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Reporting on a Battle
Students report on battles of the Civil War. In this American Civil War lesson, students conduct research that allows them to report on selected battles of the war. Student's newspapers should include eyewitness statements, photographs,...
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Conspiracy after the Storm: Editing Dual Murder Plots in Shakespeare's 'The Tempest'
Students edit scenes from Shakespeare's The Tempest in documentary fashion and perform their edited scripts. For this play analysis lesson, students read through Act 2 and 3 and discuss how and why to cut lines in a play. Students create...
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Focus on the Media
Students critically examine news articles and editorials for attitudes of discrimination and prejudice. Students then complete checklist in which they analyze news reports for context, content, point of view, language, graphics, and...
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Cinderella Stories
Students listen to the Scottish tale, The Princess and the Golden Shoes, creating a character chart. They develop a newspaper containing news stories, personality profiles, and editorials regarding The Princess and the Golden Shoes.
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Freedom from Oppression
Students investigate instances of genocide and role play as reporters writing news stories and editorials.
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Critical Thinking & Writing: Brainstorming
Have your young writers organize their thoughts before writing. They generate ideas through various brainstorming activities prior to writing a mock feature news story for USA Today. A series of USA Today articles debating the level of...
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Let the Pictures Tell the Story: Presenting a Point of View
Ninth graders examine the process of writing a newspaper article that presents a point of view. They read various newspaper articles, analyze methods of persuasive writing, interpret and create editorial cartoons, and write an editorial.
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The Kennedy Administration and the Civil Rights Movement
Students evaluate the Kennedy Administration's involvement in the civil rights movement. In this Civil rights lesson plan, students read and take notes from speeches connected to the historic March on Washington from the National...
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Traditions and Transformations
Students examine how traditions change over time. In this lesson on Jewish culture, students interview persons of the Jewish faith, write poems, and create murals that exemplify Jewish culture.
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Strong Convictions
How can the rhetorical structure of an editorial help to develop its argument? Use this New York Times editorial to emphasize the importance of structure in a piece of informational text. Adolescent writers then use the editorial as a...
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Taking Age into Account
Have your class consider the issue of minors' accountability for their crimes. They discuss specific cases and the general issue of juvenile crime in round table discussions. Use this lesson plan to emphasize the rules and individual...
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Dangerous Roads in Your Community
Students collect information about dangerous streets and intersections in community, interview law enforcement officials and safety experts to find out what they think can be done to reduce accidents, write in-depth article using these...
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The Election of 1896 - Gold or Silver?
Learners analyze the issues behind the Election of 1896 and describe the positions of William McKinley and William Jennings Bryan. They evaluate editorial cartoons supporting McKinley's candidacy via editorial cartoons. Each student...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Why are Cartoonists Vital to Democracy
A thought-provoking activity doesn't prompt learners to analyze a political cartoon, but rather the importance of political cartoonists in general. They work together and discuss the role cartoonists play in the democratic system. Use...
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Persuaded or Informed?
Give each learner a newspaper for this lesson plan! As a group, read select editorials and discuss them with your class. Are these articles informational or persuasive? Cut out select editorials and have learners identify the purpose of...
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Progressive Reforms
Tenth graders analyze editorial cartoons focusing on progressive reform. They compare their analysis and research. Students discuss the cost of reform leading to the creation of a national income tax through the passage of the 16th...
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Cartoons for the Classroom:
Editorial cartoonists can make a big impact: this political cartoon analysis handout displays 2 cartoons by 2011 Pulitzer-award-winning cartoonist Mike Keefe. Background information gives learners context on the award, and 3 talking...
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Political Cartoons: Literacy
Readers decode and deconstruct political cartoons to heighten critical thinking, extra-textual literacy, and making meaning from symbolism and metaphor. A compatible activity to use in English class when your 8th or 11th graders are...
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Persuasive/Argumentative Essay vs. Opinion writing
Reinforce persuasive and argumentative writing skills with this instructional activity, which utilizes SchoolNet News Network's website/SNN Monthly magazine. Young writers review journalism writing styles that help them explain that...
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The Progressive Era in Illinois
High schoolers collect photographs on the Progressive Era in Illinois, then write three newspaper articles, using one photo per article. The article will highlight an event in Illinois during the Progressive Era. The newspaper must also...
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Cartoons for the Classroom
Political cartoons have been used to decades. What do they symbolize? Why use a political cartoon instead of an editorial piece? Look at the two political cartoons illustrated here and analyze them as a class or in pairs. Consider...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Who Drew it Best?
Assess the Cash for Clunkers program with your scholars through 3 political cartoons, which they will analyze to determine who drew it best. Background information helps pupils gain context to assess the cartoons, and 3 talking points...
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Cartoons for the Classroom: Prorogue in Canada
Canada's financial woes and a controversially suspended Parliament create fodder for political cartoons in this critical analysis handout. Background information clarifies the context, allowing scholars access to the cartoons, which poke...
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What's My Point: Persuasive Writing
Why do readers need to know an author’s purpose? How do you figure out what that purpose is? Guide your pupils through a series of activities that show them how to identify various techniques and structures used in persuasive writing....