Curated OER
Writing Effective Thesis Statements and Introductory Paragraphs for Research Papers
After reading on the topic of their paper, high schoolers work in pairs to assess how to write powerful, precise thesis statements. The introduction contains three statements: a universal statement, a bridge statement, and a thesis...
Curated OER
Peer Editing / Revision
Complete the steps of the writing process. Emerging writers present final drafts of essays that include thesis statements, appropriate paragraphing, elaboration, and style. They participate in a peer editing activity that requires them...
Curated OER
Organizing by Writing
Middle schoolers analyze how to use writing for generating and organizing their thoughts before communicating them. They use the questions on the first handout to organize a three-minute introduction of themselves to their small group....
Curated OER
Writing Thesis Statements in Sociology
Students discover methods for writing strong thesis statements. In this writing skills instructional activity, students follow the steps their instructor outlines to review the strengths and weaknesses of their sociology thesis statements.
Curated OER
Letter Writing
Pupils read and review business letters and informal letters and evaluate the different components necessary for each type of letter. They write a business and an informal letter then convert a business to an informal letter and vice...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Final Drafting
High schoolers are able to revise their own essays for greater clarity and fluency, adding explanation where needed and cutting extraneous information where appropriate. They are able to compose an academic essay with a complete...
Curated OER
Don't Forget to Say Thanks
Students practice descriptive writing in a thank-you note format. For this descriptive writing lesson, students read the example letter and analyze the corrections in the letter. Students read the example thank you notes and focus on the...
Curated OER
Using Personal Pronouns Correctly
Complete personal pronoun practice activities. Pupils use correct personal pronoun form in sentences the teacher writes on the board. They review the function of a pronoun and the various cases and practice placing personal pronouns by...
Curated OER
Hero Research
Students examine and research the idea of heroism. They watch and discuss a Powerpoint presentation, conduct research, and write a research paper about the qualities and characteristics of a hero.
Curated OER
Raising the Titanic
Ninth graders research the history of a person who was aboard the Titanic and write about the part he/she played in the world's greatest maritime disaster.
Curated OER
Follow the Campaign Trail
Pupils choose a candidate of interest to them to follow throughout a campaign. Using the Internet, they identify the strengths and weaknesses of their candidate and compare them to the others. They share their findings with the class.