Curated OER
Five Paragraph Essay
Students create a standard outline, using a word processing tool, while they are learning about the basic writing device of the 5 paragraph essay.
Dream of a Nation
Writing an Analytic Essay
After researching an issue introduced in Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, writers develop an original thesis statement and craft an analytic essay using evidence collected in their research.
Dream of a Nation
Writing Interdisciplinary Essay
The Grapes of Wrath. The Jungle. Native Son. The Things They Carried. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian. To address a current social, political, economic, or environmental issue, class groups pair the reading of a classic...
Curated OER
The Five Paragraph Essay
Students investigate the concept of writing a five paragraph essay. They go through the steps to develop an essay from prewriting to a final draft using a writing prompt of Olauda Equiano. The handout for the assignment has questions for...
Curated OER
Intro to Essay Writing for High Schoolers
Emerging writers observe and demonstrate the process of writing an essay. As a class, they read and discuss the writing steps, read a sample essay, and write an outline for a three-paragraph essay. Then they write a final version of...
Curated OER
Informative Essay Outline Lesson Plan
Students are introduced to how to properly write an informative essay. In groups, they review the steps of prewriting and how to make an outline for their essay. Individually, they practice completing their outlines and share them with...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
The Writer’s Toolbox: What You Need to Master the Craft
Strengthen your high schoolers' writing with a series of steps for writing successfully. With sections on organizing an essay, choosing a topic, crafting a thesis statement, and revising a draft, the lesson encourages your class to...
Curated OER
Five-Paragraph Essay
Seventh graders examine the five-paragraph essay format, including the main idea and supporting sentences. After outlining their essay ideas, they write their rough drafts and proofread them in preparation for writing their final papers.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
How Novel Icefish Genes Can Improve Human Health
Designed to accompany the 13-minute video The Making of the Fittest: The Birth and Death of Genes, this handout serves as both a viewing guide during the video and an analysis of how the adaptations of the icefish might help treat some...
Curated OER
Organizing Ideas
Students organize facts into categories and list the structure of a five-paragraph essay. They identify the main idea and outline the supporting details. In the class, students discuss how they organized their ideas and begin drafting...
Curated OER
The Political is Personal
Students examine their own political party affiliations and political beliefs. After reading an article, they discuss how students at Duke define their political philosophies. They brainstorm events, people and experiences that have...
Curated OER
Global Issues
Twelfth graders look deeper into a controversial or global issue. They complete five "Level 3" activities. Students complete three "Level 2" activities and complete one "Level 1" activity. They must complete a title page and table of...
Curated OER
Essay: The Importance of Physical Education
Originally designed for a physical education classroom, this lesson plan asks learners to argue for their school to keep their PE class during budget cuts. Whether your school is facing this challenge or not, it does pose a great...
Curated OER
Finding Your Story: Helping Students Begin Their Memoir
Students write their memoir. For this memoir lesson, students study the differences between an autobiography and a memoir. Students construct an outline as the basis for their memoir.
Curated OER
Natural Disasters
Students compose essays outlining the effects of floods on humans and their environments. Included in their essays are methods explaining how people have tried to adapt to floods. Using the Internet or provided written materials,...
Curated OER
Saudi Arabia -- Future city
Seventh graders summarize an article on Masdar. In this summarizing instructional activity students clearly explain three of the four points provided in an outline of the article. The students write an essay and identify six physical...
Curated OER
The Family Tree
Students make a family tree. In this family lesson, students brainstorm what the word family means, interview their family members and grandparents, create a family tree, list their family's favorite foods and write an essay describing...
Curated OER
The Rise of Christianity in the Roman Empire
Ninth graders investigate the growth of Christianity in Rome. In this Roman Empire lesson, 9th graders listen to a SMART Board lecture about the Jesus, Christianity, and the empire prior to composing thematic essays about the spread of...
Curated OER
Evolution of the Peppered Moth
Seventh graders complete a timeline about the evolution of the peppered moth. In this biology lesson, 7th graders write an essay about how human can affect evolution. They share their essay with the class.
Curated OER
HOT TOPICS OF THE MISSISSIPPI
Students use a five-step process to write a persuasive essay about an issue that is related to the Mississippi River. Students build an argument based on prior knowledge and information from a variety of sources. Students base their...
Curated OER
I Heard the Owl Call My Name
Eleventh graders write a two to three page paper addressing one of the following topics: Analyze the values and beliefs of the two conflicting cultures. Explain which values seem to dominate within the conflict and why. They brainstorm...
Curated OER
Telling Our Stories of Giving - Writing to Persuade
After identifying the parts of a persuasive piece of writing, young writers explore different prewriting activities for the persuasive essay. They have the option to write a news article, personal narrative, or persuasive essay to...
Curated OER
What an Accomplishment
Middle schoolers identify and discuss the images on the back of the South Dakota quarter. They discuss the differences between facts and opinions, and research information about the four presidents memorialized on Mount Rushmore.
Curated OER
If I Were the Wind
Eighth graders are introduced to authors in the conservation community. As a class, they describe a personal experience they have had with nature. They identify examples of an author's descriptive writing techniques and answer questions...