Looking for a rigorous, standards-aligned writing task that helps students analyze author's choices, explain meaning and theme, and argue effectiveness, all in one essay?

This Civil Rights writing assignment is designed for English I and guides students through both informative and argumentative writing in a clear, scaffolded way. Students analyze how authors use words to calm, provoke, or inspire, then evaluate which author's choices are most effective.

What’s Included:

• A complete writing task handout for students
• A clearly structured one‑essay assignment that includes:
  • Informative writing (explaining how author’s choices convey meaning or theme)
  • Argumentative writing (arguing which choices are most effective and why)

• Student‑friendly directions
• Sentence starters for both writing modes
• A detailed graphic organizer connecting:
  • Author’s Choice → Meaning/Theme → Effectiveness

This assignment is designed to pair seamlessly with my resource Informative & Argumentative Essay Rubric-Author's Choice, allowing students to apply consistent expectations from planning through final assessment. Use the two together for a cohesive, start-to-finish writing experience.