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Writing
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Curated OER

Is It Ethical to Eat Meat?

For Students 9th - 12th
Have your class join a blog about whether or not eating meat is good for you. They'll read several passages regarding meat processing and consumption, then they post what they think. There are six critical-thinking prompts to help them...
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PPT
Chandler Unified School District

Satire: The Art of Indirect Persuasion

For Students 9th - 12th
A free press is entitled to its opinions. While the news pages report the facts of events, editorial pages feature writers' and cartoonists' opinions about events to either directly or indirectly persuade. Introduce viewers to the art of...
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Lesson Plan
Serendip

Golden Rice – Evaluating the Pros and Cons

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
More than half the world's population eats rice as a daily staple ... imagine if that rice could prevent illness. Scientists genetically engineered rice to include vitamin A for just that purpose. However, room for debate still exists....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ICYouSee: A Lesson in Critical Thinking

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Stress the importance of authenticating online resources and understanding the sources of websites' information with this activity. Using a Web-based activity, the lesson prompts young learners to think critically about determining the...
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Website
University of North Carolina

Literature Reviews

For Students 9th - Higher Ed Standards
A literature review goes beyond simply giving a novel a thumbs up or thumbs down. In fact, it may not require an opinion at all. Using a handout on literature reviews, part of a larger series on specific writing assignments, writers...
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Handout
ProCon

Daylight Savings Time

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
An entomologist named Geroge Vernon Hudson is credited with proposing Daylight Saving Time (DST) so he could better study his insects. Using the informative website, scholars read a brief introduction to the topic and then explore the...
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Handout
ProCon

Gold Standard

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
If all the mined gold in the world was melted across a football field, it would rise 5.4 feet. That's just one interesting fact pupils learn when using the debate topics website to determine if the United States should return to a gold...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Leap! Frog!

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students write a report stating facts and opinions based on frogs. Investigate and understand the changes that take place during the life cycle of a frog. Respond to language, meanings and ideas in different texts, relating them to...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Language Review #7

For Students 3rd - 4th
For this language review #7 worksheet, learners edit and punctuate 3 sentences, write fact or opinion for 2 sentences, select words that are spelled correctly and write synonyms for 2 words.
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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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Worksheet
Curated OER

Goggle Eyes

For Students 5th - 6th
In this Google Eyes worksheet, students read eight chapters from Google Eyes and then complete a comprehension exercise, speech marks, persuasive writing, fact and opinion, question mark, and the comma worksheets. Students answer one...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting to Know the Candidates: Analyzing Their Campaign Ads

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students examine the role of advertising in presidential campaigns. They analyze one candidate's advertising campaign ads for elements such as major issues, positivity, negativity, facts, and opinions.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conventions: Strong Verbs

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders practice using strong verbs. In this conventions lesson, 5th graders brainstorm words to complete sentences and list lively and exciting verbs. Students act out meanings of certain words. Students come up with new ways to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Convey Ideas in Writing

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Use the platforms of the 2004 presidential candidates to bring persuasive writing to your class. Young voters identify the three issues most important to them in the election and research the issues and candidates' positions. They write...
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Activity
Worksheet Web

Language – Debating

For Students 7th - 9th Standards
Having a debate doesn't mean you're fighting. Introduce middle schoolers to debate with a resource which distinguishes between an quarrel and a debate, describes the debate process and format, and presents some possible debate topics.
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Lesson Plan
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West Virginia Department of Education

Editorials: The Guiding Voice of Authority?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How much can opinion influence a news story? A standalone resource discusses the importance of John Brown's Raid through the lens of journalism. Learners analyze two different texts, one from the perspective of the North and the other of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Conversation Lesson: The Necessity of Grammar

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Start a conversation to convey proper English grammar. In groups pupils voice their opinion, have well supported disagreements, and explain why they feel as they do. This lesson builds academic discussion skills and fosters a command of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Don't Flick Your Bic!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the ban on lighters and how it is being enforced and interview community members who smoke, especially travelers who have or might be stopped for carrying lighters. Students then write an opinion piece about the situation.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stepping in: Good Samaritan or Fool?

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students write an opinion piece, including facts of this situation and any other statistics about helping others during a fight. Students offer suggestions about how to break up a fight, or when not to try (based on what national experts...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dr. Heidegger's Experiment

For Teachers 11th
Examine the idea of perpetual youth and immortality while you read Nathaniel Hawthorne's Dr. Heidegger's Experiment. Some links work to direct your learners to information about the Fountain of Youth. Using this information, scholars...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

bbc news: school report

For Students 6th - 7th
In this journalism worksheet, learners choose a subject for a news report. They create a list of three people they would like to interview. They write 3 questions to ask, and indicate if the question relates to a fact or opinion.
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PPT
Curated OER

Recognizing Bias

For Teachers 6th - 12th
This PowerPoint outlines methods for recognizing bias in various forms of media. The presentation defines loaded words, stereotypes, and one-sided arguments as types of bias and also highlights the characteristics of facts and opinions. 
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Separating Fact from Opinion

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Students read, "A Misspent youth: The HIV/AIDS Crisis Comes of Age", and discuss the article or write their answers to the questions imbedded in the lesson. They write their own essay.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Connecticut Folklore: Fact or Fiction

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders read legends to learn the history of Connecticut in a fun informative way.