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The Campaign: Issues and Strategies. What do you think?
Young scholars research a candidate in an election and discuss how the media portrays that candidate and how the media influences voters. For this candidate lesson plan, students also distinguish fact from opinion, look at political...
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Match the Umbrellas
In this uppercase and lowercase letter matching worksheet, students cut out the umbrella cards and match the uppercase letters to the correct lowercase letters. This worksheet covers all of the letters in the alphabet and there are some...
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It's Debatable!
Students examine the basic elements and vocabulary of debating. They research an issue and write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper, and role-play a Parliamentary debate on a particular bill.
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Creative Writing - I AM A FISH
Ninth graders write a letter to the editor about the impact of people on marine life from the point of view of a fish.
Southern Poverty Law Center
Evaluating Online Sources
All sources are pretty much the same, right? If this is how your class views the sources they use for writing or research projects, present them with a media literacy lesson on smart source evaluation. Groups examine several articles,...
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Effective Letter Writing
Students explore letter writing. In this persuasive writing lesson, students write a letter to a local organization based on a topic of their choice. Students employ the correct letter writing procedure as outlined in the...
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A New State Seal
Young scholars select one letter from "Letters to Howard" and write a response to the editor or an imaginary dialogue they might have had with the authors of these letters.
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Loyalists
Students explain why some colonists remained loyal to England during the American revolution. In this social studies lesson, students write a letter to an editor about their reasons for remaining loyal to England.
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Pig Products
How do you feel about cloning? This issue is highly debated, so educate your class before they participate in a similar debate! Read a New York Times article related to the use of cloned pig organs for human transplants. Groups develop...
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Scooting Away from Justice?
Students examine President Bush's July 2007, decision to commute the 30-month sentence of former White House official, I. Lewis 'Scooter' Libby by reading a New York Times article. They scan editorial sources on various sides of the...
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Celebrity Letter Writing Assignment
Students create a biographical portfolio of the three important people. They write letters of request, asking for autographs of people in assorted fields. Students are explained that an autograph could be one of the following: A...
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Understanding Tibet
Students work in cooperative groups to read one current situation of Tibet. They respond to a set of discussion questions. Pupils write a newspaper article expressing the current information explored. Students write an editorial or...
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Basic Letter Response to a Writing Prompt
Students respond to a writing prompt using appropriate letter format. In this letter writing lesson, students discuss the format for letter writing and use the worksheet format to write the heading, inside address, and salutation....
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A New Spin on Letter Writing Lessons
Letter writing lessons can provide a way to introduce students to this important mode of communication.
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A Slave No More
Students discover what it was like to cross into freedom. In this slavery lesson, students read the "Emancipation Proclamation," and letters written by Abraham Lincoln and John Washington (a former slave). Students identify the key ideas...
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Dress Reform in the 19th Century
Young scholars read and discuss the writings of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Timothy Shay Arthur and others to explore mid to late 19th century dress reform. They use their findings to write a letter to an editor from a 19th century viewpoint.
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Reading a Newspaper
Students define the terms associated with parts of a newspaper. They identify various sections of a newspaper and the type of articles found in each and provide the responses to who? what? when? where? and why? contained in a ...
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Editor Travels U.S. Fixing Errors on Signs
An interesting article on editors helps young writers understand the conventions of written English. They read a news article about an editor traveling America correcting spelling and punctuation errors on signs. They discuss...
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Thomas Jefferson's Concept of America
Learners study Thomas Jefferson's concept of America. They read a chapter from the book, Thomas Jefferson's America, and discuss its main events comparing it to current events. Role-playing a citizen from the 1790s, they write a letter...
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Writing for Different Audiences: A Discussion of Cover Letters And Resumes
Students examine the process of writing a resume. They identify examples of casual and formal language, read an article on writing resumes, discuss key questions, write a resume, and discuss and edit another student's resume.
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In My Honest Opinion
Students explore the function of letters to the editor for both a newspaper and its readers. They select a current event about which he or she feels strongly, reads a related New York Times article and responds to it in a letter to the...
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Rotation in Office
Eleventh graders explore the concept of the spoils system. In this presidential history lesson, 11th graders examine Andrew Jackson's Inaugural Address as well as a letter to him from Mary Barney in order to gain an understanding of the...
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"No News Like Ancient News"
Want to know more about Ancient history? Young historians will read a minimum of two web sites to complete the chart "Residents of Olympus". They choose one Greek god or goddess to research. This could be a small group activity or...
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Letter of Complaint
Students write letters of complaint. In this written communication lesson, students use the active voice to compose letters of complaint to selected audiences.