Fifth graders write a book review for a nonfiction book. In this response to literature lesson, 5th graders read a nonfiction book and write a review that gets others interested in reading the book without giving too much away. The...

Second graders use actual written media to identify and discuss an author's purpose for writing. They identify the author's purpose in a selection from the newspaper, and write a short description of how they came to their conclusion.

Students will increase spelling and vocabulary skills. Then they will develop critical thinking skills. Next, they will develop expository writing skills. Finally, students will practice language skills with non-traditional text: a...

Fifth graders use descriptive words to write a recipe. They use the theme of Spring describing what would make for the perfect spring break, vacation, or day. They write their recipe on a recipe card and display their recipes on the...

Students investigate the life of Martha Wayles Jefferson. In this American history lesson, students examine excerpts of the journals kept by Thomas Jefferson's wife. Students infer what life at Monticello may have been like....

Students determine who is responsible for the start of the Cold War. In this Cold War lesson, students conduct their own research about the evolution of the war and write essays that reveal their opinion on how the war began.

Students explore ways to write book summaries. In this summary writing lesson plan, students discover the steps for writing summaries of fictional books.

Young scholars prepare to write a discursive composition. They pay particular attention to generating, selecting, ordering and organizing ideas. Students incorporate the use of linking devices and paragraph planning.

In this essay writing worksheet, seven writing prompts are provided. Students can choose any of the topics to write an essay about.

Why do some phrases contribute to a weak authorial voice? The first page of this packet explains what a strong and weak voice sound like, and it lists some common phrases that clutter writing, ultimately weakening it. The second page...

This pre-reading activity will certainly make your class ponder. With five questions to reflect upon, get insight to the moral dilemma Percy faced in the novel Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan. 

Being expressive in a creative, empathetic, or imaginative way is not only fun, it builds good pre-writing and communication skills. Learners with visual impairments have a roundtable discussion session where several sentence frames...

Working in teams, pairs, or individually, scholars select one resource from a gallery of historical sources and consider which examples might be considered propaganda, the techniques used to persuade audiences, and evaluate how the...

Introduce your classes to the Art of Rhetoric with a lesson that focuses on Aristotle's persuasive appeals and how they have been used, both ethically and unethically, to influence opinion.

Both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have proud moments, but who is more prideful? Explore Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with a discussion web that compares both characters in a brainstorming graphic organizer. Each side provides...

What part did Kentucky play in the Civil War? A constructed response essay assignment tests to ensure scholars understand the concepts and the arguments for the causes of the Civil War. Learners must read a primary source quote and then...

Even though two passages discuss the same topic, they contain different facts and details. Scholars analyze two reading passages about the Gettysburg Address and list the ways they are the same and different.

Discover relationships between linear and nonlinear functions. Initially, a set of data seems linear, but upon further exploration, pupils realize the data can model an infinite number of functions. Scholars use multiple representations...

Students investigate writing a school newspaper. In this writing a school newspaper lesson, students choose topics that will be included in the school newspaper. Students view online sites about writing articles and break into groups to...

Students discuss global warming. In this global warming instructional activity, students read an article about global warming and list five things they learned. Students work in small groups to compare what they wrote. Students...

Listen to Sitti's Secrets and have your class discuss their opinions about Arab families.  They will become familiar with the Palestinian /Arabic Culture through a critical literacy focus.  Young scholars will write a...

Students explore economics by writing a fictitious news article. In this personal wealth lesson, students participate in a role-playing activity in which the year is 2025 and they must write an article about their extremely wealthy...

Students read and discuss a film review of the animated movie Antz and then write a monologue from the perspective of a non-human organism.

Learners read a New York Times review of the Museum of the African Diaspora in San Francisco. They discuss the roles and responsibilities of a cultural critic, and prepare for a visit to a local museum in order to write their own reviews.