Constitutional Rights Foundation
Plyler v. Doe: Can States Deny Public Benefits to Illegal Immigrants?
Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...
Curated OER
Giving a Persuasive Speech
Students explore persuasive speech writing. In this writing lesson, students select a topic for a persuasive speech and take a side on the topic. Students write a persuasive speech and present it to the class.
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Why is Sacagawea on the Golden Dollar?
Young scholars research the decision to place the image of Sacagawea on the Golden Dollar, then write persuasive essays either defending or opposing this decision.
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Editorial Writing
Students Write a persuasive essay that contains effective introductory and summary statements; arranges the arguments effectively; and fully develops the ideas with convincing proof, details, facts, examples, and descriptions. They write...
Virginia Department of Education
Deciding the Mode
Are your young writers having difficulty distinguishing between expository and persuasive writing? Discuss the difference between the two, and how some prompts can be responded to in either fashion. Included here is a simple lesson plan...
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Introducing Recycling
Students study environmental issues of excess garbage and learn about recycling. For this recycling lesson, students discuss recycling and read a story about too much garbage. Students write a persuasive essay about the importance of...
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The Art of Persuasion
Students write a persuasive letter. For this persuasion lesson, students listen to the story Dear Mrs. LaRue: Letters from Obedience School and discuss the vocabulary and parts of a persuasive letter. They write their own letter to...
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Persuasive Pressures
Students investigate various lobbying groups, then practice lobbying tactics by writing and presenting speeches advocating important local issues.
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8th Grade Writing - Motivation, Organization and Emotion
Using relevant, current events with historic literature makes for great writing.
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Persuasive Tactics in Media
Young scholars present a skit to the class and explain what persuasion tactic they used. In this persuasive tactics lesson, students discuss methods of persuasion used in various advertisements. The teacher leads and gives examples...
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Middle Ages Writing Journal
Students create a Middle Ages writing journal with narrative, expository and persuasive prompts. In this creative writing lesson, students are given a list of Middle Ages topics and begin working in their journals. This is a long...
K20 LEARN
Building Arguments With Evidence: Constructing Arguments Part 2
The second session in the two-part "Building Arguments with Evidence" instructional activity asks scholars to craft an argument essay on a topic of interest to them. Writers establish a claim, locate evidence, and justify their stance.
Santa Ana Unified School District
The Power of Point of View
Sometimes a whole story can change based on the perspective of the person telling it. Practice identifying and analyzing point of view in various reading passages and writing assignments with a language arts packet, complete with Common...
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The death penalty; What is your view?
Pupils write a persuasive essay about the death penalty. Students respond to pupils at St. Ignatius Catholic High School in Cleveland protesting the death of Adremy Dennis. Students research both sides of the debate, before writing why...
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Tibet and China
Students evaluate primary documents that provide different perspectives about the Tibet/China conflict. They identify sources of economic and governmental conflicts. Students create a political cartoon and write persuasive essay on the...
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Finding the dress code balance
Pupils write a persuasive essay, expressing their opinions of how the school dress code should be changed. Students investigate their own school's dress code, developing their own opinions of whether the dress code should be more or less...
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Critical Literacy in the 21st Century: Sitti's Secrets
Fourth graders write persuasive letters. For this letter writing lesson, 4th graders read Sitti's Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye and discuss their areas or topics of concern. Students select a person to write a letter to and how they...
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Disease Lesson Plan
Young scholars research the bubonic plague including disease facts, the time frame of outbreaks and the impact it had on society. They examine the work of Edgar Allen Poe and write an essay explaining why the plague was a subject of...
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"Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen
Students complete a variety of activities that revolve around the book "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen. They view and discuss stills from the move "Hoot" and compose original storylines, conduct Internet research about the life of Carl Hiaasen,...
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Talking about Advertising
Students examine tools and techniques of advertising. In this advertising lesson, students view ads, disvuss common terms used, and analyze techniques. Students are presented with situations and must design and advertisement for the...
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Techniques of Persuasive Presentations - Ebony, the Elephant Calf
Students watch a video to discover subtle forms of persuasion. In this persuasive techniques lesson, students watch a video about elephants as they determine which elements of persuasion were used. They discuss the language of...
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A Clone of Your Own: The Legal Issues and the Future of Genetic Engineering on Humans
Twelfth graders define cloning in their own words and examine the different types of cloning. After reading an article, they summarize it in their own words and use the internet to research the history of cloning. In groups, they...
Curated OER
Giving a Persuasive Speech
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.
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Recycling for Raptors
Students write persuasive letters in support of the Recycling for Raptors campaign. They review raptor groups and names and categorize the raptor species and the groups which they belong. They research businesses, schools, and...