Curated OER
Separating Fact from Opinion
Students read, "A Misspent youth: The HIV/AIDS Crisis Comes of Age", and discuss the article or write their answers to the questions imbedded in the lesson. They write their own essay.
Curated OER
Sounding Off About Impeachment
Help your middle and high schoolers reflect on the responsibility of newspapers to act as a vehicle for 'everyday citizens' to voice their opinions. Then, using an article about the first day of the Senate impeachment trial of President...
Curated OER
What Has Brown Done for You?
Learners review the facts of the court case Brown v. Board of Education. Next, they research recent court cases that uphold contrasting views on the landmark decision. They write opinions about these recent court cases from a 1954...
Madison Public Schools
Journalism
Whether you are teaching a newspaper unit in language arts, covering the First Amendment and censorship in social studies, or focusing on writing ethics in journalism, a unit based on the foundations of journalism would be an excellent...
Curated OER
Tuck Everlasting
Seventh graders use literary terms while discussing literature with their peers. They explore literature on a deeper level. Students formulate their opinions regarding response to literature, as this instructional activity helps students...
English Enhanced Scope and Sequence
Research Project Embedded with Media Literacy
Here is a phenomenal language arts lesson on media literacy for your middle and high schoolers. In it, learners produce a research product in the form of a public service announcement (PSA). First, they view examples of these PSA's to...
Curated OER
Teaching Students About Chernobyl and Nuclear Energy
On the 25th anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster, students can learn about nuclear energy and the challenges its use poses.
Curated OER
Credible Sources on the Internet: What to Trust, What to Dismiss and When to Cite a Source
Wait, you mean researchers don't all use Wikipedia? Teach your class about intelligent research with a lesson about evaluating digital sources. The lesson starts with a quickwrite and includes vocabulary exercises and several...
Curated OER
The Diary of Col. William Fairfax Gray
Fourth graders examine facts and opinions given by William Fairfax Gray in his diary, compare and contrast ideas expressed in his diary, express opinions using correct language arts skills, and calculate answers to given mathematical...
Curated OER
The Vaccination Question
Students share opinions about common vaccines, then consider facts and opinions about the HPV vaccine and hold a fishbowl and discussion. They survey members of the community to determine their perspectives on the issue.
Curated OER
The Atomic Bomb Dilemma
Students examine consequences of using atomic bomb in light of resulting peace, distinguish between fact and opinion and analyze sources to recognize bias and points of view, and assume role of reporter, critic, cabinet member, or...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Animal Habitats: Extra Support Lessons (Theme 4)
The activities and exercises in this packet, the third in the series of support materials for the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt thematic units on animal habitats, are designed for learners who need extra support with the basic concepts of...
Curated OER
Family Life
What is family? Challenge your scholars to write an encompassing definition of what this word means to them. After reading "It May Be a Family Matter, But Just Try to Define Family," class members discuss the emotional issues surrounding...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 12
How can opinions slant facts? Workshop participants learn how to examine primary and secondary sources and identify the author's point of view. They also examine how visual art impacts the meaning and rhetoric of sources. Full of...
State Bar of Texas
Tinker v. Des Moines
Freedom of speech allows anyone, even those in school, to say and do what they feel—right? The 1969 Supreme Court case Tinker v. Des Moines serves as the backdrop for a study on First Amendment rights. Scholars use a short video along...
Curated OER
Speaking Out About Kosovo
Invite your class to reflect on the responsibility of newspapers to act as vehicles for citizens to voice their opinions. Using an article to gain factual info. about gov't strategies in dealing with current events in Kosovo, students...
State Bar of Texas
Baker v. Carr
Can the federal government override the state government to protect the citizens of the United States? The 1962 Supreme Court case Baker v. Carr outlines the issue of equal protection under the law. Scholars investigate with a short...
State Bar of Texas
Wisconsin v. Yoder
How far does freedom of religion truly go? The 1972 Supreme Court case Wisconsin v. Yoder introduces the concept of the free exercise clause of the First Amendment. Individuals examine the case with a short video and open discussion. To...
State Bar of Texas
Roe v. Wade
At what point does the right of privacy end and the government begin? Scholars research rights under the Ninth Amendment to the Constitution. Using the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court case as a starting point, along with small group work...
State Bar of Texas
Plessy v. Ferguson
Where did separate but equal originate and what does it mean? Scholars investigate the Supreme Court Case Plessy v. Ferguson. Using a short video clip, they analyze the impact the decision of legal segregation had on society in 1896....
State Bar of Texas
Miranda v. Arizona
You have the right to remain silent—but why? Scholars analyze the nature of what has become known as the Miranda Rights. A short video along with paired group work and discussion opens the issue of the rights of the accused upon arrest....
State Bar of Texas
Brown v. Board of Education
You walk each day over 20 blocks to school as a 9-year old because the color of your skin does not allow you to attend a school in your own neighborhood. Scholars use the 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education to investigate...
EngageNY
Editing Sentences and Creating Visual and Multimedia Displays for a Presentation
Let's get visual. Pupils plan visual displays to accompany their upcoming opinion speech presentations. Additionally, they practice editing sentences for clarity before revising their speech drafts.
Curated OER
Print & Go ESL
Improve reading comprehension with a set of ESL worksheets. Kids read through various passages, note which facts are true or false, mark their opinion on two statements, and write a short reply based on a writing prompt.