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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing Informative Text: Did Shakespeare Write Shakespeare?

For Students 7th Standards
William Shakespeare penned some of the richest and most fascinating works of literature—or did he? Middle schoolers read three brief informative passages and conduct additional research to evaluate the claim that Shakespeare did not...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing About Informational Text: Music and the Brain

For Students 6th Standards
Even if you've never picked up a musical instrument, chances are that music has directly impacted your mental and emotional development. Sixth graders engage in a reading activity in which they read two articles on the impact of music on...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Paragraph Writing Instruction

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Writing a paragraph from details found directly in a text is the central focus of this thorough and explicit lesson plan. Using the stories Nasreen's Secret School and Rain School, third graders are lead step-by-step through the basics...
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Assessment
1
1
Fluence Learning

Writing Informational Text: Lemonade Stand

For Students 3rd Standards
Use a performance task to assess third graders' ability to read informational text. After they plan a lemonade stand business, young entrepreneurs implement that plan through informational writing. The task assumes learners can...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing Informative Text: School Days

For Students 5th Standards
A three-part writing assessment challenges scholars to think critically about schools of the past and present. Learners read informative texts, answer questions to prepare for a discussion, research in small groups, complete a Venn...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing Informational Text: Community and School Gardens

For Students 2nd Standards
Two informational texts feature community gardens of the past and present and how seeds grow. Scholars read, discuss what they have read, complete a timeline, define words, and compose a brief essay about the texts' main idea.
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

A Persuasive Writing Project That Aligns to Common Core Standards

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Create a writing project that focuses on the Common Core ELA Standard for writing an argumentative essay.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Synthesizing Information: Writing an Apprentice Wanted Ad

For Teachers 4th Standards
Fourth graders view examples of help-wanted ads as they plan and create their own writing in the fourteenth instructional activity of this unit on colonial trade. The engagement of the class is captured when the teacher shares an actual...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teach Text Features & Read Nonfiction

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Elementary schoolers examine the components of reading nonfiction. They use think-alouds to help them complete reading the selected sections. They also identify text features as they read.
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Unit Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

How to Write a Memoir

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Who are we and what shapes our identities? Seventh graders work to answer this question as they learn how to write a memoir. Full of non-print resources and supplemental texts that range from fiction to non-fiction, scholars write their...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing About Informational Text: The Dred Scott Decision

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
Looking for a performance assessment that asks individuals to demonstrate their competency in writing about informational text? Use Frederick Douglass' essay "On the Dred Scott Decision," and an excerpt from Abraham Lincoln's 1857 speech...
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Lesson Plan
Google

Friends: Texting Story

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Sometimes it's okay to text in school. Young computer scientists work in the Scratch program to write a text message conversation among friends. They use different sprites within the program to represent each side of the conversation to...
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Writing
Terminix

Bee Writing Prompt

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
What do your pupils know about bees? Ask them to examine facts and images about three different types of bees and write about one type. Pupils explain why their chosen bee is interesting and back up their ideas with facts and opinions....
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Activity
Washington Township Public Schools

Using Paired Text

For Teachers 4th Standards
Paired reading passages frequently appear on standardized exams, but finding text sets to use in the classroom is sometimes a challenge. A lesson plan on using paired texts includes a selection of passages and a graphic organizer for...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing About Informational Text: Beyond the Beyond—Galaxies

For Students 8th Standards
Everyone has a different point of view, even when it comes to the enormity of the universe. Two separate text passages explain the scope of a galaxy, prompting young readers to write an essay about each author's argument and how the...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing an Argument: Is Electronic Communication Helpful or Harmful?

For Students 7th Standards
Technology has undoubtedly improved the lives of people around the world—but has it improved communication? Seventh graders read two informative passages about the rise of texting and emailing versus in-person conversations before...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing a Narrative: Two Frogs

For Students 2nd Standards
Three options offer young writers the opportunity to read a short story, answer questions, and write a response. A handy language arts resource focuses on reading comprehension and analyziing the story's lesson: look before you leap. 
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing About Literary Text: Wise or Foolish?

For Students 4th Standards
A three-part assessment promotes reading comprehension skills. Class members read literary texts and take notes to discuss their findings, answer comprehension questions, write summaries, and complete charts. 
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing an Opinion: Student Council

For Students 4th Standards
A three-part assessment challenges scholars to write opinion essays covering the topic of the student council. After reading three passages, writers complete a chart, work with peers to complete a mini-research project, answer...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing an Opinion Requiring Voting

For Students 5th Standards
Challenge writers to compose an essay detailing their stance on, and the history of, voting. Three assignments, each broken down into three parts, requires fifth graders to take notes, read and complete charts, write paragraphs, compare...
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Unit Plan
2
2
Knox Education

Opinion Argument Writing Packet

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
You won't need much persuading to use an argumentative writing packet in your language arts class! With helpful reference pages, guided practice through the writing process, examples of opinion and argument writing, and a thorough...
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Unit Plan
Trinity University

Explain Yourself: An Expository Writing Unit for High School

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Introduce expository writing with a unit that asks writers to craft an essay to explain a belief, value, or priority that is important to them. Mini-lessons within the unit focus on crafting thesis statements and conclusions, selecting...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit Assessment: Text-Dependent Questions and Draft Editorial: The Mary River Project on Baffin Island

For Teachers 5th Standards
Scholars complete an assessment, read an informational article, and answer text-based questions. Also, pupils use the Painted Essay technique to write a draft editorial about a topic they studied throughout the unit, the Mary River Mine...
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Writing
2
2
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Writing Prompts for Middle School

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Scratching your head when it comes to engaging writing prompts? Check out a list of prompts designed for middle school classes, which includes topics for persuasive writing, expository writing, how-to essays, personal narratives, and...