Never again will you need to worry about coming up with a writing prompt! This packet contains, as it says, 501 prompts that are suitable for fourth graders on up. The prompts are paired into four categories (persuasive, expository,...

Are some resource books more confusing than helpful? The creator of Oregon Writes Open Writing Text thinks so. That is why the text remains a living document with input from teachers, librarians, and scholars. The eBook begins with...

Students create a car using physics. In this forces and motion lesson, students create a car and test which changes in design change the performance of the car. Students complete a graphic organizer with the different changes...

Students examine "masterpieces" and mass-produced objects as they discuss humankind's inventiveness and creativity. They also analyze the role of problem solving in the creation of masterpieces and mass-produced items.

Mark Twain's life, politics, writing, and role as a mirror of pre- and post-Civil War American culture are the focus 11th and 12th graders in this section from an expansive author study. A critical writing assignment comparing Twain...

When your pupils read an account of an event, are they conscious of the fact that this particular account might focus on certain details, while ignoring others? Open their eyes to bias and varying interpretation of facts with the...

Students explore the Social Security System including its history, benefits, funds, problems, and its future.

High schoolers read Martin Luther King, Jr's speech that he gave in Washington. They identify the social conditions that led to the civil rights movement. They discuss the significance of the March on Washington.

Students analyze common logos they see daily and describe what the logos bring to mind. They redesign a company logo incorporating the company's philosophy into their sketches. Students present their findings and redesign to the class.

Learners compose a piece of poetry modeled after the poetry of Carl Sandburg and share their poem(s) with their colleagues. They use a cluster diagram to organize their thoughts and brainstorm their ideas.

Twelfth graders identify satire in various fictional texts.  In this language arts lesson, 12th graders will learn to define satire, parody, and caricature. Students will identify different forms of satire in historical and...

This PDF lesson plan prepares students for multiple portions of the AP Language and Composition exam (specifically, the multiple choice section and the rhetorical analysis prompt) by analyzing a brief text which students will be able to...

This lesson focuses on the expression of ideas, the stylistic choices writers make. Because the range of choices is so broad, the activities in the lesson will focus on DDIST: (Diction, Detail, Imagery, Syntax, Tone) to help you remember...

This lesson focuses on defining rhetorical analysis and identifying and applying different types of analytic processes. It also provides a practice activity.

This is an open textbook created to assist students in their writing efforts. Topics covered include critical reading, rhetorical analysis, writing arguments, steps in the writing process, rhetorical modes, using credible sources, citing...

This article discusses the use of rhetoric in The Tragedy of Julius Caesar and the young Shakespeare's likely education in the art of rhetoric. In Julius Caesar, rhetoric is used to exert power over the commoners, to recruit...

This website is a news and information index that offers links to news sources, newspapers, magazines and journals, search engines, polling data, legal resources, and citation guides.

This lesson focuses on audience analysis and recognizing rhetorical approaches to building common ground. A practice activity is provided.

In this 3-lesson unit, students will read Douglass's narrative. They will analyze Douglass's vivid first-hand accounts of the lives of slaves and the behavior of slave owners to see how he successfully contrasts reality with romanticism...

Twenty-six half hour videos on literary analysis for high school students that feature authors, scholars, actors and noted critics. Topics include The Art of the Essay, Setting and Character in Short Fiction, Responding to Literature and...

This lesson plan serves as an introduction to American literary non-fiction writing and focuses primarily on teaching some basic approaches to recognizing rhetorical strategies adopted for persuasive effect in essays and non-fiction. The...

This lesson plan will introduce students to the concept of allegory by using George Orwell's widely read novella, Animal Farm. Through this novel, students will learn what an allegory is, the rhetorical components of an allegory, and...

This guide is written for college students, but should be very useful for upper level high school students as well. The writer first describes fourteen steps to take in doing a close reading, then provides six pieces of advice on how to...