Curated OER
Population Patterns
High schoolers study patterns of population growth in an ecosystem and why populations must remain in balance. They interpret basic population graphs and suggest scenarios about different population growth patterns in an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Persuaded or Informed?
Give each learner a newspaper for this lesson! As a group, read select editorials and discuss them with your class. Are these articles informational or persuasive? Cut out select editorials and have learners identify the purpose of each...
Crabtree Publishing
Why Does Media Literacy Matter?
Criticism of news and entertainment journalism is at an all-time high. Help 21st-century learners develop the media literacy skills they need to become critical consumers with a three-lesson guide the looks at persuasive techniques used...
Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson's Library: Making the Case for a National Library
The United States Library of Congress, the largest library in the world. But such was not always the case. The library was destroyed during the War of 1812. In a persuasive letter to Samuel H. Smith, Thomas Jefferson offered to sell his...
Curated OER
Four Corners Debate
Should the student population wear uniforms to school? Pupils express whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with a controversial statement, moving to a designated corner of the room to indicate their stance....
Curated OER
The Trial of the Bloody Sucker
A blood sucking what? Grade schoolers identify the characteristics of blood sucking parasites. They organize their information, identify their arguments, and present them to the class in persuasive arguments. They participate in a debate...
Curated OER
Propaganda
How does word choice affect the reading of a text? Compare two headlines that were written about the same event. Is one biased? Discuss how word choice often reveals the author's feelings about a topic. Then look at different techniques...
Prestwick House
Understanding Language: Slant, Spin, and Bias in the News
We live in a time of fake news, alternative realities, and media bias. What could be more timely than an activity that asks class members to research how different sources report the same topic in the news?
Channel Islands Film
Magic Isle: Lesson Plan 1
What are the factors that limit growth and expansion? As part of their study of Catalina Island, class members view the West of the West's documentary Magic Isle and research William Wrigley and the Santa Catalina Island Company. After...
Read Write Think
Persuasive Techniques in Advertising
Ever wonder if that miracle product in the commercial is really a miracle? Chances are, the only miraculous part is how many people the advertisers are able to convince to buy it! Class members look over short descriptions of techniques...
Curated OER
Persuasive Elements
Investigate letters to the editor and their persuasive qualities. Break your class into reading groups and give each one a different article. As they read, they complete a graphic organizer to record their thoughts and opinions. There is...
Curated OER
Argument
In this debating learning exercise, learners study the titles of the five debates. They write two opposing points of view for each debate. Pupils try to persuade for both sides of the view point.
Curated OER
Language for Sale
Sixth graders think about writing terminology as they rewrite a catalogue descriptioin of an item for sale.
Curated OER
Hoops! There It Is!
Fifth graders view and discuss the use of voice in writing through the in-your-face, aggressive, powerful messages of the Nike advertisements and the book Hoops as examples of the intensity words can have and how voice is expressed. A...
Curated OER
The Lorax Explorations
Students read and debate the purpose of Dr. Seuss' The Lorax, analyze its story elements, and write their own The Lorax II.
Curated OER
Author's Purpose
For this assessing the author's purpose worksheet, students determine whether the author wrote to entertain, persuade, or inform by checking yes and no boxes, identifying the purpose, and listing clues that helped determine the purpose....
Curated OER
Taking a Closer Look (Critical Viewing)
Learners explore persuasive writing in advertisements. For this advertisements lesson, students evaluate tobacco advertisements for persuasion techniques. Learners then create a counter advertisement against smoking.
Curated OER
Advertising Books
Students experience a variety of ways to share their favorite books with their classmates. They write and present commercials to "sell" their favorite books to the class and participate in a community of readers who regularly discuss and...
Curated OER
Bias
Students apply techniques of distinguishing between fact and opinion. Students identify words associated with persuasion and argument. Students read and categorizer a variety of newspapers and articles. Students identfy bias in a...
Curated OER
Getting our Paws into the Cause
Twelfth graders examine local, state, and/or national animal welfare organization. In this Social Studies lesson plan, 12th graders research their identified organization. Students develop a planned intervention strategy to help...
Curated OER
The Gerund or Infinitive after the Verb 2
In this verbs in sentences worksheet, students fill in the blanks to complete sentences using the gerund or infinitive after the highlighted verb and then categorize the verbs in lists. Students write 30 answers.
Curated OER
Cheetah Challenges
Students research the problems that cheetahs are facing in the wild. For this biology lesson, students discuss how animal rehabilitation works. They write blogs about it and comment on everyone's post.
Curated OER
A Long Way Home
Young scholars examine the difference between hard news and editorial writing by considering several pieces written about the Elian Gonzalez custody battle. They then craft their own hard news and editorials on the case.
Curated OER
Geometry Library
Fifth graders write and illustrate books to make a class library of math term books. They utilize vocabulary associated with geometry to make their books. For example, one character may be, Mr. A Cute.