Develop spoken fluency, persuasive speaking skills, and confidence by having your class practice their public speaking skills. They compose and deliver persuasive speeches as they participate in five different speech tasks. A...

To prepare to deliver a persuasive speech, class members examine not only how to craft a speech, but consider body language, articulation, pronunciation, pitch, pace, and volume as well.

Fourth and fifth graders try their hand at persuasive writing. They listen to well-written persuasive articles so they can get a sense of what good persuasive writing is. Then, they brainstorm topics they'd like to write about and are...

Explore the current television rating system, its content descriptors, and the new V-chip technology that more readily allow parents to control their child's television viewing. Help learners develop a survey that will determine the pros...

Have you ever cheated on a test? What about copied someone else's homework? After reading Colleen Wenke's essay "Too Much Pressure," class members use the provided reading comprehension questions to focus their analysis of important...

Everyone has a different opinion about the characters they read about in books. Have your class explore forming an opinion and finding evidence to support it as they read and discuss what they think about a particular character. They...

To gain an understanding of the significance of Galileo Galilei's revolutionary ideas, class members watch the short video "Stargazing Before Galileo," and conduct a close reading of Galileo's Sidereal Messsenger. They then...

More than half the world's population eats rice as a daily staple ... imagine if that rice could prevent illness. Scientists genetically engineered rice to include vitamin A for just that purpose. However, room for debate still exists....

Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a lesson on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella Fitzgerald....

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, "I Have a Dream," is one of the most famous in United States history, but why was it so effective? Ask your class to determine the answer to this question. While the resource includes a description of...

High schoolers 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. High schoolers...

Students debate climate change and its causes. They examine articles about the topic and use the information to form their arguments. Students use debate sequence sheets and debater's grids during the exercise.

Students identify persuasive strategies and analyze arguments. In this persuasive writing activity, students read "Chief Red Jacket's Reply" and "Reverend Cram's Speech to the Iroquois Nation" and chart major elements of each argument....

Students use extensive information about previous cases with related themes and depositions on the Street Law web site to gather information that will be used to write an effective appeals brief for whichever party in the case their...

Students examine how to plan their own thoughts, write down specific notes, and prepare to give their speech on a topic from the list. They take a specific side and present their arguments to the class.

Students write a curator's report in order to persuade a board of directors to purchase an artwork for a museum.

High schoolers participate in a simulation that asks them to work as staffers for a candidate running for office. They are assigned to design, administer, and analyze a simple poll on an important community issue. Students develop a...

This evaluative writing PowerPoint provides a framework for developing the critical thinking skills needed to critique literary selections. Deductive and inductive reasoning skills are featured as well tips for building a good argument...

Students explore how to write persuasive letters. They work in small groups to brainstorm ideas and organize them into a cohesive argument to be presented to the class. Students explore the concept of persuasion and how it is a strategy...

Students read several editorials such as those written by Upton Sinclair, Lincoln Steffens, and Ida Tarbell. They recognize the similarities between several editorials and summarize and outline the arguments presented in several editorials.

Sixth graders move through the process of defining persuasion, identifying persuasive arguments and techniques in writing and evaluating their own use of accurate details. Students also define an author's point of view.

Students write a business letter. In this factual writing lesson, students complete an online activity. Groups also draft a reply to a complaint letter. A worksheet is included for extra practice.

In this oral presentation worksheet, students practice setting up an oral presentation about the death penalty. They work in a graphic organizer that includes the introduction, main topics and arguments, and conclusion in a format that...

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...