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 middle school media literacy unit that turns students into 'Propaganda Detectives.' Students learn to identify persuasive techniques and logical fallacies in modern media, culminating in a creative project to redesign famous ads with 'honest' messaging.
Une série de ressources pour organiser et promouvoir une table ronde sur la littérature romance pour adolescents, incluant programme, guide de discussion et supports de communication.
A deep dive into the art of communication, focusing on how we send, receive, and analyze spoken messages through various lenses of rhetoric and listening.
A comprehensive 5-day introductory unit on speech and debate, covering public speaking, argumentation, logic, research, and competitive formats.
A series of lessons focused on mastering the art of persuasion and argumentative writing, from building claims to defending them against opposition.
A comprehensive year-long intervention sequence for 8th-grade literacy, focusing on STAR 360 and OSAS benchmark skills. The sequence follows a 3-day weekly instructional cycle (Instruction, Practice, Application) to supplement 2 days of choice reading.
A middle school curriculum unit focused on critical thinking, information literacy, and strategic task management across digital and physical media.
A lesson sequence focused on mastering the three rhetorical appeals (Ethos, Logos, and Pathos) through video analysis and a simulated school debate.
This inquiry-based sequence explores how character development reveals an author's theme. Students track a protagonist's journey through conflicts and choices to formulate and debate universal truths.
This sequence moves to a higher level of analysis, asking students to compare and contrast how different poetic forms handle similar themes. Using a discussion and case-study approach, students examine 'Free Verse' versus 'Formal Verse' to understand the intentional choices poets make. The arc focuses on critical thinking, debate, and the synthesis of the elements learned in previous sequences.
Students investigate how authors build persuasive arguments in nonfiction texts. They learn to trace claims, distinguish between facts and opinions, evaluate the sufficiency of evidence, and detect bias to determine the credibility of a text.
A comprehensive 6th-grade ELA unit focused on identifying, tracking, and discussing universal themes in literature. Students move from defining thematic statements to participating in high-level Socratic seminars, using 'The Giver' as a primary text.
An 8th-grade ELA sequence where students act as literary investigators to uncover deep meanings in a novel study, progressing from understanding topics to formulating thematic statements and identifying symbols and motifs.
This sequence connects 6th grade vocabulary standards with science, social studies, and math by using analogies as cognitive tools. Students analyze complex systems and historical events through structural comparisons, culminating in an original analogy-based concept map project.
An inquiry-based exploration of active and passive voice through the lens of media literacy, political accountability, and historical agency for 8th-grade students. Students investigate how grammatical choices influence public perception and the ethics of linguistic transparency.
This sequence explores the rhetorical power of active and passive voice across various genres, including journalism, science, creative writing, and political discourse. Students move beyond basic mechanics to analyze how sentence structure influences accountability, objectivity, and suspense.
A comprehensive introduction to the art of persuasion, focusing on rhetorical appeals and crafting compelling arguments for middle school students.
A comprehensive 8th-grade grammar sequence focusing on mixed conditionals, the subjunctive mood, and inverted conditionals through the lens of history, policy, and formal debate. Students master hypothetical language to enhance their persuasive and academic writing.
A comprehensive sequence for 6th Grade students to explore the emotional weight and implied meaning of words. Students move from basic definitions to analyzing bias in media and refining their own writing for specific impact.
A project-based 8th-grade ELA unit where students research, script, and produce multimedia guides to logical fallacies, culminating in a 'Museum of Bad Arguments' showcase. Students move from analyzing fallacies in pop culture to creating their own dramatized examples to teach peers.
A comprehensive ELA unit for 8th grade students comparing Byron Graves' novel 'Rez Ball' with its film adaptation. The unit uses a 'Basketball Playbook' theme to explore character development, plot structure, and the consequences of fame and choice.
A comprehensive English Language Arts unit that uses a mystery-investigation theme to develop reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills. Students act as detectives to analyze evidence, interview witnesses, and present their final case.
A lesson sequence exploring the concept of Standard American English as a versatile tool for communication, emphasizing that language varies by context and that all dialects are valid. Students analyze the 'car analogy' from Khan Academy to distinguish between fundamental grammar rules and social conventions.
A debate and communication sequence focused on teaching middle schoolers how to build persuasive arguments through creative performance and structured analysis.
A lesson sequence exploring the intersection of civic duty, social contracts, and rhetorical analysis through the lens of the 'Shopping Cart Theory'. Students analyze a structured argument and participate in a Socratic Seminar.
This sequence focuses on using text structure graphic organizers as blueprints for argumentative writing. Students transition from analyzing model essays to building their own logically structured arguments, including counter-claims and refutations, using visual tools.
A comparative literature sequence for 7th grade students exploring how universal themes are expressed across different genres and cultures, from folklore to modern multimedia.
This 8th-grade sequence explores the depth of figurative language and imagery in poetry. Students move from understanding word connotations to deconstructing extended metaphors, analyzing personification, and interpreting complex symbols in a Socratic Seminar setting.
This immersive sequence focuses on the auditory experience of poetry, emphasizing that poems are meant to be heard. Students investigate sound devices like onomatopoeia, alliteration, and consonance to understand how sound creates mood and prepares them for oral performance.
This sequence immerses students in the technical mechanics of cross-examination, moving from the fundamentals of question construction to advanced logical dismantling. Students learn to formulate tight, leading questions, identify logical fallacies, and maintain poise under pressure.
A 3-day research unit focused on the historical context of Night by Elie Wiesel, specifically covering liberation, concentration camps, and death marches, concluding with student presentations.
A forensic-themed reading comprehension unit where students act as investigators to master predictions and inferences. Through case studies and evidence tracking, students learn to bridge literal text with deep narrative meaning.
A project-based unit where students investigate how the setting of a novel (historical and geographical) acts as a crucial force in the story, culminating in the creation of a 'World Guide' presentation.
This inquiry-driven sequence focuses on etymology as a reference skill, teaching students to trace word origins to understand language evolution and historical context. Students move from decoding individual roots to analyzing how historical events shape the English lexicon, culminating in a 'word biography' project.
This sequence explores the creative and literary side of homophones and homonyms through puns, riddles, and advertising. Students move from deconstructing humor to creating their own intentional wordplay, culminating in a showcase of their comedic and creative linguistic skills.
A comprehensive unit on the subjunctive mood, focusing on formal suggestions, demands, and wishes in high-level academic and professional communication. Students engage in simulations and formal writing to master complex grammatical structures.
A project-based sequence for 8th-grade students focusing on the power of linguistic precision in persuasive writing and speaking. Students move from critiquing vague language to mastering advanced vocabulary, transitions, and rhetorical strategies to build compelling arguments.
Students become linguistic historians, investigating the etymology, cultural origins, and evolution of advanced English vocabulary through research and creative projects.
An 8th-grade ELA sequence where students act as linguistic engineers, exploring etymology and morphology to construct original neologisms for modern concepts. Students move from analyzing current linguistic trends to designing, defining, and pitching their own invented terms.
A project-based ELA sequence where 6th-grade students analyze the morphology of English, use affixes to create neologisms, and pitch inventions named using linguistic rules.
A series of lessons focused on mastering argumentative writing through immersive, game-based activities and role-playing scenarios.
A comprehensive 8th-grade ELA sequence where students act as fact-checkers and jurors to evaluate the validity of nonfiction claims and the strength of supporting evidence through a simulation-based approach.
This sequence immerses students in the high-stakes environment of cross-examination, moving them beyond prepared speeches to dynamic intellectual interaction. Students learn to identify logical fallacies, structure leading questions, use the funnel technique, and defend their own positions under pressure.
A middle school ELA unit focusing on the social impact of logical fallacies. Students analyze digital discourse, learn to identify 'whataboutism', practice Socratic discussion, and develop strategies for 'steel-manning' arguments to foster healthier community conversations.
This sequence teaches 8th-grade students the art of Cross-Examination (CX) in competitive debate. It covers strategic questioning, open vs. closed inquiry, building logical traps, defensive answering techniques, and synthesizing CX admissions into rebuttal speeches.
A comprehensive unit on Cross-Examination for middle school debaters, focusing on strategic questioning, rhetorical control, and integrating admissions into rebuttal speeches. Students move from understanding the purpose of questioning to executing complex 'question traps' in high-pressure simulations.
A two-part lesson sequence for advanced 8th-grade students focused on analyzing Elie Wiesel's tone in 'Night' and developing high-level questions for a Socratic Seminar on identity and oppression.
A project-based unit where 6th-grade students deconstruct the architecture of storytelling. Students analyze how plot structure, pacing, and tension drive narrative engagement through the lens of a novel study.
An interdisciplinary ELA/STEM sequence exploring analogies through the lens of cause-and-effect, systems, sequences, and technical diagnosis. Students learn to map complex relationships in scientific and technical contexts.
A comprehensive unit for 8th-grade students on identifying and analyzing common logical fallacies. Students progress from basic logical structures to specific fallacies like ad hominem, straw man, and slippery slope, culminating in a full-text analysis assessment.
A middle school ELA sequence focused on identifying and deconstructing logical fallacies in modern media, culminating in a critical analysis project. Students learn to distinguish between ethical persuasion and manipulative tactics like False Authority, False Dilemmas, and Straw Man arguments.
A workshop-style series designed to help 7th grade students strengthen their persuasive writing and speaking by identifying and eliminating logical fallacies. Students learn the Claim-Evidence-Warrant model and focus on avoiding Hasty Generalizations, Red Herrings, and Circular Reasoning.
This 8th-grade sequence focuses on identifying and neutralizing logical fallacies in debate. Students progress from basic identification to strategic exploitation and defense, using a gamified approach to master critical listening and logical agility.
This sequence synthesizes refutation, weighing, and listening into short-form 'Spar' debates. Students learn to prioritize arguments, extend logic, and judge peer performances to build adaptability and engagement skills under strict time constraints.
A 7th-grade unit focused on evaluating the quality and use of research in real-world contexts, from advertisements to speeches. Students learn to distinguish between emotional manipulation and logical proof while developing critical analysis skills.
Students learn to research, synthesize, and organize evidence into a structured debate brief, moving from broad curiosity to targeted logical arguments.
Students move beyond finding sources to organizing scattered information into a structured debate brief. They learn to categorize evidence, rank its strength, and group facts into cohesive reasons to build a powerful argument.
A game-based sequence that trains 8th-grade students to identify and counter logical fallacies in real-time. Students move from analyzing transcripts to participating in high-speed 'Logic Gauntlet' debates where fallacy detection is the key to winning.
This sequence teaches 6th-grade students how to construct strong, debatable argumentative claims. Students move from identifying facts and opinions to crafting authoritative thesis statements with reasoning, ultimately testing their arguments through a town hall simulation and counter-claim analysis.
A comprehensive sequence for 8th-grade debaters focusing on 'flowing'—the specialized note-taking method used to track arguments. Students learn to organize information spatially, use shorthand symbols, track clashes with arrows, and execute systematic line-by-line refutations.
A comprehensive 8th-grade debate sequence focused on the art of 'impact calculus.' Students move from identifying terminal impacts to mastering advanced weighing mechanisms like Magnitude, Probability, Timeframe, and Reversibility, culminating in the ability to deliver powerful crystallization speeches.
A 5-lesson sequence for 7th-grade students on identifying and challenging logical fallacies in debate. Students move from understanding argument structure (Toulmin) to identifying common fallacies, evaluating evidence, and executing 'turns' to win clashes.
A comprehensive sequence for 7th-grade students on the 'Four-Step Refutation' model. Students learn to active listen, summarize opposing claims, and construct structured counter-arguments using the 'They Say, But I Say, Because, Therefore' framework.
Students explore how text structure influences meaning and authorial intent by analyzing multiple texts on the Great Chicago Fire. Each lesson focuses on a different organizational pattern (chronology, problem-solution, cause-effect, and description) to understand how structure shapes the reader's perspective.
This sequence focuses on the critical thinking skills required to analyze conflicting information and differing perspectives within informational texts. Students progress from identifying bias and tone to evaluating evidence credibility and synthesizing multiple viewpoints into balanced accounts.
A 6th-grade ELA sequence focused on media literacy and critical reading, where students analyze how different perspectives and presentation styles shape nonfiction accounts of the same event.
A comprehensive sequence for 8th-grade students to master the art of detecting media bias and evaluating information credibility. Students move from identifying basic bias to deconstructing rhetorical choices, uncovering omitted information, and verifying expert authority.
This 8th-grade ELA sequence guides students through the inquiry-based process of transforming a broad research topic into a nuanced, evidence-backed thesis statement. Students progress from initial curiosity to structured inquiry, learning that a thesis is the final destination of a research journey, not just a starting point.
This 7th-grade sequence explores the evolution of pronouns, focusing on the historical use of the generic 'he,' the transition to 'he or she,' and the modern adoption of the singular 'they.' Students learn to balance grammatical precision with inclusive language through strategies like pluralizing antecedents and navigating various academic style guides.
A comprehensive sequence teaching 8th-grade students the technical and ethical skills required to construct professional debate briefs, from card cutting to logical categorization.
A project-based sequence where 6th-grade students learn to deconstruct debate resolutions, conduct multi-layered research, and synthesize diverse sources into cohesive arguments. Students progress from initial topic analysis to defending their findings before a peer panel.
This sequence guides 6th-grade students through the process of identifying, categorizing, and evaluating evidence for debate. Students progress from distinguishing facts from opinions to masterfully ranking the quality of evidence based on authority, relevance, and recency.
A sequence for 6th-grade students focused on transforming raw research into organized debate briefs using the 'Tag and Cite' method and the SEP categorization framework. Students learn to structure arguments through the Claim-Warrant-Data-Impact model and practice rapid information retrieval.
Students move from gathering raw data to organizing it into a professional debate brief structure. This unit emphasizes logical hierarchy, linking claims to warrants and data, and preparing for formal debate through structured research.
