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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...
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Writing: Laying and Covering the Foundation
Your middle schoolers can become stronger writers with a lesson covering the basics. They compose effective thesis statements and introductions, discuss different ways to capture a reader's attention, and compare a poorly written...
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H.D. Thoreau's Philosophy of Government
Students read an essay by H.D. Thoreau as analysis of his philosophy on government. In this Thoreau analysis lesson, students work in groups to paraphrase two of Thoreau's criteria for his beliefs about government. Students write a...
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Defining Terrorism
High schoolers explore the debate over legitimate and illegitimate uses of force and differentiate between terrorists and freedom fighters. They read articles, participate in class discussion and write an essay with their observations.
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Heroes
Tenth graders participate in research and class discussion before attempting to write a traditional five paragraph essay. They use the examples of 16 other hero stories to consider. Students use examples and descriptive details to...
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Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government
In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about Locke's Second Treatise on Civil Government.
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The Sculpture of Henry Moore
Eighth graders complete a unit of lessons on the characteristics of Henry Moore's sculpture. They examine and discuss examples of Moore's sculpture, identify the defining characteristics, write an essay, and create a sculpture in the...
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Using Cytochrome-C to Explore Evolutionary Relationships
Students analyze protein sequences. In this lesson on determining evolutionary relationships, students use the Internet tools BLAST and Biology Workbench to look at protein sequences. Students will compose an essay that includes their...
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The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
In this online interactive philosophy learning exercise, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism by Max Weber.
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Learning About the Civil Rights Movement Through Photographs
Young scholars examine the racial inequality that existed in the United States before the Civil Rights Movement. After listening to song lyrics and viewing photographs, they discover the importance of the movement in helping society...
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The Influence of Media on Decision Making: Exploring Ideas of Bias in Media with a Committee of the Legislative Assembly
Eleventh graders participate in a role play about the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia. They write an essay evaluating the influence (if any) the media has on decision-making.
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The Art of Persuasion
Students practice persuasive writing by creating a travel brochure. In this creative writing lesson, students research a popular tourist destination they would like to visit and create a brochure enticing readers to come. Students...
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Houses or Walaloos
Investigate the legal history and application of the Fifth Amendment. Write an essay in favor of a person keeping land that has been in his/her family for decades.
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Why Care About Amphibian Population Decline and Malformations?
Learners examine the reasons for preserving wildlife. They look at reasons for amphibian malformations and write an essay about the ethical issues that this brings up. They listen to the teacher read quotes about extinction and how the...
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Genetic Engineering
Students will apply their knowledge acquired from two guest speakers to writing a three hundred-word essay on either the pros or cons of genetic engineering. They will try to persuade the reader of their essays to agree with their stance...
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Cultural "I Amm" Speech Project
Eleventh graders use the internet and other sources to research a selected individual. They explore important events, challenges, and the impact and influence the person had on US History. Using the information gathered, 11th graders...
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Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu's Golden Age of Scholarship
Learners access online information regarding education in Timbuktu and the mighty Songhai Empire. They write an essay comparing and contrasting the curriculum of the university at Sankore with that of their own school.
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The Movement of Ideas
Twelfth graders read and analyze the literary elements of Alphonse Daudet's "The Last Lesson" and Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address. They compare the two works and write an essay describing the reasons they feel the authors...
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Writing: Barn Raising
Young writers compare writing a paper to building a barn. They write a thesis statement using parallel construction and use transitions to hold the paper (walls of the barn) together. A barn raising video link is included; great for...
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Power of Persuasion
Teaching students about persuasion can be a fun experience that involves writing, PowerPoint presentations, and vocabulary building.
We are Teachers
Phrases to Outlaw in Students' Writing
If your writing classroom was the Wild West, what phrases would be "outlawed"? Here is one poster that every writing instructor, and really, any teacher of communication, should have in their classroom!
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Doyle Online Writing Lab: Paper Editing Worksheet
Both the writer and the reviewer contribute to this editing activity. Before handing the paper to a partner, the writer lists specific areas of concern for the reader to address. The editor addresses these concerns and offers detailed...
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Gender in the Classroom by Deborah Tannen
Bring some informational text into your high school classroom with this worksheet. As your pupils read Gender in the Classroom by Deborah Tannen, provide them with this analysis sheet. They study specific quotations and sections of the...
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Persuade the Aliens!
Why do we do what we do? Imagine that people on a faraway planet came to visit Earth. Could you convince them to adopt a custom or behavior that we participate in here? Learners of all ages write persuasive essays. If you're using this...