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Activity
East Lyme Public Schools

To Declare or Not to Declare Independence?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Class members adopt the persona of real figures in American history, Patriots and Loyalists, research these individuals to determine their stance, and then debate the question of whether or not to declare independence from England. 
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Lesson Plan
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Dream of a Nation

Congressional Debate

For Teachers 10th Standards
Should junk food be banned in schools? Should the US open its borders to all immigrants? Should the US impose term limits for the House of Representatives and for the Senate? Using Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classroom Lincoln-Douglas Debate

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Unfamiliar with the Lincoln-Douglas Debate format? Check out this resource that details the procedures of the debate, the roles and responsibilities of each participant, and the timing of each round.  
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persuade Me

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders give persuasive presentations based on the questions they have researched. They examine appropriate delivery techniques for effective persuasive presentations. (Note: This lesson should be taught, after students have...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Land, Liberty and the Struggle for the American Dream

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students investigate equality by reading a historical fiction book in class.  In this civil rights lesson plan, students read the story Roll of Thunder, Hear my Cry with their classmates and define the Jim Crow Laws that kept blacks...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seventeenth Century Pick-up Lines

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars analyze passages from The Mysteries of Love and Eloquence, or the Arts of Wooing and Complementing, written in the seventeenth century. Students analyze the images, words and figures of speech the author used and compare...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Overcoming Censorship Through Art

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine and discuss government-imposed censorship of art and artists' methods for counteracting censorship. They view censored artwork, write a persuasive essay, and create an art piece.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrating Earth Day With Students

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Student's attention is focused on the environment during Earth Day. This helps to stimulate their creativity and imagination, so that they can act persuasively to help solve environmental problems.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Popular Sovereignty Under the Kansas-Nebraska Act

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine the implications of the Kansas-Nebraska Act. In this slavery instructional activity, 7th graders examine a map of 1820 America and discuss the balance of power implied by the map. Students then read Stephen...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shakespeare: Henry V - Writing Task

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Pairs of pupils choose a person who they consider to be a hero. They research that person, develop a speech, and deliver it to the class in hopes of persuading them that this person really is a hero. A vote is taken after the...
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Lesson Plan
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Dream of a Nation

Solution Debate

For Teachers 10th Standards
Class members choose a current social, political, environmental, or economic problem presented in Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, research this problem and a variety of suggested solutions, before...
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Lesson Plan
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Museum of Tolerance

The Pursuit of Democracy and Diversity: The Trial of Pro-Social Injustice in Historical Documents and Accounts

For Teachers 8th Standards
Class members investigate The Indian Removal Act of 1830, U.S. Theft of Mexican Territory Timeline, and President Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley, 1862, and then conduct a mock trial of each of these documents to determine...
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Lesson Plan
Columbus City Schools

Poetry Speaking and Listening Standards

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Celebrate April's National Poetry Month or enrich a poetry unit with a wealth of language arts material. Class members develop an oral interpretation of a poem and/or develop a podcast interview with a poet. 
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Worksheet
Student Handouts

Logical Fallacies

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Help your learners grow their critical thinking and analytical skills by asking them to examine logical fallacies. After reading an example, pupils determine if two sets of premises and conclusions are logical fallacies or not and...
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Lesson Plan
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K20 LEARN

Trigger Warnings - Intellectual Rights and Responsibilities: Banned Books, Censorship Part 1

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
"Warning: Conducting this lesson may be harmful." Such statements, called "Trigger Warnings," are the focus of a two-part lesson that looks at censorship, especially the pros and cons of trigger warnings. Class members read two articles,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Persuade or Die!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read Patrick Henry's speech. They review prior learning about persuasive writing, and the American revolutionary war. Students listen as the teacher reads Patrick Henry's speech aloud to the class using lots of emotion and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Solving Science Mysteries

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students choose a science-related mystery to investigate such as the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot. They, in groups, research theories and give a persuasive talk presenting the theory they feel to be most likely.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colonial North Carolina

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students resarch people and events from a given list. Then based on teacher options, students employ perspectives, an audience, a presentation format, and topic to prepare a two-page document to share with the class. Students also...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Don't Pay Attention to Advertisements

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine the eight persuasive techniques, identifying them in all avenues of media including magazine, TV, Internet, and billboards, and making them aware of how advertising already influences them. They write an essay using...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Speak Up, Speak Out

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine, compare, and summarize the speeches of Sojourner Truth and Patrick Henry. They review the parts of a good speech and design and give their own speech that expresses an opinion and persuades the listener..
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Martin Luther King, Jr. vs. Malcolm X

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders compare and contrast the visions of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. In this African-American history lesson, 11th graders read speeches by each of the men and summarize the arguments made by each of them about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Baseball Cards

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Learners read a short story on baseball cards and reflect on Honus Wagner's decision to withdraw his card. In this baseball cards lesson plan, students study how children used cards in the 1930's and express their understanding of Honus...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introducing the Essay: Twain, Douglass, and American Non-Fiction

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students analyze American essayists Mark Twain and Frederick Douglass in an introduction to American literary non-fiction writing. In this essay history lesson, students identify methods for writing essays. Students read and analyze...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Enemy that Never Was

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students write speeches explaining why Japanese Canadians were not a threat to Canada during World War 2. In this Japanese Canadians lesson plan, students learn about racism, and how the Japanese were targeted but not a threat during the...

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