Curated OER
Famous Kansans
Fourth graders research famous Kansans. For this language arts lesson, 4th graders select a famous Kansan and write a persuasive nomination for inclusion in a Hall of Fame.
Curated OER
Creating Student Advertising
High schoolers explore common advertising strategies used by the media. In this advertising instructional activity, students identify persuasive language in advertisements and construct their own persuasive ad.
Curated OER
Commercials/Ads
Students write a persuasive commercial and advertisement. In this commercial lesson, students write a 20 second commercial that persuades people and shares the most important aspects of the company. They evaluate newspaper ads and create...
Curated OER
The Gentle Art of Persuasion: Techniques for Persuading Different Audiences
Students examine the use of persuasive arguments to varying audiences. They define persuasion, read and discuss an article on whether P.E. should be optional, summarize the pros and cons of P.E., and write a letter or a speech.
Curated OER
Land of Milk and Honey: Propaganda and the Colonies
Fourth graders explore the concept of propaganda. In this colonial settlement lesson plan, 4th graders examine primary resources pertaining to the settlement of North Carolina by colonists. They write a persuasive journal entry...
Curated OER
Book Selling Project
Students create oral presentations and posters about a book they have read. They try and interest their classmates to read the book by writing persuasive reports.
Curated OER
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Eighth graders read the novel, Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and then watch a movie based on the novel. They write an essay comparing the movie to the book.
Curated OER
Editorial Writing
Young scholars Write a persuasive essay that contains effective introductory and summary statements; arranges the arguments effectively; and fully develops the ideas with convincing proof, details, facts, examples, and descriptions. They...
Curated OER
Write Your Own Cultural Connections
Students write a cultural narrative. For this multicultural writing lesson, students create an expository narrative to teach others about their lives. Students complete the narrative and use a buddy editing strategy to revise their papers.
Curated OER
Pride and Prejudice: Discussion Web
Both Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have proud moments, but who is more prideful? Explore Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with a discussion web that compares both characters in a brainstorming graphic organizer. Each side provides enough...
Curated OER
Connotation and Denotation: How Word Choice Affects a Paragraph
Review the terms denotation, connotation, diction, and mood in paragraph writing. After defining the terms, middle schoolers practice writing examples of both connotation and denotation. They complete a connotation and denotation graphic...
Curated OER
Pourquoi Tales
Lead a web search for information on writers and discuss the craft of purposeful writing as a class. Your students investigate "pourquoi tales" which are "why" stories. and then write their own examples of pourquoi stories to share in a...
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Identity Lesson 7: Logical Fallacies
What are the effects of competition in an academic environment? The competition between the main characters in A Separate Peace motivates a series of activities that asks readers to take a stance on competition, and then to develop a...
Curated OER
Short Story Lesson Plan: “The Californian’s Tale”
Middle schoolers explore the theme of "The Californian's Tale" by Mark Twain. After reading Twain's short story, they identify and study its literary theme. Additionally, they analyze information and relationships in the piece, and write...
Carolina K-12
The Electoral College
Is the Electoral College the best method of electing the president of the United States? Your young historians will write a persuasive essay discussing the historical perspective of the college, pros and cons, and a final argument for or...
WindWise Education
How Do You Feel About Wind Energy?
Tell me what you really think. The class reviews articles related to wind energy to see how the author uses words, phrases, and images to sway the reader. Through a class discussion, individuals share their feelings from the media...
Global Oneness Project
The Consciousness of Nature
Scholars voice their opinions about animal consciousness with an article that challenges common ideas about nature. After reading the article, learners engage in a thoughtful discussion before writing out their arguments in a persuasive...
Anti-Defamation League
Microaggressions In Our Lives
Defining, identifying, and learning how to counter microaggression is the lesson's focus for high schoolers. Learners examine a definition of the term, write about their own experiences with microaggression, watch short video examples,...
Curated OER
Persuasion Map
The Persuasion Map, a one-page graphic organizer from Houghton Mifflin, not only makes visual the logical organization structure of persuasive writing, but also provides young writers a chance to organize and record facts they will use...
C-SPAN
Civil Rights Movement: Sit-Ins
Part of the protests of the Civil Rights Movement were small scale sit-ins at lunch counters. This form of on-the-ground activism is the focus of a C-SPAN resource that includes four video-clips about the sit-ins by pupils at a lunch...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Second Grade Skills Unit 4: The Job Hunt
Second graders practice skills, including spelling, grammar, and reading. Pupils examine vowel sounds and tricky words, nouns, and verbs. They begin the writing process by drafting a persuasive letter and decoding texts.
Los Angeles Unified School District
Capitalism and Socialism
Capitalism, socialism, communism ... these may seem like a whole bunch of isms to your scholars. High schoolers won't confuse them after completing an informative resource. Your class masters how to use primary sources to critically...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Plyler v. Doe: Can States Deny Public Benefits to Illegal Immigrants?
Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...
K20 LEARN
Argument Is Everywhere: Introduction to Argument
C.E.R = Claim + Evidence + Reasoning. That's the framework behind building a solid piece of argument writing. Introduce young writers to this format with an engaging lesson that uses YouTube videos and a PowerPoint to illustrate the...