Curated OER
Hurricane Katrina: You Be the Reporter
Young scholars work in a small group to create news stories, feature stories and editorials/letters to the editor and organize them in a podcast, video-based program, or newspaper/magazine focused on Hurricane Katrina.
Curated OER
The Rules of the Game
Students debate whether college athletes should be held to a higher behavioral standard than non-athletes. Students determine whether behavior outside of school should be punishable by university administration, then write letters to the...
Curated OER
Understanding Tibet
Students work in cooperative groups to read one current situation of Tibet. They respond to a set of discussion questions. Pupils write a newspaper article expressing the current information explored. Students write an editorial or...
Curated OER
Celebrity Letter Writing Assignment
Young scholars create a biographical portfolio of the three important people. They write letters of request, asking for autographs of people in assorted fields. Students are explained that an autograph could be one of the following: A...
Curated OER
To Go Solar or Not to Go Solar!
Middle schoolers imagine that they are on a panel to consider if a solar energy system would be advantageous to a new school as it is being built. They read the included handout and then each play a role as a participant in a community...
Curated OER
Women in Texas Politics: Winning the Vote, Three Pioneers, and Serving the People
Fourth graders study women's involvement in Texas politics. In this US history lesson, 4th graders discuss woman suffrage, examine three Texas female pioneer legislators by reading biographies, and explore women's issues by generating a...
Great Books Foundation
Discussion Guide for 1984
George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, published in 1949, can seem strangely prophetic when compared to modern news events and politics. Readers of Orwell's dystopian classic sharpen their critical thinking skills by engaging in a shared...
Curated OER
Effective Letter Writing
Students explore letter writing. For this persuasive writing lesson, students write a letter to a local organization based on a topic of their choice. Students employ the correct letter writing procedure as outlined in the checklist...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Voices of the Revolution: Challenge Activities (Theme 3)
Paul Revere, Mercy Otis Warren, James Forten, Henry Knox. The voices of the American Revolution come alive in this enrichment packet designed to challenge learners who have mastered the basic concepts in the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt...
Curated OER
Write Right!
After watching part of a Club Write Kids video and discussing the editing process, each group of learners writes a letter to a favorite author. They ask for a copy of a page of manuscript that has gone through the editing process. Prior...
Originator
Endless Alphabet
Engage emergent readers with colorful monster animations as they practice sound-letter correspondence, develop phonemic awareness, and gain new vocabulary.
Media Smarts
Looking at Newspapers: Introduction
A scavenger hunt introduces class groups to the different sections of newspapers and the different types of articles found in each section.
Curated OER
The Secret is Out
Young scholars explore ideas about journalism ethics as they relate to Watergate and discuss various issues related to an anonymous source being revealed. They write letters to the public editor of The NY Times about credibility and...
Curated OER
A New Spin on Letter Writing Lessons
Letter writing lessons can provide a way to introduce students to this important mode of communication.
Curated OER
Continuity or Change? African Americans in World War II
Learners examine the experience of African Americans during World War II by analyzing primary sources and formulating historical questions. They evaluate if the African American experience during World War II represents continuity or...
Curated OER
The 8th Amendment: The Death Penalty
High schoolers take a closer look at the death penalty. In this U.S. government lesson, students watch a Discovery video about capital punishment in the United States and then compose letters to the editors of newspapers about their...
Curated OER
Lesson: Living With the Farm Next Door
Discuss with learners why farms are growing in size and why there is sometimes conflict between farmers and their non-farming neighbors. Read the article, "Living With the Farm Next Door," and then craft letters to the editor from the...
Curated OER
Writing Letters for Human Rights
Learners draft and edit a letter regarding human rights. They work in groups to select a cause, follow basic letter writing guidelines and draft a persuasive letter expressing their concerns. Students can also send the letters to a...
Curated OER
Editorials
Students investigate editorials. In this literacy critical thinking lesson, students compare and contrast two newspaper editorials and two letters to the editor by completing a Venn diagram. Students work in groups to write authentic...
Curated OER
Creative Writing
Eleventh graders write a persuasive letter to the editor using the writing process.
Curated OER
Match the Umbrellas
In this uppercase and lowercase letter matching learning exercise, students cut out the umbrella cards and match the uppercase letters to the correct lowercase letters. This learning exercise covers all of the letters in the alphabet and...
Curated OER
Letter of Complaint
Students compose letters of complaint. In this written communication instructional activity, students read sample letters of complaint and use the provided graphic organizer to analyze them.
Curated OER
Basic Letter Response to a Writing Prompt
Students respond to a writing prompt using appropriate letter format. In this letter writing lesson, students discuss the format for letter writing and use the worksheet format to write the heading, inside address, and salutation....
Curated OER
Letter of Complaint
Students write letters of complaint. In this written communication lesson plan, students use the active voice to compose letters of complaint to selected audiences.