This interactive worksheet provides 10 questions: each includes a reading passage which students read and select the patterns of organization used in each passage. RI.11-12.3 Text development

E-text of a book with primary and secondary source information about Harriet Tubman by Sarah Bradford published in 1886. RI.9-10.7 different mediums

The National Museum of American History has assembled a collection of resources that underscore the significance of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address, including a draft of the speech in Lincoln's own hand, a video of the Lincoln Bedroom,...

This is an 11- page PDF about Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer's book about his experience climbing Mount Everest. It includes a short summary of the book, a biography about the author, book reviews, discussion questions, an interview with...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a nonfiction text Sandra Day O'Connor and a linked passage about Margaret Thatcher and then complete questions over the paired texts.RI.11-12.5 Evaluate text structure

In addition to defining and describing various patterns of text organization, this website provides outlines illustrating each pattern. RI.11-12.3 Text development

Part of the Pearson Longman series entitled "Sentence Resources for Writers", this site assesses the high school student's ability to identify main points and develop specific details and support points. Includes ten multiple choice and...

In this lesson, you will learn to analyze persuasive speeches and examine the impact of rhetorical structure and the use of devices in famous speeches. It includes activities such as matching quotes from famous speeches to the speakers...

What kinds of evidence best support the points you make in a paper? Where can you find the evidence you need? This handout answers all these questions and more, including the difference between primary and secondary sources. You'll also...

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson focuses on ways of searching through the context for clues to illuminate unknown words. Unknown words interrupt the flow of your reading, and, like a bump in the...

A great lesson plan that examines Abraham Lincoln's greatest speech, the Gettysburg Address. Help students understand the speech in context and why it is relevant today. The lesson plan objectives, video, power points, and a thorough...

This is the text of Abraham Lincoln's famous speech, "A House Divided" concerning the issue of slavery it was delivered on June 16, 1858, in Springfield, Illinois. It includes his famous quote: "A house divided against itself cannot...

A timeline of the social, political, historical, and literary history of America from the 1500s to the 1920s. It offers links to primary sources including historical and literary works including the original U.S. Constitution. RL.11-12.9...

In this lesson, students practice analyzing the evidence that supports or opposes an argument. They are also going to learn to analyze the quality, relevance, and credibility of the evidence so you can decide whether to accept the...

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, students will learn about three types of evidence that writers often rely on: logical, empirical, and anecdotal. It will also help you distinguish among these...

This lesson will help students identify diction and tone in their reading and will help them answer these questions: What does the author mean? What is the author's attitude about what he or she is writing? How will my understanding of a...

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, students will learn how to find the tone in a passage using a close reading strategy. They will also look at diction and discover that examining a writer's...

This lesson focuses on learning to spot logical fallacies in arguments. All of us need to acquire skills to protect ourselves from falling victim to tricks of logic. By learning to detect fallacies, you can protect your values, your...

[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] In this lesson, students will learn how to pinpoint the controlling idea, which not only identifies the main idea, but also answers questions about the author's goal or...

This lesson focuses on the expression of ideas, the stylistic choices writers make. Because the range of choices is so broad, the activities in the lesson will focus on DDIST: (Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, Tone) to help you remember...

In this practice lesson, which focuses on applying word strategies to understand the text, students will sample a classic story of transformation, a transformation from good to bad and back again. This transformation story has become a...

This lesson focuses on understanding an article or essay by looking past mere words on a page to the choice and arrangement of those words in order to analyze the way writers express themselves. The choice and arrangement of words make...

This Center for Urban Education resource provides a downloadable graphic organizer for students to use when analyzing the evidence that authors use to support a claim. RI.9-10.5 ideas/claims developed. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.8

Provides a detailed explanation of the fundamentals of logic, including brief definitions of key terms and sections on fallacies and improprieties, as well as examples and practice exercises. Click on additional subtopics in the side...