Fourth graders identify a problem and write a persuasive essay to the appropriate audience, to correct the problem. They demonstrate effective decision making based on positive self-worth. Students need to write a paragraph about their...

Students explore the impact of the Plessy v. Ferguson case. In this social justice lesson, students examine the case, Jim Crow laws, and non-violent forms of protest. Students write essays to persuade the government regarding unjust laws.

Class members create a PowerPoint presentation showing artifacts they would include in a time capsule. The artifacts and explanations reflect personal hobbies, grooming choices, school life, etc. A great way for class members to...

Young scholars create a multimedia presentation. They will complete a verbal versus non-verbal communication chart to create a multimedia presentation which will include the different types of communication strategies. Then answer a...

What a terrific presentation! It takes learners through a step-by-step explanation to create a new type of chocolate bar, advertise the product, and design a presentation. This is a creative way to get your class writing and thinking...

Examine three speeches while teaching Aristotle's appeals. Over the course of three days, class members fill out a graphic organizer about ethos, pathos, and logos, complete an anticipatory guide, read speeches by Martin Luther King Jr.,...

Use primary text documents to learn word roots. Learners listen to a reading of the Declaration of Independence and highlight words they don't know. They compile these words and guess their meanings. They discuss roots, prefixes,...

Sixth graders keep track of the amount of paper they consume on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The goal of the lesson is to have them all find ways to reduce the amount they use. Everyone creates recycled paper from old newspapers...

Poetry is all about sound and rhythm. The sound of the words, the rhythm of the lines, and the emotional atmosphere created by these elements and the literary devices poets use, compress whole stories into a few stanzas. The specialized...

Students review John Lawson's writings to discover the impact they had on emigration to America. Using the writings, they analyze the influence of them and review the early settlement of the colonies. They write their own essay sharing...

In this vocabulary and word study learning exercise, students explore the use of vivid words as they complete 11 fill in the blank questions. Students may also complete the challenge question at the bottom of the sheet.

In groups, learners design sets for the play, "Shakespeare Stealer." They sketch a scale model of a set and present it to the teacher, who will choose which group gets to design the entire set. 

Plan on using Gone with the Wind as a reading selection? Here's a packet of prompts for activities and assessments.

Fifth graders determine the meaning of author's purpose. In this author's purpose lesson, 5th graders apply the PIE (persuade, inform, entertain) strategy to determine why an author wrote a piece of writing. They examine passages and...

Students compare the journey of Lewis and Clark with the space flight of Apollo 11. Students sequence events using a timeline. Students write a persuasive essay trying to persuade the people of the US to support space exploration.

Fifth graders write persuasive letters expressing opinions about the purchase of 25 acres adjacent to Wakulla Springs proposed to include a convenience store/gas station. They submit the letter to the Florida Department of Environmental...

Students write a proposal. In this public land lesson, students discuss the difference between private and public property and brainstorm what problems might occur if a citizen changed public property. Students work in groups to write a...

Sixth graders compose a list of classroom cultural values. They begin with a list of unacceptable behaviors. Each student presents two ideas they think should be part of the class culture. Students try to persuade classmates to accept...

Students describe and discuss reasons that slaves were treated with indignity. While reading passages from the author Olaudah Equiano, students stop periodically to discuss major points about The Middle Passage. They investigate...

Students create an advertising campaign to persuade the Founding Fathers to adopt a particular political philosophy. Working in groups, they conduct research about a certain political philosophy. Students create a pitch to be made to...

In this instructional activity on determining the purpose of writing, students read 3 short paragraphs and choose whether they were written to persuade, inform or entertain.

Students write a persuasive argument to their principal to take their class trip to a destination of their choice. They must transfer the written argument into a website. They also focus on what it takes to plan a trip.

Students examine the characteristics of persuasive writing. They identify arguments, supporting details, and discuss how to reorganize and present information in more effective ways. Students compose their own essays and discuss their...

Young scholars write a persuasive essay. In this persuasive writing lesson, students argue either for or against RFID technology. Young scholars research RFID both as a class and individually, and follow paragraph-by-paragraph...