Unit Plan
Louisiana Department of Education

How to Write a Memoir

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Who are we and what shapes our identities? Seventh graders work to answer this question as they learn how to write a memoir. Full of non-print resources and supplemental texts that range from fiction to non-fiction, scholars write their...
Lesson Plan
Literacy Design Collaborative

Growing up Is Hard to Do

For Teachers 7th Standards
Looking for a fountain of youth? Scholars analyze a group of texts by Gary Soto that pertain to the difficulties of growing up. Activities pertaining to vocabulary, close reading, and shared writing prepare learners for the final task of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Character

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Readers practice character analysis by reviewing Gary Soto's short story "La Bamba" with the whole class (anything you've read together will work). They design t-shirts that feature traits and story elements to reveal the nature of a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Traveling Through Literature

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Integrate geography with literature in this interdisciplinary lesson. Begin by reading a poem such as The Time We Climbed Snake Mountain by Leslie Marmon Silko. On a large map, place push pins in the cities or states mentioned. An...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What are the Elements of Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars read the poem "Ode to Pablo's Tennis Shoes" and analyze the form, figurative language, and mood. They complete a T-chart containing what they have learned about Pablo and the evidence from the poem supporting their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Character

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are introduced to literary elements and definitions in the worksheet Understanding Character but reading through each of the elements and definitions aloud. They read the story, "La Bamba" and identify examples of the literary...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Interesting Words

For Students 7th - 9th
In this vocabulary and word study worksheet, students explore interesting words as they complete a crossword puzzle. Students may also complete the challenge question at the bottom of the sheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Preserving History

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss how writing is an important historical tool. They read writings from individuals and note how they have preserved history. They describe what those stories say about the communites they came from.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deciphering Community

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the concept of a community. They identify and group various kinds of communities. Students create a concept map exemplifying their membership in different communities. They write a narrative describing their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Memoirs and Personal Essays

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners can then pinpoint problems the characters experience and interview their parents to see if they too may have once faced a similar problem. Interviews with family members can be recorded by students in their home language.
Activity
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Gary Soto, Poet and Children's Writer

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
ReadWriteThink offers a classroom activity for students about children's author Gary Soto and his stories "Too Many Tamales" and/or "Baseball in April." Includes a bibliography, web links, and lesson plans. From April 12, 2007.
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "The Drive in Movies" by Gary Soto

For Students 5th - 7th
In this short story, Soto describes his desire to go to the drive-in movies as a kid.As you read, take notes on what the narrator does to get what he wants. [Free account registration required for specific tools.]
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Mother and Daughter" by Gary Soto

For Students 5th - 7th
In this short story, a young girl's mother doesn't have the money to buy her a new dress for a school dance. As you read, take notes on Yollie and her mother's interactions. [Free account registration required for specific tools.]
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Hamlet 1.3.78

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with the poem "Hamlet 1.3.78" by Gary Soto accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic: Discussion Guide: Jesse

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Scholastic presents this discussion guide of "Jesse" by Gary Soto. The guide includes discussion questions, extension activities, and more.
Unit Plan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Holt, Rinehart and Winston: Elements of Literature: Guide to Baseball in April [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This handy mini-guide to the book includes background, story information for each of the 11 stories in the book, and some classroom suggestions for post-readcing activities.
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Paterson

For Students 5th - 8th
Two lonely children create an imaginary kingdom for themselves in the woods. Selected (7) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair with "Bridge to Terabithia" by Katherine Patterson. [Free account registration required for specific tools.]
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Book Pairings: "The Crossover" by Kwanme Alexander

For Students 5th - 8th
Inseparable twin brothers Josh and JB love basketball, but changes in their lives begin to pull them apart. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair with "The Crossover" by Kwanme Alexander. [Free account registration required...

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