PBS
Character Study: Scout Finch
Scout Finch, the rough-and-tumble protagonist of Harper Lee's iconic To Kill a Mockingbird, learns quite a bit about how the world works as she observes her father's defense of Tom Robinson. Learn more about Scout and her distinctive...
Lit2Go
The Two Fellows and the Bear
How does trust grow between friends, and why is it so important? Aesop's 142-word fable "The Two Fellows and the Bear," addresses the question and challenges readers to think about whether they should trust the friends in their lives. To...
Lit2Go
The Tortoise and the Eagle
Part of a set of fables, Aesop's "The Tortoise and the Eagle" is all about a tortoise that fulfills his dreams and dies in the process of completing them. The activity after the passage asks readers to write an argumentative response...
Lit2Go
The Labourer and the Nightingale
Young negotiators ponder the best arguments to escape captivity after listening to Aesop's "The Labourer and the Nightingale," which tells the tale of a clever songbird who secures his own freedom. They then respond to a writing prompt...
Lit2Go
The Two Crabs
How important is it to lead with example? Part of a larger series of audiobooks, Aesop's 70-word fable "The Two Crabs" is about a mother crab that essentially tells her son to do what she says and not as she does. The writing activity...
Lit2Go
The Fox and the Lion
Can getting to know someone change your opinion of them? After listening to Aesop's fable "The Fox and the Lion," young writers respond with a short literary analysis on the theme of familiarity.
Lit2Go
The Donkey and the Grasshopper
Patience, young grasshopper ... the lesson provides a great experience with narrative writing using an installment from a series of audiobooks of Aesop's Fables. The 57-word passage leads to an engaging activity where your readers argue...
TED-Ed
Should We Get Rid of Standardized Testing?
Did you know that the concept of standardized testing is over 2,000 years old? But what is the purpose of these tests? What do they supposedly measure? A short video investigates the history of standardized tests.
TV411
Learn the Steps to Clear Essay Writing!
Introduce your young writers to the five-paragraph expository essay format with a four-page worksheet that uses color codes to model for writers how to craft the essay. Although designed to prepare writers for the GED, the approach can...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Cause and Effect Papers
This video lesson focuses on cause and effect papers. It begins by defining the terms and purpose for cause and effect writing and then moves on to planning, organizing, and writing the paper. Real Player is required.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Classification Papers
This video tutorial focuses on a type of informative writing called classification papers. It defines classification writing, provides an organization pattern for the material, and offers a general outline for classification papers.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Argumentative Papers: Opposing Arguments
This video lesson focuses on when and how to address opposing arguments in an argumentative paper. It begins with a warning about acknowledging opposing viewpoints and then offers a method if you choose to do so: build common ground,...
Imagine Learning Classroom
Learn Zillion: Write an Introductory Paragraph That Addresses the Opposing Views
In this lesson, you will learn to write an introductory paragraph to define your claim by arguing why this issue is important and addressing the opposing claim. [4:52]
Imagine Learning Classroom
Learn Zillion: Organize Information for an Argumentative Essay
In this lesson, you will learn how to organize your information for an argumentative essay by using boxes and bullets to prioritize evidence. [4:53]
Imagine Learning Classroom
Learn Zillion: Order Reasons and Counterargument to Best Prove Claim
Students will organize the reasons and counterargument to best prove claim. [6:42]
Imagine Learning Classroom
Learn Zillion: Strengthen Argumentative Writing by Identifying an Opposing Claim
In this lesson, you will learn how to strengthen your argument by identifying the opposing claim and arguing against it. [4:34]