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Assessment
IPA Productions

A Christmas Carol - The Story

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Thirty-six pages familiarize scholars with the story and vocabulary of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. After reading and listening to an abbreviated version of the holiday tale learners show what they know about the sequence of...
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Study Guide
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PBS

To Kill a Mockingbird Teacher's Guide

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
If you're planning a unit on To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, don't pass this resource by! It includes thorough discussion questions and vocabulary from the novel, research opportunities, and writing prompts to extend learning...
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Unit Plan
1
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Echoes & Reflections

The "Final Solution"

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Nazi policies shifted from deportation and imprisonment to extermination of the Jewish people in death camps in the "Final Solution." Learners examine photos of artifacts, read poetry written by survivors, analyze testimony from...
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Unit Plan
1
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Echoes & Reflections

Survivors and Liberators

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The end was just the beginning. The period immediately after the end of World War II and the Holocaust is often called "The Return to Life" as survivors looked to reunite and recreate broken families and shattered lives. A two-lesson...
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Unit Plan
1
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Echoes & Reflections

The Ghettos

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians examine primary sources, including diaries, poems, and photographs, to consider the conditions in the ghettos and how they fit into the escalation of the Third Reich's plot against the Jewish people. 
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Lesson Plan
National History Day

More Than Mud and Cooties: The Poetry of World War I Soldiers

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Poetry is not just for romance. Teach middle schoolers about soldiers' experiences during World War I with poetry written by the soldiers themselves. The instructional activity includes a simulation activity, a graphic organizer...
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Study Guide
Scholastic

A Reading Guide to A Wrinkle in Time

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
Accompany a reading of Madeleine L'Engle's classic tale, A Wrinkle in Time, with a detailed guide equipped with 15 informative and useful chapters. Scholars discover who the author is, why she wrote the book, and crucial story elements...
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Unit Plan
2
2
Poetry Foundation

Dream in Color — Middle School

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Celebrate diversity with a toolkit designed to inspire young poets to develop their own voices. After examining poems by African American poets, individuals craft their own poetic stories. The packet features poems by Gwendolyn Brooks,...
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Unit Plan
Santa Ana Unified School District

The Giver

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Wouldn't it be great to live an a community without pain, without danger? Such a society is the goal of the community in The Giver. Using Lois Lowry's dystopian novel as the core text, class members read primary source materials about...
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Worksheet
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K12 Reader

If

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Rudyard Kipling's advice to his son in the poem "If" is a resounding message that echoes through generations. After reading the famous poem, middle schoolers work on analyzing specific lines, completing activities based on unfamiliar...
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Unit Plan
2
2
Teacher’s Pet Publications

A Common Core Approach to Teaching Of Mice and Men

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Whether or not your school/state has adopted the Common Core standards, you will want to add this resource to your Of Mice and Men curriculum materials. The chapter-by-chapter activities ask readers to provide evidence from the novella...
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Lesson Plan
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Illinois State Board of Education

Common Core Teaching and Learning Strategies

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Here's a resource that deserves a place in your curriculum library, whether or not your school has adopted the Common Core. Designed for middle and high school language arts classes, the packet is packed with teaching tips, materials,...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
 The narrative works of Frederick Douglass engage learners in the topic of slavery. They will experience American history in a new way, a Douglass expresses his thoughts in his own words. Pupils then interpret this literary work.   
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Unit Plan
4
4
KIPP 3D Academy

Epic Poetry Unit

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
The Odyssey is the core text in this unit study of the hero's journey motif. Along the way, kids research Greek and Roman history, mythology, art, and epic poetry. The 104-page packet is perfect for homeschool or classroom situations and...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Curated OER

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

For Teachers 8th - 9th Standards
"It is my lady, O, It is my Love!" Provide class members an opportunity to develop their skills reading difficult text with an exercise that focuses on the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet (Act II, scene ii). Using the provided...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Writing to a Historical Poet

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Poetry is a very personal and introspective art form. Give your class the opportunity to understand how a poet's voice can speak to them on a personal level, and that every reader can respond to an author differently. After a poetic...
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Lesson Plan
Teachers.net

Figurative Language

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
When is a staple remover a fanged monster? In your ELA classroom when you're teaching this fun figurative language instructional activity, of course! Get your young writers using figurative language by making a game of it. Give groups a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Words as a Way into Rick Riordan's The Lightning Thief

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Use the Visual Thesaurus to predict the subject matter of Rick Riordan's book The Lightning Thief. A pre-reading activity encourages middle schoolers to use context clues and word meaning to discover what the book is about. After they...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Shopping Spree

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars demonstrate the ability to evaluate authors' use of literary elements such as metaphor, simile, personification, imagery, and onomatopoeia. They are provided with a checklist and must shop for poems that contain the poetry terms...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Nose Like a Cherry: Understanding Similes and Metaphors

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Clement Moore's "Twas the Night Before Christmas" models the power of descriptive language for middle schoolers. They identify the similes and metaphors in the tale and consider what these descriptions add to the story's emotional...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

If You're a Bird, I'm a Bird: Symbolism

For Teachers 8th - 9th Standards
Would a bluebird be as scary as a vulture? Edgar Allan Poe's "The Raven" is the central text in a lesson about symbolism. After a close reading of the poem, learners consider what the raven might represent to the narrator. They then...
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Lesson Plan
Academy of American Poets

Thanksgiving with Richard Blanco's "América"

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Traditions, like the times, are a-changin'. Middle schoolers conduct a close reading of Richard Blanco's poem "América" and consider how Blanco's family approached his suggestions for adopting a new approach to their Thanksgiving meal.
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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...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

"The Story of an Hour" Lesson 3: Teacher's Guide and Notes

For Teachers 8th Standards
The third lesson in "The Story of an Hour" series introduces young readers to analogies; a literary device writers use to add depth to their stories. Instructors identify the three analogies in the tale, and class members consider the...