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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Writing About Issues in the Media

For Teachers 12th Standards
In this lesson students analyze media coverage of current issues and present their findings in a formal research paper and class presentation.
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Learning Exchange

Alex: Writing a Persuasive Essay

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
In this lesson young scholars research opposing viewpoints on controversial issues and develop their own position papers. Though primarily for English classes, this lesson could be easily adapted for an interdisciplinary unit with social...
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Handout
University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge: How to Look Clever Without Even Trying Part 1

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This article explains how to use quotations in an essay.
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Handout
Joe Landsberger

Study Guides and Strategies: The Five Paragraph Essay

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A major requirement of the five paragraph essay is the use of sufficient, appropriate, and interesting supporting details. Use this guide for the entire process of writing the five paragraph essay, or focus on the section about...
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Activity
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Writer's Guide: Persuasive Essay

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Follow the framework on this page to construct a persuasive essay on any topic. Click on Writer's Model in the upper right to see a Shockwave presentation highlighting how to use the suggestions. W.9-10.10 Write Routinely
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Handout
The Write Place

Literacy Education Online: Definition Essay

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site provides guidelines for writing definition essays. It also explores various types of definition writing and provides a few short examples.
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Handout
Steven Kreis, PhD

The History Guide: Finding a Topic

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Basic research suggestions are given here to help you select a history research topic.
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Website
Other

Writing Den: Essay Builder

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Site that gives an overview and general rules in how to write an essay. Sections include Parts of an Essay, How to Write an Essay, and Kinds of Essays.
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Handout
Other

Writing Den: Essay Builder: Definition Essay

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
General information and guidelines about writing definition essays. Be sure to look over the entire site for lots of information about writing.
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Website
Other

Ten Rhetoric of War Writing Projects

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Created by a teacher responding to the events in Kosovo, this list is a great start for a media literacy class project. Good discussion-starting questions are included with each item on the list. Requires some independent research to...
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Article
Other

Beginning Reporting: The Rest of the News Story

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Just because much attention is paid to the lead of a story, it doesn't mean the middle and the end aren't important too. Here you can get tips on how to make the whole story effective, from a professional reporter.
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Handout
Other

Hamilton: Essentials of Effective Persuasive Essays

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This resource provides good insight on how to structure a well organized effective persuasive essay.
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Article
Leaf Group

Classroom: How to Write a Research Paper Outline

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This is an article focusing on gathering research information including paper requirements, citation information, and content, and then completing note cards and an outline.
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PPT
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Writing Effective Topic Sentences

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This lesson goes over tips an techniques for writing an effective topic sentence. This tutorial lesson shares a short slideshow with the lesson's content.
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Handout
Grammarly

Grammarly Handbook: Answering the Opposition in a Persuasive Essay

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This page explains when and how to answer the opposing claims in a persuasive essay.
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Article
Other

Philosophe.com: Getting to Know Your Audience

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Essays about understanding your audience in the development of websites. This extended discussion can enlighten the understanding the audience in writing any work.
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Handout
University of Victoria (Canada)

The U Vic Writer's Guide: Writing Essays: Narrowing Your Essay Topic

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
What steps can you take to narrow an essay topic? Delve into this awesome site to learn how.
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Activity
BBC

Bbc Bitesize: Introducing a Discursive Essay

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
As part of a revision and writing section of BBC Bitesize, this site goes over several tips relating to writing the introduction of a discursive essay. Five separate methods are described, including provocative, balanced, illustration,...
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Primary
Other

Academic Help: Writing Samples: Expository Essay Samples

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Links to several examples of expository essays in order to better understand the process and end result of a well written expository essay.