The New York Times
News and News Analysis: Navigating Fact and Opinion in the Times
Help your class understand the difference between fact and opinion by exploring the New York Times homepage and articles. In pairs or small groups, pupils complete a scavenger hunt, answering the provided questions. Next, discuss the...
Creative Visions Foundation
Studying Documentaries Like a Writer - Looking For Persuasive Techniques
Revisit the documentaries viewed in the previous instructional activity in this series in order to take a look at the persuasive techniques employed by the documentary creators. Small groups watch the films a second time, taking notes on...
Digital History
Slavery and the Slave Trade
What would it have been like to have heard the debate on the issue of slavery at the Constitutional Convention of 1787? With this resource, you are given the opportunity to read through a reconstruction of speeches on the topic with your...
Curated OER
Strong Convictions
How can the rhetorical structure of an editorial help to develop its argument? Use this New York Times editorial to emphasize the importance of structure in a piece of informational text. Adolescent writers then use the editorial as a...
Curated OER
Liberty Rhetoric
What is liberty rhetoric? Examine how people have used it in four different time periods and situations. High schoolers investigate original source documents and compare them with the Declaration of Independence to decide how liberty...
Curated OER
The Final Word
Although this instructional activity is based on “Final Word,” Craig Wilson’s USA Today column, the strategies could be adapted to any local columnist. After reading three articles independently, groups share observations about content...
Curated OER
The Called Themselves the K.K.K.; The Birth of an American Terrorist Group
How did Ku Klux Klan develop and flourish in the US? How did the government respond to acts of terrorism conducted by the KKK following the Civil War? How does the government respond to acts of terrorism today? This resource launches a...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Who Were the Foremothers of the Women's Suffrage and Equality Movements?
Young scholars complete a unit of lessons on the women who contributed to the early Women's Rights Movement in the U.S. They conduct Internet research, examine images online, develop a list of women, complete a worksheet, and create a...
Georgia Department of Education
The Basketball Star
Have learners use math to prove they are sports stars! Assess a pupil's ability to create and analyze data using a variety of graphs. The class will be motivated by the association of math and basketball data.
Walters Art Museum
The Symbolism of Allegorical Art
Introduce learners to allegorical art with four bronze sculptures by Francesco Bertos. After modeling how to recognize bias and allegory in Bertos' Africa, class groups examine the other three sculptures in the series before creating...
English Enhanced Scope and Sequence
Identifying Persuasion in Media Literacy
As part of a study of media literacy, groups examine advertisements from Money, Fortune, The New Yorker, or Good Housekeeping and identify the types of rhetorical appeals used in the ads. After groups present their findings, the whole...
Southern Nevada Regional Professional Development Program
Common Core Reading Standards: Understanding Argument
What does your class know about logical fallacies? They can find out quite a bit and practice identifying logical fallacies if you follow the steps and use the resources provided here! After reviewing ethos, pathos, and logos, ask small...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.6
What does the author believe about his topic? Why did he write in the first place? Challenge your class to figure out the answers to these questions as they read through informational texts. The resource provides a breakdown of the...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Environmental Scrapbook and Podcast
High schoolers collect newspaper and magazine articles about the environment and construct a scrapbook using construction paper, glue, and scissors. To make it even more environmentally friendly, groups can create an online scrapbook...
George Mason University
George Mason University: Writing Across the Curriculum: Teaching With Writing
Find a rationale, practices and strategies, and resources for incorporating writing in all areas of the curriculum. Learn how to write clear assignments and some methods to make grading of writing more efficient and effective....
Indiana University
Iu: Providing Students With a Purpose for Reading
Discussion of providing students with a purpose for reading from a college class site entitled "Advanced Study of the Teaching of Secondary School Reading." Along with discussion and background on the topic, some specific strategies are...
Virtual Salt
Virtual Salt: Introduction to Critical Thinking
An introduction to the concept of Critical Thinking examines the true definition and gives examples where it can be used as a constructive force.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Ninth Literature and Composition
This is an introduction to a unit on writing in various genre including Nonfiction, Narrative, Literary Writing, Short Stories, and Poetry. Analysis of "The Odyssey", "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Romeo and Juliet". Click on the View links...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Ninth Literature and Composition: Types of Writing: Review
This lesson is a review of the unit on types of writing including purpose, audience, tone, the writing process, the four types of writing, and sentence fragments and run-ons. A quiz is provided.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: American Literature and Composition: Contemporary Prose
This lesson is an introduction to a unit on postmodern prose; students will be reading a novel or play of their choosing from a list provided. They will be expected to reflect on the work through reflective journaling and a timed...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Popular Culture: Expository Writing
This lesson focuses on expository writing including definitions, terms, sample expository essays, sequencing events into chonological order, and links to information about how to write expository essays.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Conversations in Literature
A research based workshop by Judith Langer on bringing the joy of reading literature to your class. An excellent professional development resource, with eight videos on demand. Topics include Responding as Readers, Objectifying the Text,...
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Comparing and Contrasting Texts
This tutorial focuses on writing a comparison and contrast paper for both literary texts and informational texts. It offers a YouTube video about writing a synthesis paper using either a point by point or a source by source arrangement....
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Editing Techniques: Writing a Reverse Outline
This slideshow lesson focuses on writing a reverse outline as a post writing strategy for assessing your paper for weak or missing aspects. It explains how to create the outline using a rubric if available and provides a skeletal example...