Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

Rhetorical Devices in Political Speeches

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Have you ever watched a political speech and felt your heart beat a little faster, and your opinion either solidify or begin to slightly change? Rhetorical devices can be a strong tool in an effective and powerful speech. A short lesson...
Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

Reading Nonfiction: Analyzing Joseph McCarthy's "Enemies from Within" Speech

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Looking for a lesson that teaches class members how to analyze nonfiction? Use Joseph McCarthy's famous "Enemies from Within" speech as a instructional text. Worksheet questions direct readers' attention to the many historical...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ‘I Have a Dream’ Speech as a Work of Literature

For Teachers 6th - 12th
To appreciate the oratory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, scholars examine the rhetorical devices and influences that make the speech so famous. They examine background information, conduct a close reading of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

SPEECHES TO INTRODUCE

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Pupils create multimedia speeches of introduction which focus on women and Hispanics. They introduce their famous person and, using a video camera, video tape their speeches. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Speech in the Virginia Convention

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
“. . .different men often see the same subject in different lights. . .” but the great orator Patrick Henry used all the skills at his command to craft a speech to convince listeners to see things as he did--that liberty was worth dying...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Determining Author's Point of View: The Sneeches

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Determine the author's point of view in a text. Young readers read Dr. Seuss' The Sneeches and identify the author's purpose in the story. They identify persuasive techniques in writing, asking and answering questions to better...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Gettysburg Address: An American Treasure

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners apply information found in Lincoln's speeches, especially The Gettysburg Address, to create a persuasive speech on a current topic.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What rights are guaranteed to students? Do they align with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was approved by the United Nations in 1948? Middle and high schoolers present persuasive arguments about the rights they believe...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persuade Me, Please! Reading a Persuasive Essay and Liking It!

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Persuade your writers that crafting arguments is not that difficult. They only need to follow the steps outlined in this resource.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Ideal for Which I Am Prepared to Die

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
English language learners have an opportunity to closely examine the academic language in portions of Nelson Mandela's famous 1964 Court Speech, "An Ideal for Which I Am Prepared to Die," with a lesson that looks at key passages from the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inventing and Presenting Unit 3: Persuasive Speaking and Invention Promotion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students write a proposal for a speech. Students prepare appropriate visuals for use in the proposed speech. Students produce one or more graphs that summarize the results from the experimentation. Students deliver an effective speech in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Convince Me!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners use the Internet to learn the art of persuasive speaking in order to present a speech in a convincing manner. Students analyze the characteristics of a good speech, and then practice giving one.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Art Of Persuasion

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars engage in a instructional activity that focuses upon the use of persuasive speech. They conduct research into the famous sayings used by sideshow owners and performers from the Old West. Students then create advertisements...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introducing the Essay: Twain, Douglass, and American Non-Fiction

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students analyze American essayists Mark Twain and Frederick Douglass in an introduction to American literary non-fiction writing. For this essay history lesson, students identify methods for writing essays. Students read and analyze...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Martin Luther King, Jr. vs. Malcolm X

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders compare and contrast the visions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. In this African-American history lesson, 11th graders read speeches by each of the men and summarize the arguments made by each of them about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land, Liberty and the Struggle for the American Dream

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate equality by reading a historical fiction book in class.  In this civil rights lesson, students read the story Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry with their classmates and define the Jim Crow Laws that kept blacks...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persuade or Die!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers read Patrick Henry's speech. They review prior learning about persuasive writing, and the American revolutionary war. Students listen as the teacher reads Patrick Henry's speech aloud to the class using lots of emotion and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colonial North Carolina

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students resarch people and events from a given list. Then based on teacher options, students employ perspectives, an audience, a presentation format, and topic to prepare a two-page document to share with the class. Students also...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debate on Ratification: Should We Ratify the New Constitution?

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students determine whether the Constitution should be ratified. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students research the roles of famous Federalists and Antifederalists in order to prepare them to participate in a classroom simulation...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Are What You Eat: Lessons from Alice Waters

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students view the AMERICAN MASTERS episode titled ALICE WATERS AND HER DELICIOUS REVOLUTION. They examine their own eating habits and determine how they can eat food that is both healthier and tastier. Through Guided Reading strategies,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VA Statute for Religious Freedom, III

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars analyze the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedoms and consider its implications. In this governing principles lesson, students explore primary and secondary sources regarding the document penned by Thomas Jefferson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debate On Ratification

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students simulate a delegate that was responsible for the Constitution. They research their arguments, and stage a debate in front of the state's legislature (the class). The class then vote whether or not to ratify the new Constitution.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VA Statute for Religious Freedom, II. Matching Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils read and analyze primary source documents. In this matching lesson, students read sections of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom. Pupils match the document sections with paraphrased sections and discuss the accuracy of the...
Lesson Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Analyze Famous Speeches for Rhetorical Structures and Devices

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
In this lesson, you will learn to analyze persuasive speeches and examine the impact of rhetorical structure and the use of devices in famous speeches. It includes activities such as matching quotes from famous speeches to the speakers...