What does social security reveal about the political and social culture of the 1930s? After beginning with a brief introductory video on the impact of the Great Depression and how various Americans, such as Huey Long and Francis...

High schoolers research the passage of the 19th Amendment as an illustration of the mutual influence between political ideas and cultural attitudes. They also read the Seneca Falls Declaration and explore the cultural shifts it both...

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.

Young scholars identify at least one country where the Spanish language is spoken, describe similarities and differences between Spanish, Mexican, and Puerto Rican families, and practice speaking the Spanish words for several family...

The topic of gay marriage has gotten lots of attention recently. Without actually asking your class their personal opinions, this two-page activity has pupils study two essays about gay marriage. Readers analyze the attitude, tone, and...

Critically analyze advertising techniques, such as circular reasoning, bandwagon, testimonial, and repetition, with worksheets that effectively discuss and illustrate how the media aims to influence.

Students work to create a design that will protect an egg from being dropped from a one story floor. They test their prototype after it is completed. They write clear instructions and link aspects of the design process to the scientific...

High schoolers investigate the beginnings of the political party system in the US. They determine the key positions of both the Federalists and the Democratic-Republicans. They compare the views of the early political parties with those...

Twelfth graders construct a timeline to show changes and trends in the future of urban and community forestry. In this forestry lesson, 12th graders discuss the importance of trees. They read a timeline and add future events to show...

High schoolers explore the work of Stephen Sondheim. In this musical theater lesson, students examine the musicals Merrily We Roll Along and Sunday in the Park with George. High schoolers identify and...

Students create brochures about the humor of Mark Twain. In this literature-analysis lesson plan, students read "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County" and other short stories by Twain. Students write analytical paragraphs and...

How do you get what you want, using just your words? Aristotle set out to answer exactly that question over two thousand years ago with a treatise on rhetoric. Camille A. Langston describes the fundamentals of deliberative rhetoric and...

This lesson focuses on Rhetoric and the literary techniques used in American Revolutionary speeches and writings. Students are asked to determine the rhetorical devices used in quotes from "The Crisis No 1" by Thomas Paine and Patrick...

This lesson focuses on rhetoric; it defines it, discusses rhetorical devices, and audience appeals. It includes a student assignment to read "Tear Down This Wall" a speech by Ronald Reagan and then use the comment feature in Microsoft...

This is an introduction to a unit on the use of rhetoric in speaking or writing to persuade an audience to the desired way of thinking or action. If focuses on rhetorical techniques and the three audience appeals: ethos, pathos, and logos.

This slideshow lesson focuses on types of questions; it provides background, purpose, and a list of the seven types of questions: rhetorical, direct or interrogative, indirect, open-ended, closed, and embedded. It provides background and...

This is a complete unit on rhetoric and persuasion including key words, what to expect, handouts, lessons, self-quizzes, audio and speaking assignments, and an in-depth final assessment using JFK's Inaugural Address with a grading...

This lesson focuses on rhetorical context including defining it, questions to ask to understand it, and how it can be useful to the reader and responder.

This site contains information on using the exclamation mark when there is no exclamation; confusion between question and exclamation; and internal questions and exclamation marks.

This lesson focuses on the literary terms needed for the unit on Rationalism. I provides a list of terms and a crossword puzzle using them.

This is a summary of the previous lessons having to do with rhetorical reading including rhetorical context, previewing text, actively reading, using context clues, and reading voraciously.

A six-slide presentation introducing hypophora and explaining its use as a rhetorical device.

President Ronald Reagan delivered this speech to the grieving nation on January 28, 1986, when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff, leading to the death of its seven crew members. A specific purpose for reading...