Curated OER
Symbiosis: Help, Hinder or Destroy
Use background information and vocabulary to familiarize your students with the concept of symbiosis and the role agriculture plays in the shared relationship. They then write the vocabulary in their lab books or journals, and read the...
SUNY Empire State College
Empire State College: Shaping Information: Ordering Information and Outlining
Discusses finding a logical order for the ideas you wish to present in your essay. Uses samples to show how changing the position of the topic sentence changes the emphasis. Briefly touches on transitions. Then discusses the outline as...
Boise State University
Paradigm Online Writing Assistant
This online writing assistance offers help in the writing process, grammar and mechanics, usage, and four different types of essays, as well as help on deciding what and how to document.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Creative Writing Through Wordless Picture Books
Need help planning ways to creatively teach your students chronological order? Here's a great place to start. While the site is specifically geared toward the middle school student, it is a teaching idea which could easily be adapted for...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Venn Diagram, 2 Circles
A printable Venn diagram to use when comparing and contrasting two things or topics. Directions on how to use this graphic organizer as well as lists of teaching ideas and related resources are also provided.
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: Trailblazing Introductions
This tutorial focuses on the introduction for an expository essay or research paper. It states the purpose of an introduction, what should be included, and ways to begin.
SUNY Empire State College
Empire State College: Thesis and Shaping Information
This tutorial on writing essays contains several sections pertaining to the thesis. These include thesis definition, characteristics, analysis of thesis to gather and shape information, and topic sentences. Many examples given. W.9-10.2...
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina: Constructing Thesis Statements
Readable, but thorough handout on the thesis statement. Covers what it is, why it's important, how to come up with one, examples, and how to evaluate. Bibliography included. W.9-10.2a Intro/org/graphics
Utah Education Network
Uen: Graphic Organizers Bring About Good Science Read/writing
This lesson uses graphic organizers to engage students in reading comprehension strategies for informational text in science. Venn Diagram, Hierarchy, Time Line, Cluster Diagram, and Flow Chart reproducible pages are included with the...
Harvard University
Harvard College Writing Center: Developing a Thesis
Superbly written explanation of thesis development. Use the links on the right to work through the writing process.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Comparison and Contrast Essays
This lesson focuses on the comparison and contrast essays; it defines new terms: compare/contrast essay, yin/yang Venn diagram, block comparison, and point by point comparison. It also provides a slideshow which defines and discusses the...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Introductions
This tutorial focuses on introductions; it lists and explains three common components of introductions: motivator, thesis, and blueprint. It provides a sample introduction with commentary showing each of the parts. It discusses the...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: I've Been Assigned a Paper, Now What?
This tutorial focuses on selecting and narrowing a topic for a literary paper. It offers a flow chart of the writing process and two videos brainstorming topics using a web-style graphic organizer for each of two novels: "To Kill a...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Paper Writing: Research Paper: Topic Choice
This tutorial focuses on choosing a topic and narrowing or expanding the focus to fit the requirements for a research paper. It provides tips like clustering, using a Venn Diagram, Google Scholar, etc. to find and narrow the topic. It...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Revising Thesis and Topic Sentences
This tutorial focuses on revising the thesis and topic sentences using two videos and two slideshows. The first video discusses a 3-step revising process for making sure the thesis fits the paper; the second video focuses on what...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Revising Thesis and Topic Sentences
A series of notes and lessons focused on writing thesis statements and topic sentences. The lesson begins with a four-page downloadable PDF containing information about the function and form of a thesis statement as well as how to...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Topic Sentences: Map Your Way to Writing One
This tutorial on writing topic sentences includes 2 videos, 2 slide shows, and an audio clip. The first YouTube video explains the 4 parts of a topic sentence and tells where topic sentences belong. The 2 slide shows focus on the MAP...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Writing Effective Topic Sentences
This tutorial focuses on topic sentences using two slideshows. The first defines topic sentences, discusses purpose and placement, and provides a sample thesis statement followed by accompanying topic sentences samples. The second...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Analytical Papers: Organization
This slideshow tutorial focuses on organizing an analytical paper; it defines analysis and outlines the basic five- paragraph essay format. It discusses what goes into the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. It...
University of Sydney (Australia)
University of Sydney: The Write Site: Evaluating Your Evidence
This essay resource teaches students how to select the type of evidence that best lends weight and credibility to their topics and how to organize the evidence effectively. A chart is provided as a quick reference. Click on pages 2-4 at...
Other
Indiana University of Pennsylvania: Writing Center: Writing Strong Introductions
This Indiana University of Pennsylvania Writing Center article provides tips for writing a strong introduction for an essay. Using the following are discussed in these tips: anecdote, startling statement, famous ideas, question(s), first...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: I Just Got Assigned a Paper, Now What?
This lesson focuses on what to do after being assigned a paper; it provides the basic steps to writing a paper: brainstorm topics, organize your thoughts (Venn diagrams, tree diagram examples), conduct preliminary research, create a...
Grammar Check
Grammar Check: Learn How to Write an Essay Like the Pros (Infographic)
An infographic is provided to help students with writing essays. Explicit information about essay writing steps are included. Essay mistakes relative to the content and style are articulated, along with features specific to essays.
University of North Carolina
Unc: Writing Center: Comparing and Contrasting
This handout will help to determine whether a particular assignment is asking for comparison/contrast and then to generate a list of similarities and differences, decide which similarities and differences to focus on, and organize your...