Beware! (not only the Ides of March). Warn your researchers of the dangers of plagiarism! After defining the term, viewers are introduced to the consequences of and forms of plagiarism, as well as tips on how to avoid plagiarism....

"Mistakes are necessary; therefore, we shouldn't shelter children from the world." Class members agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, or disagree with a series of statements related to concepts explored in The Catcher in the Rye....

Practice using context clues to determine the meaning of specific words. Learners read a sentence and write the meaning of the underlined word on the line below each sentence. By practicing this skill, class members will soon be ready to...

Your students have mastered using textual evidence in literature, but what about using this skill in informational texts.  Uh oh! That is right—they are not the same thing. Darn the Common Core! See options on how to differentiate...

Learners examine circumstances surrounding rides of the American Revolution other than Paul Revere's, explore why posterity treated them differently than Revere's ride, and create original poems based on historical fact.

Have your learners choose an author to study. One resource link gives a list of approved authors. Scholars read at least three works produced by that author and produce three separate book reports as well as a two-page author report....

In this comprehension check worksheet, students respond to 25 short answer questions from Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson in order to help them better understand the novel.

Have the class complete a two-page grammar activity which includes fill-in-the-blank, completing sentences, and finishing a conversation to practice using proper verb form. They assess each of the 30 sentences and use the proper form of...

Eighth graders debate United States' involvement in the Holocaust and WWII. They research the United States' role in the Holocaust, views the US held at the time, and how they would have handled the Holocaust if they were in charge...

Use this PowerPoint in your college linguistics, English, psychology, or communications studies course. Not flashy, this presentation is still full of high-level concepts and vocabulary regarding semantics and verbal ambiguities, irony...

This lesson starts out with a guided discussion about the statement "Birds fly in the sky; airplanes fly in the sky; therefore, airplanes are birds" and goes on to cover logical fallacies and reliable sources, relating these to the topic...

After you've introduced your class to these vocabulary words, give them this practice opportunity. Oddly enough, the 10 words are alphabetical (two of them begin with the letter i, two with j, one with k, and the rest begin with l)....

Don't let your pupils take everything at face value! They should analyze and evaluate what speakers say. Practice this skill with the two related activities described here. After brainstorming critical questions, learners can listen to...

Can we perceive reality or are we chained by preconceptions that limit our vision? Plato’s allegory “The Cave” serves to introduce nascent philosophers to Plato’s dialogues and hopefully to engender a love of ideas and discourse. A...

Students explore and engage in the art of debate. When both sides have been presented each pair have a few minutes to prepare a rebuttal based upon what the opposing side has said. A rubric imbedded in this plan is used as an assessment...

Students engage in a discussion of both sides of the arms trade and landmine ban argument. They gain a broader understanding of the impact of landmines on human rights and development. They introduce solutions to the landmine issue.

Middle schoolers describe charitable, religious, and civic services in their community, and argue for the value of these services. They write a one-page explanation as to why this service is important to the community and why it deserves...

Students identify the key components of an argument essay. They differentiate between claims based on facts, opinions, beliefs,and prejudice. Students develop skills of critical thinking in this lesson.

Seventh graders are introduced to and discuss the power of persuasion. After reading text, they identify the author's purpose, perspective and argument. They write their own fiction and non-fiction texts and develop a perspective after...

Students write a persuasive letter.  For this stewardship lesson, students discover the basic format for a formal letter and some effective persuasive techniques.  Students write a letter to bring about change in the way...

Young scholars discuss issues of crime, punishment, respect and responsibility, and explore arguments about causes of crime and possible solutions, and write persuasive essays sharing their views.

Students write a persuasive paper following the expository theme format of introduction, first body paragraph, second body paragraph, third body paragraph, and conclusion that addresses the prompt of the final project adequately. They...

Students study the history of the jury system in the United States. They enact a number of different types of trials including trial by jury. They complete a worksheet that compares the trials systems before writing a persuasive essay...

Twelfth graders discuss the elements of effective debating. they debate governmental issues after reseraching selected topics. With student permission, the debate may be videotaped for viewing to other classes or during open house.