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Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 8: Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Joseph Bruchac's Code Talker tells the remarkable story of Navajo Marines' role in battles of the Pacific Theater during World War II. As scholars read the novel, they also engage in activities that expand their knowledge of Navajo...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 7: Anne Frank’s Tales from the Secret Annex Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Frequently banned, often challenged, a mainstay of middle school curriculum, Tales from the Secret Annex, is the featured text in the seventh unit in the Teacher Guide Core Knowledge Program. The 134-page guide includes an introduction,...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 6: The Genius of the Harlem Renaissance Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Introduce your seventh graders to the Harlem Renaissance with a unit that explores this dynamic period's music, literature, and ideas. The 160-page guide includes a unit calendar, an introduction to the unit, 10 richly detailed lessons...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 5: Realms of Gold - Vol. 2 Poetry and Short Stories Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Seventh graders have a golden opportunity to learn how to read poems and short stories with a unit that introduces them to the techniques writers use to craft their works. They examine poems by William Carlos Williams and Edgar Allen Poe...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 4: The Time Machine by H. G. Wells Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Lead your readers into the fourth dimension as time travelers with a Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) Teacher Guide of H. G. Wells's The Time Machine. The 144-page guide includes a unit calendar, introduction, nine lessons, teacher...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 2: The Tempest by William Shakespeare Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Massive storms, shipwrecks, survivors stranded on an island ruled by an aging magician, and strange creatures—Shakespeare's The Tempest appeals to today's middle schoolers. For this unit, seventh graders read selections from an adapted...
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Unit Plan
1
1
Core Knowledge Foundation

Unit 1: Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th Standards
Erin Entrada Kelly's award-winning novel, Hello, Universe is the anchor text in this 236-page teacher guide. The guide includes introductions to the Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) program and the unit, a unit calendar, 12 lessons...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Research Task: Comparing and Contrasting Texts

For Teachers 7th Standards
It's the half-way mark! Pupils demonstrate understanding of unit standards by completing a mid-unit assessment. After reading an informational article about water management strategies, scholars complete a graphic organizer to identify...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Paraphrasing and Evaluating Sources: Pages 112–116 of The Big Thirst

For Teachers 7th Standards
Agriculture and water—it's a fine balance. So how exactly do industry and agriculture currently manage water? Pupils consider the question as they continue reading excerpts from Charles Fishman's The Big Thirst and adding notes to their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment, Part II: Research Task: Comparing and Contrasting Texts

For Teachers 7th Standards
When it comes to comparing texts, it's apples to oranges. As part two of the mid-unit assessment, learners compare and contrast two texts about the Internet and brain health. While reading, scholars use a Venn diagram to compare two...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Evaluating Sources, Continued: The ONLINE EDUCA Debate 2009 (Part 2 of 10)

For Teachers 7th Standards
Watching videos and playing online games can be educational, but too much screen time has its drawbacks. Pupils watch a video about the topic and write down the claim, reasons, and evidence in support of reduced screen time for children....
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Douglass’s Purpose

For Teachers 7th Standards
Class members continue analyzing text excerpts from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. They read and draw conclusions to determine Douglass's view on slavery. Learners finish by discussing with partners how the excerpts connect...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Introducing the Process for Close Reading: Meeting Frederick Douglass

For Teachers 7th Standards
To learn more about Frederick Douglass, class members complete close reads of excerpts from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. They complete a close reading guide and questions for each excerpt. Pupils then add to the...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Understanding Douglass’s Words: An Escape Attempt

For Teachers 7th Standards
Make a match! Scholars play a matching game after looking at excerpt five from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. Learners match types of figurative language with example sentences, and add to their powerful language word wall...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Bringing Douglass’s Words to Life: The Fight with Covey

For Teachers 7th Standards
Readers have the opportunity to bring the words from an excerpt of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass to life. They use strategies from the Storyteller’s Toolbox anchor chart as a guide and then work in pairs to prepare their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Understanding Douglass’s Words: Learning to Read

For Teachers 7th Standards
How is a sentence like the human body? Scholars think about the comparison as they view an image of the human anatomy and begin to complete an Anatomy of a Sentence anchor chart. They review roots, prefixes, and suffixes and then begin...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Douglass’s Purpose in Excerpt 2

For Teachers 7th Standards
Learners revisit Plantation Life to focus on Douglass's purpose and choices he made for writing the text. They complete text-dependent questions, an analysis note catcher, and finalize their thoughts by sharing out with the class.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading Excerpt 2: Plantation Life

For Teachers 7th Standards
Time for a good old fashioned match game! Readers complete an initial, second, and third read of Plantation Life to gain a deep understanding. After close reading the text, scholars practice identifying paraphrasing by matching sentences...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit Assessment: Analyzing an Informational Text

For Teachers 7th Standards
Scholars wrap up the unit by taking an assessment and reading the informational text "You Trouble" by Justin O'Neill. As they read, they answer multiple-choice questions and complete charts to analyze the main idea and supporting details...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading: Excerpt 5 of “The Digital Revolution and the Adolescent Brain Evolution”

For Teachers 7th Standards
Class members consider how technology affects social interactions as they continue reading an article about the digital revolution and adolescent brain development. Then, working in pairs, scholars answer text-dependent questions and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading: Excerpt 3 of “The Digital Revolution and the Adolescent Brain Evolution”

For Teachers 7th Standards
It's time to level up and discover how video games affect the brain. Pupils explore the topic as they continue reading excerpts from an article about adolescent brain development and the digital revolution. Scholars also participate in a...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading: Excerpt 2 of “The Digital Revolution and the Adolescent Brain Evolution”

For Teachers 7th Standards
Help scholars comprehend a challenging text. Using the resource, pupils read excerpts from an article about the digital revolution and adolescent brain development. As they read, they answer text-dependent questions and complete a close...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Identifying Main Ideas and Supporting Details: What’s Going On in the Teenage Brain?

For Teachers 7th Standards
What's going on in the teen brain? Pupils consider the question as they continue reading an informational article about the topic. While reading, they use a Thinking Log worksheet and an anchor chart to track their understanding of...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit Assessment, Part 2: Revise Essay Drafts

For Teachers 7th Standards
And now for the grand finale! Scholars prepare their final Pygmalion end-of-unit essays. Learners participate in a brief mini lesson about correcting errors and then begin revising their own argumentative essays.