41 Our City, Our Words: Writing Poetry Celebrating Student Impressions of Their City Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 6–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students write poetry that captures their feelings about their city or town. After reading and discussing the poem "Mannahatta" about New York City, students brainstorm words and ideas for original poems.... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, Education & Training, Health Science, Human Services Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 7–10 Professional Commentary: Lessons included with this resource allow students to identify, discuss, and apply the elements, conventions, and language features of persuasive texts. The activities guide students through the concept of argument by looking at examples of argument found in daily media sources.... Career Fields: Business & Administrative Services, Health Science, Law & Public Safety, Marketing Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 43 Writing Alternative Plots for Robert C. O'Brien's Z for Zachariah Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 8–9 Professional Commentary: After reading and discussing Z for Zachariah, students apply their knowledge of cause and effect to create alternative plots for the story. First, students select a part of the story where the main character makes a critical decision and then rewrite the remaining portion of the plot based on the predicted effect of different choice.... Projects: Writing 6-12 44 Born on a Mountaintop: Davy Crockett, Tall Tales, and History Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 3–6 Professional Commentary: This resource, maintained by the National Endowment for the Humanities, uses historical documents and tall tales about Davy Crockett as the focus for a unit on American tall tales. The suggested lessons allow students to examine the characteristics of tall tales and how these tales reflect historical events.... Projects: Writing 6-12 45 Fools and Tricksters in Literature Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 4–6 Professional Commentary: Designated a promising practice, this literature-based unit uses a variety of trickster tales found in folktales and modern stories to teach story analysis and written response. This instructional unit allows students to analyze and compare stories and create their own trickster tale.... Projects: Writing 6-12 46 Spend a Day in My Shoes: Exploring the Role of Perspective in Narrative Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 8–10 Professional Commentary: In To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus explains to Scout that "You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view...until you climb into his skin and walk around in it" (36). Using this quotation as a springboard, students explore writers' use of point of view and draft original stories from someone... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, Business & Administrative Services, Marketing, General Career Skills Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 47 Swinging with the Times: Giving A Modern Slant to Favorite Children's Stories Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 8–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students examine the many changes in the Tarzan character from Edgar Rice Burroughs' first novel to Disney's newest movie version to understand how children's movies are often used to mirror and promote cultural attitudes and beliefs. Students then adapt a favorite children's story to a modern setting, updating the characters and plot to better reflect the times.... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, Information Technology, Marketing Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 48 Showing Good Taste: Writing Thoughtful Restaurant Reviews in the Language Arts Classroom Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 8–12 Professional Commentary: In this promising practice, students distinguish the important elements of well-written restaurant reviews by analyzing and evaluating reviews from The New York Times and by writing their own reviews of favorite dining locations. Students are encouraged to evaluate critical and persuasive texts as well as writing their own.... Career Fields: Hospitality & Tourism, Marketing Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 49 Newsworthy Intentions: Exploring the Risky and Edifying Dimensions of Satire Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Promising Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grades 8–12 Professional Commentary: In this lesson, students explore the legal distinction between satire and libel. Students begin by discussing their ideas about humor, then work in small groups to research a libel case.... Career Fields: Arts & Communication, Information Technology Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First 50 Revolutionary Viewpoints Resource Type: Instructional Resource -- Best Practice Discipline: English Language Arts Ohio Standards Alignment: Grade 8 Professional Commentary: Historical documents are rich resources that enable us to look at the past while learning about how we see ourselves and how we see others. April Morning by Howard Fast is the novel from which this unit is developed.... Career Fields: Information Technology, Marketing Projects: Writing 6-12, Standards First |