After giving students the writing topic "A Special Day that I Remember, give students ten to fifteen minutes to write on the topic. Then tell them they will be revising their "Special Day" prompt writing, but first they will listen to...

What kinds of evidence best support the points you make in a paper? Where can you find the evidence you need? This handout answers all these questions and more, including the difference between primary and secondary sources. You'll also...

The first step in writing an informational text on the topic of young scholars' choice is helping the student choose a topic of interest. Students will brainstorm ideas that will be possible final topics.

Lesson which provides three types of reports for early elementary students to share. These allow young students to see themselves as writers with something useful to contribute from an early age.

Students will take a previously created paragraph and edit it to make it better by adding details, definitions, a topic sentence, or a closure to an informational paragraph. Resources include a PowerPoint presentation and pictures and...

This tutorial explains point of view in informational texts. Students will learn how to analyze multiple accounts of the same topic or event and identify similarities and differences in different points of view.

This article by Byron Walsh focuses on writing a talking points paper for a public speaker which consists of researched, accurate information provided in bulleted lists with follow up sentences on specific topics.

Smithsonian Education presents a lesson covering the WWII's propaganda program which enforced the ideals of Civic Responsibility. Provides eight pages of poster examples, detailed background over the time period, and the goals of the...

Students are provided with an eight-step process for completing academic writing on historic topics. Steps include understanding the topic, making an argument, organizing information and supporting details, and other important writing...

This resource provides many links to information on writing research papers.

An excellent tip sheet on how to write and create the bulk of a research paper: the body includes in-depth information, examples, as well as links to earlier steps in the process such as thesis statements, notecards, outline,...

The research process can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be overwhelming! After you complete this self-guided unit, you will be well prepared to write a research paper. You will learn how to choose a topic, evaluate the reliability...

Translated into Spanish, this graphic organizer can be used by student to collect facts about a topic. Students will collect information but record the "gold standard" of facts only.

This 35-minute interactive tutorial models the research process via the story of Quentin, a UMUC student. It takes him through the various research process steps: understand how to locate background information on his topic by showing...

A comprehensive list of the important steps in researching and writing a report or project. Includes links to tip sheets for each step.

This is a two-page PDF of the instructions for a Medieval Diary Multimedia Project. Students choose a character from an Arthurian legend and write a diary as the character. It provides instructions, topics for discussion, format choices,...

The goal of this activity is for students to learn how to tell a story in order to make a complex topic (such as global warming or ozone holes) easier for a reader to grasp. Students realize that the narrative impulse underlies even...

[Free Registration/Login Required] Learners will learn to compare and contrast texts about life cycles using a Venn diagram. Then, using the Venn diagram, students will write an expository paragraph including an introductory sentence,...

In this section of a textbook, students learn different techniques for writing an introduction. It provides links to information on the following topics: the role of an introduction, getting attention and interest, establishing...

Two PowerPoint presentations and a video [2:57] on comparing and contrasting literary and informational texts as well as how to write a literary analysis. Includes links to external resources.

This article introduces the concept of blogs, gives links to blogs that deal with topics in education, ideas for using blogs for student writing and information on setting up your own blog. After reading this article you should be able...

Many facts about Mars are presented on this comprehensive site. Planet size, surface, length of day, orbit, atmosphere, moons, are a sampling of the many topics discussed on this site. You will also find an activity book, a quiz, a...

This thorough site presents a wealth of facts about the fifth largest planet. Topics you will find discussed include size, mass and gravity, length of day, orbit, moons, and more. Various Jupiter activities are found on this site such as...

[Free Registration/Login Required] A series of three lesson plans designed to teach students to identify main ideas through headings and chapter titles, and then to write appropriate titles of their own. Lessons are based on the books...