"The Crisis, No. 1" is the focus of a series of exercises that ask learners to read closely and annotate Thomas Paine's text. Groups identify claims and evidence in the essay and present their arguments to the class. Teacher background...

Use this presentation about Thomas Paine's The American Crisis series to guide any number of assignments. The slides provide instructions for a literary terms assignment, an open response journal entry, two research writing...

Fourth graders, using Thomas Paine's "The Crisis, No. 1" from The American Crisis, form a human jigsaw.

Young scholars examine how religion affected arguments justifying American independence. They read and analyze primary source documents, and write an essay analyzing how Americans used religious arguments to justify revolution against a...

Assess whether your class members can comprehend complex informational text with a series of drills based on selections from Emerson, Thoreau, and G.K. Chesterton. The exercises could also be used for group work or a full-class discussion.

In this language arts worksheet, high schoolers locate and identify various vocabulary terms related to English literature. There are 29 words/names located in the puzzle.

How is an essay like a hamburger? Detailing the "meaty" parts of a well-written essay, this presentation takes students through the process of using a strong thesis statement to write a thorough and engaging response to a Document Based...

In this Freethinkers Day instructional activity, students complete activities such as reading a passage, phrase matching, fill in the blanks, correct words, multiple choice, spelling, sequencing, scrambled sentences, writing questions,...

Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...

Students investigate the history of literature in America by looking at the types of genres first read in the United States. They look at the foundations of how the original colonists had the intention of transmitting religious and moral...

Students analyze American essayists Mark Twain and Frederick Douglass in an introduction to American literary non-fiction writing. In this essay history lesson plan, students identify methods for writing essays. Students read and analyze...

Read an extensive biography of 18th century political writer Thomas Paine, click to read about his ideas placed in a contemporary context, and use research links to read more online.

Read about Thomas Paine's revolutionary publication "Common Sense" of 1776. Be sure to click on 'featured place' and 'classroom resources' for more facts and information about Paine.

Text of Thomas Paine's "Common Sense." Click onto introduction for full text or if you are looking for a specific section, then click onto the heading.

This site takes a brief look into Thomas Paine (1737-1809). The site includes Paine's thoughts and beliefs as well as providing an analysis of his writings.

An informational site on Thomas Paine. Includes general information about his life, works, and writings, including Common Sense and The Age of Reason. Also includes links to other sites.

This lesson focuses on Thomas Paine including his background, writings, and political career. A link to "The Crisis No. 1" by Thomas Paine is provided; students are to read it and underline examples of rhetoric. There is also a quiz over...

Brief biography regarding Revolutionary War writer Thomas Paine.

This site provides quotes from Thomas Paine's Common Sense.

A biography of Thomas Paine, including a discussion of his works. Provides quotes and a bibliography.

Annotated excerpts from Thomas Paine's "Common Sense" that clearly demonstrate the writer's ability to persuade his American readers to separate from England.

Discussion of comparison and contrast of Declaration of Independence and Common Sense. If you click the "documents" link in the sidebar, you can also access the text of Common Sense.

This site displays the text as delivered by Thomas A. Edison about the philosophies of Thomas Paine (1737-1809 CE). According to Edison, Paine is one of the great members of society who was never recognized for his outstanding achievements.

Listen to the text of the most famous pamphlet in American literary history. Available for listening as an excerpt or as the entire work.