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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing an Argument: Free Speech

For Students 11th - 12th Standards
How do you assess whether pupils have mastered certain concepts and skills? Designing a performance task that asks learners to demonstrate their skills and providing writers with a rubric that identifies these skills and provides...
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Lesson Plan
Prestwick House

Reading Nonfiction: Analyzing Joseph McCarthy's "Enemies from Within" Speech

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Looking for a instructional activity that teaches class members how to analyze nonfiction? Use Joseph McCarthy's famous "Enemies from Within" speech as a instructional text. Worksheet questions direct readers' attention to the many...
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Writing
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The New York Times

401 Prompts for Argumentative Writing

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Sometimes the hardest thing about an argument essay writing assignment is coming up with a question. A four-page list of prompts includes a range of topics, from social media and smart phones to video games and sports. The list is a...
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Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Elonis v. U.S.

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
With the explosion of social media sites, with online threats and cyber bullying, issues of freedom of speech have taken on a whole new aspect. Elonis v. U.S. represents the first time the Supreme Court has considered whether or not...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

African American History: Honored as Heroes

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
To gain an understanding of the treatment of African American soldiers during World War I, class members watch an excerpt from the History Detectives film, Our Colored Heroes, and then examine three recruitment posters from that time...
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Assessment
Fluence Learning

Writing an Opinion Requiring Voting

For Students 5th Standards
Challenge writers to compose an essay detailing their stance on, and the history of, voting. Three assignments, each broken down into three parts, requires fifth graders to take notes, read and complete charts, write paragraphs, compare...
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Lesson Plan
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University of California

The Civil War: Lincoln’s Speeches

For Students 7th Standards
Abraham Lincoln is responsible for uniting the states during the most tumultuous periods in American history, and for his elegant oratory that kept the Union believing in its cause. Young histoians analyze various speeches by America's...
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Lesson Plan
New York State Education Department

TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 5

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Are video games sports? Pupils investigate this question as well as various nonfiction selections to learn more about claims and the support that defines them. All of the selections mimic the rigor on state tests and encourage close...
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Website
University of North Carolina

Speeches

For Students 9th - Higher Ed Standards
A handout on speeches, part of a series on specific writing assignments, helps individuals develop their speech-writing skills. The resource starts with a discussion on audience and purpose and ends with tips to engage the audience.
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Lesson Plan
Newseum

Decoding an Editorial Cartoon

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What advantages do political cartoons have over written editorials? Scholars discuss the topic by exploring editorial cartoons. Working in small groups, pupils analyze an Uncle Sam cartoon and complete a worksheet. As a fun extension,...
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Activity
Poetry4kids

Twenty Fun Writing Prompts for Kids

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Twenty prompts reinforce scholars' writing skills of essays and poems. Prompts cover topics such as superpowers, holidays, the weather, and more!
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Lesson Plan
K20 Learn

Building Arguments With Evidence Part 2: Constructing Arguments

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
What is the biggest issue facing young people today? Class members consider the question—along with other provocative pieces from the New York Times—and then try to write their own arguments and back them up with evidence. Once complete,...
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Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

The Equal Rights Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The debate over the Equal Rights Amendment continues. To better understand the controversy, class members research the history of attempts to get the amendment ratified. In addition, pairs engage in a structured academic conversation...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Language in a Speech: The Montgomery Bus Boycott Speech

For Teachers 8th Standards
Scholars analyze the use of active and passive voice in The Montgomery Bus Boycott speech and refer to an Active and Passive Sentences handout while viewing the text. Pairs of learners then work together to identify passive and active...
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Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

Preserving Battlefields

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Save that site! Budding historians go on a rescue mission to save important Civil War battle sites using a project-based lesson. After carefully researching the importance of critical engagements and evaluating current threats, learners...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Introducing the Performance Task Prompt and Beginning a Visual Representation

For Teachers 8th Standards
What exactly is a visual representation? Scholars use a think-pair-share to answer questions and record their information on anchor charts. Next, they use what they've learned to create visual representations of their position papers on...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Ancient Philosophy: Greeks or Romans?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While often not recognized, the ideas of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers still echo today. Using a series of videos and graphic organizers, individuals explore how ancient Greeks and Romans have influenced current Western political...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading Closely and Introducing Rhetoric Toolbox: Unions as Agents of Change—Part 1

For Teachers 7th Standards
Scholars explore the question of whether labor unions are the agents of change as they continue reading César Chávez's 1984 speech, "Address to the Commonwealth Club of California." They discuss rhetoric in Chávez's speech and discover...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Speech Structure: Unions as Agents of Change— Part 2

For Teachers 7th Standards
Scholars continue reading César Chávez's 1984 speech, "Address to the Commonwealth Club of California." Working with partners, they complete graphic organizers to determine a claim that Chávez makes about the UFW. 
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment: How Chávez Develops His Claims in the Commonwealth Club Address

For Teachers 7th Standards
Scholars complete a mid-unit 2 assessment, analyzing how César Chávez supports his claims in his 1984 speech, "Address to the Commonwealth Club of California." Learners focus on paragraphs 18 and 19 of the speech, answering text-based...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Speech Structure: Part 2 of the Commonwealth Club Address

For Teachers 7th Standards
Scholars continue reading and analyzing César Chávez's 1984 speech, "Address to the Commonwealth Club of California." Working with partners, they answer text-dependent questions about how governments and consumers affect working...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Forming a Research-Based Claim: Comparing Cascading Consequences

For Teachers 7th Standards
It's time to weigh the risks and benefits of screen time! Pupils work in triads to identify the strongest positive and negative consequences from their Cascading Consequences chart. Next, using the chart and their researcher's notebooks,...
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Activity
Thoughtful Learning

Using Perspective Shifting to Persuade Readers

For Students 4th - 12th Standards
One of the key competencies of social and emotional learning is social awareness and being able to see things from another's perspective. This ability to shift perspective is particularly important when crafting an argument to persuade...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Choosing a Position: Screen Time and Adolescents

For Teachers 7th Standards
Time to pick a side! Building on the Fishbowl activity from the previous instructional activity, scholars choose a position about whether the American Academy of Pediatrics should raise its screen time recommendations. Using notes,...

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