+
Unit Plan
American Press Institute

Introductory News Literacy

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Aspiring journalists learn about media literacy, journalism, and the press. Units come complete with handouts, assignment rubrics, notes, and extension suggestions. Each unit also comes with a list of vocabulary words and learning...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

Magical Musical Tour: Using Lyrics to Teach Literary Elements

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Language arts learners don't need a lecture about poetry; they listen to poetry every day on the radio! Apply skills from literary analysis to famous songs and beautiful lyrics with a lesson about literary devices. As class...
+
Lesson Plan
MENSA Education & Research Foundation

It’s Greek to Me: Greek Mythology

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's no myth: this packet on Greek mythology is an excellent addition to your social studies curriculum. With writing activities, such as short answer responses and biopoems, and reading activities, which include creation stories and...
+
Unit Plan
1
1
Curated OER

The Glorious Whitewasher

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young readers can be exposed to the literary works of Mark Twain as they interact with challenging text and gain experience by reading the complex passages of chapter two "The Glorious Whitewasher" from his famous book, The Adventures of...
+
Unit Plan
7
7
Online Publications

Become a Journalist

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Explore the newspaper as a unique entity with a detailed and extended unit. The unit requires learners to consider the newspaper's role in democracy, think about ethics, practice writing and interviewing, and examine advertising and news...
+
Handout
3
3
Loudoun County Public Schools

Figurative Language Packet

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
A definitive resource for your figurative language unit includes several worksheets and activities to reinforce writing skills. It addresses poetic elements such as simile and metaphor, personification, hyperbole, and idioms, and...
+
Lesson Plan
4
4
Curated OER

Persuasion as Text: Organizational, Grammatical, and Lexical Moves in Barbara Jordan’s "All Together Now"

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
A thorough instructional activity on persuasive writing takes middle schoolers through several activities, including group discussion, collaborative posters, and independent writing. They compare historical speeches and analyze the...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
Student Achievement Partners

"The Glorious Whitewasher" from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain with Mini-Assessment

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's the classic scene: Tom Sawyer is whitewashing a fence. Expose your learners to Mark Twain's humor while reinforcing reading comprehension. Eighth graders are encouraged to read and reread, achieving as much exposure to the text as...
+
Lesson Plan
Penguin Books

A Guide to the Works of Jacqueline Woodson

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
The works of Jacqueline Woodson introduce readers to diverse characters and themes. A guide covers many of the author's best-known books such as Brown Girl Dreaming and Locomotion. Dive & Discuss and Explore & Extend activities...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
Curated OER

How Will We Create a Future without Waste?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Many young people act globally by reducing, reusing, and recycling, Now they take it to the next level by upcycling. Middle schoolers design a proposal to eliminate waste by exploring the new material cycle and applying their knowledge...
+
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,...
+
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...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment, Part 1 and Excerpt 4 Third Read

For Teachers 7th Standards
I hear you! Scholars work on the mid-unit assessment by listening to a story told orally rather than reading it themselves. After watching a video clip of Thelma Thomas performing Harriet Tubman, they answer questions about what they...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Poetry Analysis: Small Group Practice

For Teachers 7th Standards
Howdy partner! After discussion and teacher model reading of Slaveships, scholars pair up for a partner reading of the poem. They then use equity sticks to discuss their thoughts of the poem with the class. Readers talk about allusion,...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

What Gives Stories Their Power?

For Teachers 7th Standards
Read to me! Scholars get lost in a picture book read aloud of The People Could Fly. They discuss text-dependent questions and talk with partners about the meaning of the story. They then study an image in the book to determine the power...
+
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...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Douglass’s Purpose: Excerpt 4

For Teachers 7th Standards
Anchors away! Scholars take a look at the Group Work anchor chart to prepare for the excerpt four, The Fight with Covey, analysis. The Excerpt 4 Analysis note catcher guides the group as they carry out their analyses. The class then...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing Powerful Language: Learning to Read

For Teachers 7th Standards
The power of a word. Readers learn the importance of word choice in shaping a text by using a Powerful Language T-chart to separate strong words and phrases from those that are more bland. They then complete a third read and question set...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Introducing the Narrative Arc: The Last Day of Slavery

For Teachers 7th Standards
Fix your mistakes. Scholars look over their end-of-unit assessments while the teacher focuses on common mistakes made among the class. Learners then make predictions about their next text, Frederick Douglass: The Last Day of Slavery, by...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit Assessment: Poetry Analysis

For Teachers 7th Standards
Learners finish the end-of-unit assessment by completing a poetry analysis of We Wear the Mask. Scholars may use their Poet’s Toolbox reference sheets and How to Read a Poem anchor charts to guide them through the assessment. 
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Poetic Tools in Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass

For Teachers 7th Standards
Scholars listen to a reading and answer probing questions about If We Must Die by Claude McKay. Readers annotate their personal copies of the poem as they discuss its figurative language, vocabulary, and meaning. They then transfer their...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

How to Read a Poem: “The Negro Speaks of Rivers”

For Teachers 7th Standards
Learners listen as a teacher models how to read a poem using The Negro Speaks of Rivers. They use the How to Read a Poem anchor chart to help guide their thought process on how a poem requires different reading than other text. While...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Introducing Poetry

For Teachers 7th Standards
A silent reading session permits class members to meet individually with their teacher to discuss their text. Learners then discuss and express their observations about two poetry quotes, recording thoughts about craftsmanship, forms of...
+
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Coda: What Gives My Story Power? Celebrating Student Work

For Teachers 7th Standards
It's time for a celebration! Scholars go on a gallery walk around the classroom to view their peers' completed illustrated children's stories. Using sticky notes, pupils provide feedback about the powerful elements they find in their...