Systematic research, evidence evaluation, and logical reasoning skills for formal discourse. Equips speakers to organize persuasive arguments, identify fallacies, and execute strategic impact calculus during competitive engagement.
A 45-minute TELPAS-aligned lesson for 9th-10th grade ELLs exploring the legend of Dracula through sensory language, classic literature, and creative craft. Students will compare cinematic portrayals, analyze text, and build their own 'shadow bat' while practicing speaking and writing skills.
A 45-minute TELPAS-aligned lesson for 9th and 10th graders that explores the Star Wars universe through sensory language, character creation, and a hands-on puppet craft. Students practice all four language domains while navigating the light and dark sides of the Force.
A 45-minute ESOL lesson exploring the Battle of Puebla and Cinco de Mayo. Students analyze informational texts and poetry to answer essential questions about making oneself heard and the value of research, culminating in a sensory writing and speaking activity.
A high school ELA lesson focused on analyzing rhetorical strategies in personal narratives, using Sangu Delle's TED Talk to explore how vulnerability and data combine to create persuasive arguments.
A high school public speaking lesson focused on analyzing the narrative structure and persuasive techniques of Caroline Allen's TEDx talk, 'Choosing Optimism.' Students explore the Hero's Journey arc and the intersection of personal vulnerability and authoritative evidence.
A fast-paced, high-engagement practice session designed to prepare high school English learners for TELPAS speaking tasks, focusing on academic vocabulary and structured responses.
A kindergarten lesson focused on expressing opinions about various topics (food, activities, hobbies) using the five senses as supporting reasons. Students will learn how to transition from simple statements to descriptive 'because' statements.
Conception d'actions de médiation concrètes, de la mise en espace physique du CDI aux outils numériques, pour engager les élèves dans la lecture.
Exploration de l'histoire, des genres et des mutations actuelles de l'édition pour adolescents, incluant l'impact des réseaux sociaux et des nouvelles tendances éditoriales.
A 3rd-4th grade ELA lesson that explores character development and setting through play scripts and dramatic performance. Students analyze dialogue and stage directions to bring characters to life.
Students complete their final written/drawn opinion piece and celebrate their growth as 'Bridge Builders'.
Final assessment of students' ability to state an opinion and provide a reason using 'because'.
Continuing to practice building strong opinions using two logical reasons.
Introducing the idea that we can have more than one reason for an opinion.
Students share opinions about their favorite parts of the school day.
Expressing opinions about favorite books or stories read in class.
Forming opinions about weather and seasons with supporting reasons.
A formal check for understanding to see if students can use 'because' to link an opinion and a reason independently.
Developing reasons based on activities and play preferences.
Using sensory details (taste and smell) as reasons to support food opinions.
A lesson focused on the climactic Act III of '12 Angry Men', exploring the shifting dynamics of the jury, the re-examination of evidence, and the final resolution of the trial.
A Socratic seminar lesson exploring the themes of Emilia's Lament from Shakespeare's Othello in the context of arranged marriage, agency, and societal expectations. Students will analyze the text to prepare for a deep, student-led discussion.
This 30-minute lesson focuses on the rhetorical function of counterarguments and rebuttals within a high-stakes setting, specifically inspired by the play 'Twelve Angry Men'. Students move from defining terms to active role-play and personal reflection, developing empathy for alternative viewpoints.
A 30-minute lesson focused on the rhetorical strategy of qualifying claims using modifiers and counter-perspectives, specifically analyzing Juror 8's arguments in Act II of Twelve Angry Men.
A lesson that teaches students how to follow specific procedural 'directions' to build powerful and structured arguments. Students learn the 'Persuasion Protocol'—a set of rules for effective debate and logical construction.
A lesson on time management and task prioritization for middle schoolers, featuring the Eisenhower Matrix and strategies for identifying 'time-wasters' and 'productivity-boosters'.
A lesson for middle schoolers on identifying and using persuasive techniques (ethos, pathos, logos) and rhetorical strategies in advertisements and speeches.
A lesson on digital media literacy for middle schoolers, focusing on the SIFT method to evaluate online information, identify bias, and spot misinformation.
A comprehensive lesson for middle schoolers on breaking down complex, multi-step instructions using chunking, visualization, and paraphrasing strategies.
Students apply their opinion writing skills to review a class-read book, providing a rating and a written preference.
Students learn to support their opinions with a reason using the sentence starter 'I like... because...'.
Students define what an opinion is and practice identifying their own favorites through drawing and labeling.
A comprehensive review of chapters 1-20 of To Kill a Mockingbird to prepare students for the pivotal verdict in chapter 21. Includes character analysis, a timeline of events, and a detailed plot summary.
A lesson focused on Act 1 of 12 Angry Men, where students analyze initial evidence and engage in structured debates to practice evidence-based reasoning.
This lesson prepares students for the English 1 EOC exam by analyzing a poem and an informational text about nature and ecosystems. It includes test-style questions, a short constructed response, and a collaborative speaking activity.
Practicing opinion statements about colors using the word 'because' to explain why.
Applying the 'Because Bridge' to animal preferences with guided oral practice.
Introducing the 'Because Bridge' as a way to connect an opinion to a reason.
Students practice distinguishing between things they like and things they don't like as the foundation for forming opinions.
An introduction to what an opinion is and a pre-assessment of student baseline skills in expressing preferences and providing reasons.
A comprehensive overview of Unit 2: Quest for Freedom, providing alignment between the district framework, literary analysis standards, and the summative assessment.
A comprehensive overview of Unit 3: Rights and Responsibilities, aligning the curriculum framework with the "Quest for Freedom" assessment.
A comprehensive overview of Unit 4: The Impact of Societal Change, including a skill breakdown, text analysis, and alignment review between the curriculum framework and the district common assessment.
A rhetorical analysis of Frederick Douglass's 1852 speech, focusing on the use of irony and the contrast between the American promise of liberty and the reality of slavery.
A high-energy, structured debate lesson where students master the art of persuasion, logical reasoning, and respectful discourse through a competitive classroom challenge.
Helps students articulate the societal, educational, and economic impacts of their research to meet funding agency requirements.
Teaches students how to communicate complex research to multi-disciplinary panels by removing jargon and using effective analogies.
Covers the practical side of grant budgeting, including line-item creation, indirect costs, and writing persuasive budget justifications.
Focuses on writing the methodology section, outlining research designs, timelines, and feasibility, including risk assessment and backup plans.
Students learn to craft a concise problem statement that identifies a literature gap and frames research questions to demonstrate urgency and relevance.
A culminating workshop where students apply their skills in simulated final focus speeches with peer and teacher feedback.
A focus on the technical vocabulary of weighing, teaching students to use precise terminology like 'prerequisite' and 'short-circuit' to win impact comparisons.
Students adopt the perspective of an adjudicator to learn how to package their winning arguments into a coherent, persuasive narrative.
Students explore the high-risk strategy of turning an opponent's impact into a benefit for their own side or a disadvantage for the opponent.
Students learn to use layered argumentation to hedge their bets, arguing why they win both on the primary clash and even if their opponent's premise is granted.
Students deliver a polished 'Final Focus' speech, synthesizing impacts and dictating the weighing mechanism for a hypothetical debate round. They focus on rhetoric, word economy, and auditory clarity.
Students pre-write 'comparison blocks' for common debate impacts (e.g., Economy vs. Environment, Rights vs. Security). These modular speech components are refined for maximum persuasion and memorized for quick retrieval.
Students learn to use 'signposts' (verbal markers) to help the judge track the weighing process. They practice transitions like 'The first place to vote is...' and 'Prefer our probability analysis because...' to create a clean auditory roadmap.
Focuses on adapting complex impact calculus for lay audiences by translating jargon into relatable analogies and common language.
Focuses on the availability heuristic and how descriptive imagery creates mental anchors that make impacts feel more probable.
Analyzes linguistic techniques to create a sense of urgency and immediacy, making distant threats feel like 'now or never' scenarios.
Teaches students to convert statistical impact data into compelling human narratives that resonate emotionally with audiences.
Explores why large-scale statistics often fail to move audiences and how the 'identifiable victim effect' can be used to overcome psychic numbing.
Students master the art of conciseness by editing their impact scenarios for maximum verbal efficiency. They learn to remove filler words and use high-impact verbs to fit complex arguments into tight speech time constraints.
Students transform dry academic data into compelling 'impact scenarios' using sensory details and emotive language to make abstract impacts feel tangible and human.
A high-energy lesson that teaches 9th-grade students the art of structured debate, focusing on evidence-based reasoning, respectful discourse, and persuasive public speaking.
A high-school level exploration of how to use qualifiers and modifiers to create nuanced arguments, using Juror 8's rhetoric in 12 Angry Men as a primary case study. Students learn to move beyond absolute claims to build more persuasive, credible arguments.
This lesson focuses on analyzing how authors use evidence and counter-arguments to build credibility, using the Khan Academy video on the Moon Landing as a central case study. Students will explore the concepts of skepticism, independent verification, and the three pillars of argument (Claim, Evidence, Reasoning).
A lesson for 8th-grade ELA and Debate students focused on evaluating evidence quality, distinguishing between counter-arguments, weak evidence, and strong data-driven support.
In this culminating seminar, students present a formal critique of a foundational text in their field, assessing the durability of its claims against modern evidence. They must defend their critique against peer questioning, demonstrating mastery of evidentiary evaluation.
Students investigate the ethics of contextualizing evidence, looking at how selective quoting or ignoring conflicting data constitutes academic dishonesty. The lesson involves auditing a literature review to verify if the cited sources actually support the claims made.
Moving beyond basic fallacies, students analyze high-level rhetoric for subtle errors such as ecological fallacies, p-hacking in narratives, and the confusion of correlation with causation in policy proposals. The focus is on how sophisticated language can mask weak evidentiary links.
This lesson examines how different disciplines define 'valid evidence' (e.g., quantitative data vs. qualitative ethnography). Students compare methodologies to understand how epistemological stances dictate which data is included or excluded in a central argument.
Students apply the Toulmin method (claim, data, warrant, backing, counter-argument, qualifier) to analyze a dense academic article in their field. They will map the argument's architecture to identify implicit assumptions and the strength of the warrants connecting data to claims.
In this culminating simulation, students present oral arguments on a fictional constitutional issue. They must rely exclusively on analogical reasoning and case precedent to persuade a panel of judges. Feedback focuses on the tight application of the analogy rather than rhetorical flair.
Moving to public policy, students use analogical reasoning to advocate for solutions by comparing current problems to successful historical or international examples. Teams research a policy issue (e.g., healthcare, transit) and build an argument based on a successful model from another country. Peer review focuses on the validity of the transfer.
Students focus on the 'False Analogy' fallacy, learning to identify when a comparison breaks down. The lesson emphasizes the difference between literal and figurative analogies in argumentation. Students workshop their own analogies to strengthen them against counter-arguments.
This lesson focuses on how analogical reasoning functions in the legal system through the doctrine of precedent. Students review case summaries to see how judges distinguish or apply previous rulings to new fact patterns. Small groups act as clerks, writing memos on whether a new case is analogous to a landmark ruling.
Students explore the structural components of analogical arguments (Target, Source, and Mapping) and apply evaluative criteria to assess their strength. The lesson uses famous philosophical and historical analogies to practice identifying relevant similarities and significant dissimilarities.
Students engage in a Socratic seminar to dismantle common stereotypes and propose nuanced, evidence-based arguments.
Students practice the bottom-up writing strategy by synthesizing specific facts into defensible, non-overstated concluding generalizations.
Students rank sets of evidence from anecdotal to data-driven to determine which conclusions are the most trustworthy.
Students identify absolute words like 'always' and 'never' that signal overgeneralizations and practice revising them with qualifiers.
Students categorize statements as specific details or general rules, using a table metaphor to understand how facts support broad claims.
A comprehensive overview of Unit 1: Building a Democracy, providing alignment between the district framework, literary analysis of colonial narratives, and the summative assessment of founding documents.
A lesson focused on sequencing story events using the book 'Olympig' by Victoria Jamieson, designed to support listening comprehension and TELPAS preparation.
A 30-minute intensive analysis of Frederick Douglass's use of evidence in 'What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?', focusing on Paragraph 7 to meet English 3 TEKS 7.Eii requirements.
Students present their findings to the class, engage in collaborative discussions, and reflect on how historical context deepens their understanding of the memoir.
Students organize their research into a presentation structure, focusing on content development and the synthesis of historical facts with Elie Wiesel's personal narrative.
Students select a research topic (liberation, camps, or marches), begin gathering historical data, and find textual connections to the memoir Night.
A creative writing and geography lesson where students act as travel agents, using facts from a video to create persuasive tri-fold brochures for European islands.
A middle school ELA/Debate lesson focused on analyzing the argument structure of a video about climate change and writing a persuasive rebuttal against 'climate doomism' using scientific evidence and rhetorical strategies.
A detective-themed lesson for 5th graders to distinguish between anecdotal evidence (personal stories) and solid evidence (verified facts/photos) using a real-world mystery scenario.
A 6th-grade lesson on distinguishing between anecdotal and solid evidence to build persuasive arguments. Students analyze a video case study, evaluate evidence types, and write a courtroom-style closing argument for a fictional 'crime.'
Students step into the shoes of legal investigators to analyze how evidence strengthens or weakens a written thesis, culminating in a courtroom-style peer critique activity.
This lesson explores the sociological and literary concept of 'The White Gaze' through Toni Morrison's debut novel, 'The Bluest Eye'. Students will analyze the impact of internalized beauty standards on marginalized communities and discuss how Morrison's career challenged traditional literary canons.
Students investigate the power of storytelling by engaging in a formal debate centered on the 'Silencer's' philosophy. They analyze literature as 'windows and mirrors' to argue whether stories are vital tools for empathy or mere distractions from real-world issues.
Students will transition from story dreaming to story planning by articulating their narrative ideas aloud. Through peer interviews and feedback, they will identify and bridge 'clarity gaps' in their novel plans.
Students will learn to distinguish between valid inferences and wild guesses by acting as 'Lawyers' and 'Judges' in a classroom Evidence Court, using text clues and schema to support their claims.
Students investigate the concept of limited perspective and the unreliable narrator through a modern lens, using a text-messaging conflict to bridge the gap between digital communication and literary analysis. They will evaluate how bias shapes narrative and participate in a Socratic Seminar to deepen their understanding of point of view.
A lesson where students master tag questions, direct address, and yes/no commas through a 'Detective Interview' role-play activity. Students analyze how tag questions shift tone and influence persuasive speech.
Students participate in a Socratic Seminar where they must rely on their annotations to drive the dialogue, followed by a reflection on the utility of their notes.
Students curate their best annotations into 'discussion clusters' to prepare for evidence-based oral participation in a Socratic Seminar.
Students learn to synthesize information by connecting recurring motifs and contradictions across a text using visual mapping and 'backward and forward' annotation.
Students use specific annotation codes to identify rhetorical strategies and bias in persuasive texts, visualizing the construction of an argument.
Students transition from passive summarization to active interrogation by learning to write probing questions in the margins that challenge the author's choices.
Students synthesize all evidence to solve a final mystery, presenting their 'Case Report' to a jury of peers.
Students evaluate the reliability of narrators and identify red herrings, learning to question the validity of text evidence.
Using a mystery narrative, students practice monitoring their comprehension by revising predictions as new evidence is introduced.
Students use the STEAL method to build psychological profiles of characters, inferring traits from indirect clues like dialogue and actions.
Students analyze visual 'crime scenes' to practice the fundamental shift from observation to inference, categorizing evidence as circumstantial or direct.
A fast-paced, 10-15 minute video-based introduction to Macbeth, using white board responses to track student thinking on whether Macbeth deserves the throne.
A high-energy lesson where 9th-grade students learn the art of structured argumentation and public speaking through a competitive yet respectful debate format.
Students explore the power of counterarguments and alternative perspectives through the lens of juror deliberations, focusing on identifying and rebutting opposing views to build empathy and stronger arguments.
Students step into the shoes of engineer Joseph Strauss to convince San Francisco officials to build the 'impossible' Golden Gate Bridge. They will analyze historical opposition, develop counter-arguments, and deliver a persuasive 'pitch' using historical evidence from the Great Depression era.
A high-energy debate lesson where students learn to weaponize text evidence and avoid 'vibes-based' arguments using a Khan Academy model. Students practice finding evidence for opposing sides within the same text and engage in rapid-fire mini-debates.
A lesson focused on identifying the 'terms of debate' and learning how to reframe an argument to shift the ground of a discussion. Students will analyze a soda tax debate and practice reframing standard school-based topics.
Students learn to analyze historical arguments by identifying how authors incorporate and dismantle opposing viewpoints using the 'Wing Chun' metaphor of blocking and striking. The lesson uses the disappearance of the Roanoke Colony as a primary case study.
Students learn to identify counter-arguments and craft effective rebuttals using the 'Block and Strike' metaphor from Wing Chun. The lesson uses a Khan Academy video and a hands-on writing activity to master persuasive redirection.
A lesson where students learn to use transition words to signal counter-arguments and rebuttals using the 'Wing Chun' (block and strike) metaphor. Includes a video analysis of historical mysteries and a collaborative sentence-scrambling activity.
A 5th-grade literacy lesson exploring the concept of text evidence through the debate of botanical vs. culinary definitions of fruits and vegetables. Students analyze a Supreme Court case and apply their skills to other 'mystery' foods.
A 9th-grade grammar lesson where students act as legal teams to debate the conflict between prescriptive grammar rules and descriptive usage, focusing on indefinite pronouns and the 'singular they.'
This lesson explores the history and utility of style guides in journalism, focusing on the evolution of pronouns. Students analyze the transition from 'generic he' to 'singular they' and collaborate to draft a formal style policy for their own publication.
A dynamic lesson for 8th graders on the power of counter-arguments, featuring role-play, video analysis of the 'Shopping Cart Theory', and a 'Counter-Argument Karate' pivot activity.
Students learn to strengthen their arguments by anticipating and addressing counterarguments before they are even raised. Using a relatable video analysis of a teen negotiating for a new phone, students practice the 'preemptive strike' technique using a specific 'Even though...' sentence structure.
A culminating activity where students draft, illustrate, and share a complete opinion sentence with a reason.
Students compare two options (e.g., dogs vs. cats) and state their preference with a supporting reason.
The core of the unit where students introduce the word 'because' to connect their opinion to a supporting reason.
Students practice stating their personal preferences for familiar topics and begin to use 'I like' or 'I think' sentence starters.
Students learn to distinguish between facts (things that are true for everyone) and opinions (how someone feels or thinks about something).
Students explore the ethical debate surrounding DNA databases and the Federal DNA Identification Act of 1994, concluding with an argumentative speech written from the perspective of a U.S. Senator.
A high school ELA/Rhetoric lesson focused on the ethics of language. Students critique the use of hyperbole and historical terms in modern discourse, culminating in an 'Open Letter' writing workshop inspired by John Green's critique of the word 'slave.'
Students analyze the rhetorical strategies and definitions of decolonization within the Land Back movement, focusing on a Crash Course Native American History video. The lesson explores how different stakeholders (activists, historians, and the state) use language to define sovereignty, violence, and restorative justice.
This lesson transforms students into 'Propaganda Detectives' to identify and analyze persuasive techniques in media. Students will learn common propaganda devices like bandwagon, testimonials, and glittering generalities to enhance their media literacy and critical thinking skills.
Synthesizes the unit's learning with a focus on Marji's ultimate transformation and the preparation for a final analytical project.
Explores the central themes of resistance and loss of innocence as the conflict in Iran intensifies and Marji navigates her adolescent rebellion.
An in-depth look at the artistic techniques Satrapi uses to convey emotion and theme, including shading, symbolism, and panel composition.
Focuses on the early character development of Marji, examining her shifting perspective on religion, social class, and her family's political activism.
Introduces students to the historical context of the Iranian Revolution and the fundamentals of visual literacy in graphic novels. Students will learn to 'read' panels, gutters, and artistic choices.
A persuasive writing lesson for 3rd graders focused on the economic debate surrounding the US penny, featuring video analysis and a classroom debate.
A journalism lesson for high school students focused on establishing editorial consistency. Students debate the 'Less vs. Fewer' rule using historical and linguistic evidence to create a formal style policy for their school publication.
Students evaluate the ethical responsibilities of journalists through the lens of literary journalism, focusing on the tension between narrative style and factual accuracy. They will analyze real-world scenarios, debate ethical dilemmas, and develop a personal 'Code of Ethics' for a school publication.
