Curated OER
Your Next Class Trip
Investigate the techniques used in a persuasive argument. Young writers compose a persuasive argument persuading their principal to take their class on a trip to the location of their choice. They then create a persuasive web site.
Curated OER
The Game of Persuasion
Why is it so important to learn the art of persuasion? Being persuasive helps you acquire the things you want or the things you feel are necessary. Print out these scenarios and assign one to each group of high schoolers. As a team, they...
Curated OER
Persuasive Writing
Eighth graders study persuasive writing. They analzye an editorial for introductory,body, and concluding sentences. They develop arguments for and against various topics in small groups.
San José State University
Essay Outline Template
Inspire essay organization with this handout and exercise about outlining. Writers read through a brief outline model and then practice writing their own outline by completing a second model. Scholars not only complete the outline, they...
Curated OER
Debate the Daily Dilemma
Have your class practice their persuasion skills by participating in a class debate. They will discuss a dilemma and detail each point of view. Divided into both sides of the argument, they work in groups to create a well-rounded...
Curated OER
Examining the Form and Function of Campaign Speeches
An examination of stump speeches, one of the most important components of a presidential campaign, is made possible by accessing The New York Times Learning Network. After closely examining the form and function of stump speeches,...
iCivics
Power Play
Should states or the federal government have more power? With this fantastic online interactive, your pupils will be charged with the task of identifying arguments that support either federal or state power.
New York State Education Department
English Language Arts Examination: August 2017
Reading and comprehending a poem is a lot different than doing the same for a piece of fiction or an informational text. As part of a sample English language arts examination, readers put their skills to the test by reading passages in...
Curriculum Corner
Persuasive Writing Prompts
Convince me! Challenge scholars to write a persuasive argument for extra recess, no homework, or a topic of their choice.
Curated OER
Decision Making: Who Was Right?
Help your class explore the question "Is it ever right to disobey a law?" With a strong base of knowledge about the Civil War, anti-slavery movement, and Underground Railroad, your class explores civil disobedience in Marshall, Michigan...
Nemours KidsHealth
Food Labels: Grades 9-12
Check the label! That's the big idea in a lesson plan about using the nutrition facts on food labels rather than advertising hype to make healthy choices about what to eat. After reading background articles and learning how to read...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Declaration of Independence in Six Parts
Everyone knows that the Declaration of Independence is important, but what does it actually say? Members of American history classes analyze the Founding Fathers' arguments against British tyranny and for a more perfect union with a...
Achieve
BMI Calculations
Obesity is a worldwide concern. Using survey results, learners compare local BMI statistics to celebrity BMI statistics. Scholars create box plots of the data, make observations about the shape and spread of the data, and examine the...
Education Bureau of Hong Kong
Mental Models
Behaviors are often based on assumptions. That's the big idea in the third lesson of a series of critical think resources. Through a series of worksheets, learners examine the conscious and heretofore unconscious assumptions that...
Curated OER
Persuasive Writing Skills Worksheets
What makes you want to buy that new car? Or vote for that popular politician? Study the persuasive techniques commonly found in advertisements or argumentative writing, including repetition, exaggeration, and fact vs. opinion.
Curated OER
Mock Appellate Arguments
High schoolers participate in a mock appellate argument by role playing a case. They develop a case and present it to the judge using proper argument techniques.
Curated OER
Making an Argument: Effective use of Transition Words
Work on using transition words in context by prompting elementary and middle schoolers to write their own persuasive essays using transition words. They explore new forms of transition words and examine how they are used in an editorial...
C-SPAN
Conducting a Moot Court
Review the conduct of different roles within the Supreme Court. A moot court activity educates learners about the roles of each member of the court and the process of a case with video clips, research activities, a graphic organizer,...
California Education Partners
The Road Not Taken
An effective lesson plan truly can make all the difference. Seventh graders read, analyze, and annotate Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" before writing an essay about what they believe to be the theme of the iconic poem.
Curriculum Development Institute
Relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War
Class members consider what they would have done during the Berlin Blockade or how they would handle the Communist revolution in China using graphic organizers and activities to help build arguments. They also consider the philosophies...
EngageNY
Making a Claim and Advocating Persuasively: Preparing for the Practice Fishbowl
Scholars consider their reading in The Omnivore's Dilemma to develop a claim answering the question, "Which food chain would you choose to feed your family—the local sustainable food chain or the hunter-gatherer food chain?" To guide...
Curated OER
Practice Makes Perfect: Citing Textual Evidence
Strategies, lesson plans, and ideas to help pupils locate and cite textual evidence.
Curated OER
Is That a Fact?
Investigate popular scientific claims and gather evidence to defend or argue against an author's stance. Writers synthesize information and compose their own "Really?" columns modeled after those found in the weekly "Science Times"...
Curated OER
Making Sense of the Employee Free Choice Act
Students examine the Employee Free Choice Act. In this workers' rights lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of the legislation. Students work in pairs to discuss questions and debate the...