writing
Text heavy, the 16 slides in this presentation provide specific examples to introduce researchers to documenting outside sources in expository writing. A follow-up activity or worksheet would provide an opportunity for guided practice.
Curated OER
Revising Pronouns and Antecedents
Students choose better pronouns to use in their writing. In this pronouns in writing lesson plan, students identify pronouns in their writing, then replace second person pronouns to improve their writing.
Project Noah
Writing Goes Wild
Young scientists develop their observation and writing skills as they craft and then post a detailed description of a plant or animal they have spotted and photographed.