It's been a long time coming! In 2020, MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manifred, Jr. stated that "the Negro Leagues would be recognized as official major leagues." Middle schoolers investigate the history of the Negro Leagues and use evidence...

What was your most (exciting, maddening, nervous, thrilling, etc.) experience in school? A part of a unit on narrative writing, in this lesson class members review the elements of the form and then choose an event when they learned a...

If you're working through A Lesson Before Dying, by Ernest J. Gaines, you might be interested in this resource. Pupils fill this page out after reading each chapter in order to create a short summary and clarify plot points and...

Here's a formal plan for what many effective teachers already do: Provide a week's worth of aphorisms and have learners choose one to write about in their journals each day. They reflect on the meaning of each aphorism and project how it...

Analyze advertising techniques in order to pinpoint persuasive strategies that writers use. These same techniques are then examined in persuasive speeches. You will have to find your own advertisements, but speeches are included. Finish...

Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...

Students consider the impact of lynchings on the African American community. In this lynching lesson, students investigate the lynching of Claude Neal. Students write opinion pieces about the Claude Neal lynching.

A read-aloud anthology boosts reading comprehension with classic tales. Thirteen lessons introduce and present a reading; pupils discuss the reading, then participate in extension activities. Take-home materials are available for most...

Engage conversation and explore the journey as you challenge young readers to interpret the german folktale, "The Fisherman and His Wife" written by literary brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.

In this essay outline worksheet, students apply a quotation from Julius Caesar to their own lives and formulate an outline for a well developed five paragraph essay. The outline includes quotes and examples to fully support the author's...

Students view "Inkheart: Speak Your Mind" by Cornelia Funke. They read several letters to the editor of a local newspaper and underline the 'opinion' portions of the letters. They discover how a literary selection can expand personal...

Learners discover how to write a letter to the editor that would be good enough to be considered for publication. They include her or his opinion about the story, share a story of a similar experience to the author's or offer advice to...

Students study Keith Haring and his paintings, and then create their own pastel haring posters. In this haring people lesson plan, students also write their opinions of Keith Haring and his work.

Learners write an editorial column for a newspaper. For this journalism lesson, students discuss and analyze editorials in print and broadcast media. Learners will compare the differences in these two formats of editorial...

Elementary learners explore fiction storytelling through partcipating in a survey. They identify the characters, themes and plot of the Harry Potter series while discussing their opinions in class. Learners conduct a survey about their...

Bring technology to your novel unit with this lesson, which prompts readers to analyze a book they are reading in a Socratic discussion with their classmates. They create a live blog online in which they can give their opinions and...

Using the resource, learners share their essay revisions with a partner. Afterward, they participate in a Fishbowl discussion, receiving peer feedback about their editorial essays. 

Middle and high schoolers are walking into a world rife with strong political viewpoints and vocal opinions. Help to prepare them for controversial discussions with a lesson in which they choose, research, and learn more about a...

A great way to connect social studies with language arts, a resource on Mary Henry's historical diary reinforces the concepts of primary and secondary sources. It comes with an easy-to-understand lesson plan, as well as the reference...

Though the discrete content here is a pair of New York Times articles about a 1998 military strike on Iraq and the coincident impeachment by the House of Representatives of then-President Clinton, this detailed plan for creating,...

Stimulate discussion with this brief article and series of questions related to reading habits. This resource, from the New York Times' The Learning Network, asks learners to comment on their own reading habits. You could have your class...

What are five amazing facts about you? Your best friend? Butterflies? The United States? The possibilities are endless with this worksheet!

If you stop a student from expressing views that advocate drug use, are you violating their right to free speech? Use the 2007 Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick to discuss a nuanced interpretation of the First Amendment....

Think about the roles of hunters and squaws in Elizabeth George Speare's The Sign of the Beaver. Whose work is more important? Young writers compare Attean and Matt's reaction to each gender's role, as well as arguing their opinion...