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Handout
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

Purdue University Owl: Organizing Your Argument

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This Purdue University OWL (Online Writing Lab) explains how to organize information in an argumentative essay. Several examples are provided to show how each piece of evidence is elaborated.
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Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Analyzing Text Complexity of Non Fiction Sources

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
This lesson plan will help middle schoolers read and comprehend nonfiction, specifically biographies, through determining criteria for text complexity. Included is a PDF and Smart Notebook titled Determining Text Complexity, and an...
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Unit Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: Collaborative Booktalk: Sharing and Writing Development

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
Are dark themes in young adult novels harmful or helpful to teens? Students will explore this question and will create an argumentative writing piece based on textual evidence. Videos of the lesson in action, examples of student work,...
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Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Analyze Texts With Similar/different Purposes

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson is about being able to identify the author's purpose in a specific text. Specifically, it's about looking at several authors' works on the same topic and...
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Lesson Plan
Other

Curriculum Associates: Comparing and Contrasting Texts [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
In these activities, students are asked to compare and contrast two versions of each event with two pieces of writing that are about the same topic. Teaching notes with answer keys are provided as well.
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Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: Write Expository Text That Synthesizes Ideas

For Students 7th - 9th Standards
[Accessible by TX Educators. Free Registration/Login Required] A learning module that teaches students how to bring ideas together in an expository text in four lessons: Introduction, Analyzing Our Sources, Pulling Out the Major Points...
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Activity
BBC

Bbc Bitesize Revision: Discursive (Analytical) Writing

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Short tutorial about discursive, or analytical, writing from a Scottish Standard Grade examination preparation site. Contains seven pages of information about the following: organising, essay examples, finding information, planning,...
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Professional Doc
AdLit

Ad lit.org: Extended Discussion of Text Meaning and Interpretation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Teachers should provide opportunities for students to engage in high-quality discussions of the meaning and interpretation of texts in various content areas as one important way to improve their reading comprehension.
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Professional Doc
AdLit

Ad lit.org: Using Multiple Texts to Teach Content

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Each of us, every day, has to contend with multiple messages or texts-in the news, over the Internet, in our workplace, in books, and in conversation. Making sense of these sometimes conflicting messages is critical. But without being...
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Article
AdLit

Ad lit.org: Content Area Literacy: Mathematics

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Of all the academic disciplines taught in middle and high school, the one we least expect to entail reading extended texts is in mathematics, but math texts present special literacy problems and challenges for young readers.
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Handout
Curated OER

Mc Graw Hill: Use Details and Examples

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Review how to use text evidence, details, examples, and personal experiences to make inferences then read a passage to practice on your own.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Classify and Summarize Information [Pdf]

For Students 2nd - 8th Standards
This learning module contains a link to graphic organizers that will help students categorize content and comprehend short and extended texts. The graphic organizers are designed to be applied to reading nonfiction passages in science...
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Professional Doc
Other

Interacting Texts Directed Activities Related to Texts (Darts)

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Want to improve your students' reading skills? This is a good place to find the types of directed activities, using a definition text, reconstruction/analysis activities, and advantages of using DARTs.
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Get the Gist: A Summarizing Strategy for Any Content Area

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
A five-part standards-based lesson plan in which students learn to write a 20 word summary of an informational text by focusing on answering the questions who, what, when, where, why, and how. This strategy can be applied to any content...
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Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Reading and Analyzing Multigenre Texts

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
This lesson plan deals with the process of analyzing a variety of literary texts from poetry and letters to diary entries and works of fiction. Included in the lesson plan is an overview, practice, objectives, resources, preparation, and...
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Handout
Grammarly

Grammarly Handbook: Evidence

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This page focuses on the evidence to support points in an essay. Be sure you have enough support for each point and that the points are strong ones. It also suggests you double check both direct and indirect quotations in your paper to...
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Website
Other

English Companion: Reading Expository Text

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Taken from "Reading Reminders: Tools, Tips, and Techmiques," the information on this website provides advice on how to read, understand, analyze, and write expository texts.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Can Classify and Infer When I Read [Pdf]

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
This site contains links to two graphic organizers to guide and assess the understanding of nonfiction text in science and social studies.
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Activity
Capital Community College Foundation

Guide to Grammar and Writing: Developing a Definition

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Not sure what a definition paper is? This is a great site from the Capital Community College to help you with developing a definition. Includes a sample essay and guiding questions.
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Unit Plan
E Reading Worksheets

E Reading Worksheets: Fact and Opinion Lessons

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
In this learning module, students will learn more about the differences between facts and opinions. A PowerPoint presentation and related activity are provided to reinforce the topic of facts vs. opinions. This module is designed to...
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Lesson Plan
Other

Mo Dept. Of Ed.: Writing Essays (Expository) (Lesson)

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Lesson plan designed for seventh graders. Students write expository essays that include details, facts, and examples. Includes prewriting handouts, some example paragraphs, some example prompts, and a scoring guide.
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Professional Doc
AdLit

Ad lit.org: What's the Big Idea? Integrating Young Adult Literature

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Drawing on New York City teachers' experiences, this article examines three ways to effectively integrate young adult literature into the curriculum: use core texts (usually novels, but also other genres as well) that the entire class...
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Article
AdLit

Ad lit.org: Pairing Texts With Movies to Promote Comprehension and Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Thematic pairings of novels/short stories with movies can help students access difficult texts and can lead to deeper comprehension and lively classroom discussion. This article suggests pairings for some commonly assigned middle and...
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Lesson Plan
Varsity Tutors

Varsity Tutors: Web English Teacher: Expository Writing

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This Web English Teacher provides great links and resources for assistance, activities, and information about expository writing.