Students view primary documents about the race for President in the time of Abraham Lincoln.  In this election lesson, students prepare arguments for and against Lincoln using an analysis sheet.  Students create a poster or...

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...

What a terrific presentation! It takes learners through a step-by-step explanation to create a new type of chocolate bar, advertise the product, and design a presentation. This is a creative way to get your class writing and thinking...

Designed to help writers strengthen their elaboration, revision, and proofreading skills, this 48-page workbook is packed with information about and exercises in personal, narrative, persuasive, and report writing.

Students use persuasive devices to construct oral or written arguments. In this arguments lesson, students discuss the types of persuasive devices used in arguments and form groups to select a topic to research. Students create a...

Ninth graders create advertising campaigns. In this communications lesson, 9th graders explore the use of propaganda endorsements, bandwagon appeals, name calling, plain folks appeal and generalities in advertising. Students...

Students write a persuasive letter to someone they care about who smokes. They must use both logical and emotional appeals in their letter.

As guided practice, class members work together to revise a model persuasive paragraph. Then they practice independently with their own writing. The included rubric looks at prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, nonfiction text...

Review active and passive voice with young writers. They will use the passive voice to write persuasive articles encouraging healthy diets. The activity includes brainstorming activities for the writing, as well as a homework extension...

Pupils discuss connotative language, hyperbole, allusion, and rhetorical question. In small groups, they read one section of the "Speech to the Virginia Convention" and analyze these devices. Groups present their results to the class.

Students, working in teams of four, take on the role of marketers hired to promote one state in the U.S.A. Each team researches their state in order to create a brochure highlighting its most intriguing features. Groups give a 25 minute...

Ethos, logos, and pathos. Class members use an inventory analysis to deconstruct the effects of an advertisement. They identify the target audience, the persuasive and color appeals used, as well as the diction, images, and tone.

Students analyze non-print campaign advertisements for factual and persuasive information. They choose the advertisement they think is the most persuasive and identify the reasons why it is the most persuasive.

Young scholars are explained that they are going to use a part of Thomas Paine's 1776 pamplet Common Sense as a starting point for exploring about argumentation, or persuasive writing. They are given a copy of the excerpt. Students...

Young scholars explore the basis of Iago's persuasive power by analyzing his astonishing command of rhetoric and figurative language. The diverse set of activities below include short group performances, writing exercises and the guided...

A speaker, a message, an audience. After analyzing these elements in Queen Elizabeth's speech to the troops at Tilbury, groups analyze how other speakers use an awareness of events, and their audience to craft their arguments....

High schoolers explore and describe various persuasive tools used in advertisements, analyze advertisements provided by teacher, and identify target audiences. Students then work in groups to find advertisements aimed at assigned target...

Eighth graders identify with and analyze through writing various Indian cultural values and how they fit in the modern world. Students organize data utilizing Educational software programs and present their opinions and inferences in a...

Students write persuasive essays about their favorite breakfast cereal after seeing how advertisements are used to influence people.

Ninth graders participate in an activity as a web designer.  In this technology lesson, 9th graders explore how the choices made by web designers affect how people use a site.  Students analyze effective and ineffective Web...

Learners 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...

Students read "Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss. They complete a story map and write about the topic of prejudice. They role-play star-bellied and plain-bellied sneetches and write a persuasive essay about their experiences.

High schoolers think about and remember a special Christmas they had with their family when they were younger. They write an essay using vivid descriptions that appeal to the senses.

Fourth graders create a persuasive flyer to sway the opinion of the class on a controversial issue. They read assigned editorials representing the viewpoint that they must defend.