CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson describes her experiences growing up as an African American girl in South Carolina and New York in the 1960s. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 3-6) to pair with "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson. [Free...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Political Theory
As governments form and change over time, they look to political philosophers to answer important questions about governance. This text set covers some of the world's most influential political thinkers. This collection includes 10...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: The Vietnam War
One of the most controversial proxy-wars of the Cold War was the Vietnam War. Lasting from 1955 to 1975, the North Vietnamese fought the South Vietnamese with the USSR's and America's respective support. This collection includes 9...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Slavery in America
People enslaved Africans for their enforced labor from before America's founding until the end of the Civil War. Learn about the history of slavery, its effects on a budding nation, and the fight to abolish it. This collection includes...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Science of the Body
Introduce students to how the body looks and works with these texts on biology and genetics. This collection includes 20 Grade-Leveled texts (5-10) on the topic of Science of the Body. [Free account registration required for specific...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Reconstruction to Jim Crow
After the Civil War and end of slavery, Americans had to decide how to integrate freed African Americans. Learn about the lives of African Americans from Reconstruction to the end of the prejudiced Jim Crow era. This collection includes...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Psychology and the Mind
The mind has fascinated and mystified humans for millennia. Delve into the science behind the brain with these works on philosophy, foundational psychology, and scientific studies. This collection includes 61 Grade-Leveled texts (6-12)...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" by John Boyne
A wire fence stands between Bruno and Shmuel's friendship at Auschwitz, and tragedy beckons when Bruno's naivety and his distance from his family take him beyond the fence. Selected (9) reading passages (grades 5-9) to pair with "The Boy...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Richard Wright, a black boy living in the Jim Crow South, travels north in hopes of escaping the violence and prejudice that rules his childhood. Selected (8) reading passages (grades7-12) to pair with "Black Boy" by Richard Wright....
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Beowulf"
The life of the mighty hero Beowulf is recounted, as he wins honor and fame by protecting his people and the neighboring nation from terrible monsters. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 9-12) to pair with the Epic poem "Beowulf"....
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "The Bell Jar" by Sylvia Path
Partially inspired by Plath's experiences with depression, The Bell Jar follows the emotional breakdown of Esther Greenwood, a promising college student who cannot reconcile her desires with American conventions during the 1950s-1960s....
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Malcolm X, Alex Haley
The Autobiography of Malcolm X traces the life of one of the most influential, controversial, and thoughtful people of the 20th century. Selected (10) reading passages (grades 8-11) to pair with the "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coekho
Following omens and the pursuit of his dream, Santiago goes on a journey to find his treasure. Along the way he encounters characters and circumstances that both support or challenge his quest. Selected (5) reading passages (grades 6-11)...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings
Teaching a book unit this year? It's a best practice to supplement book units with short passages from a variety of different genres. These 92 reading passages were handpicked by master teachers to supplement your book units. They...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: World War Ii
World War II was the second war to embattle the entire globe, lasting from 1939 to 1945. It not only witnessed the Holocaust and the nuclear bombings of Japan, but became the deadliest conflict in human history. This collection includes...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: World War I
World War I, or the Great War, embroiled the globe in bloody fighting from 1914 to 1918. Learn about the complex alliances that led dozens of countries to go to war, how the war was won, and what life was like for soldiers and civilians....
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Workers' Rights
As America grew, so did its production of agriculture and manufacturing, leading to a rise in workers and their demands. Study the history of worker's rights in America from the Industrial Revolution to today. This collection includes 13...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Women's Rights
Are women's rights different than human rights? What are the benefits of promoting equality for women? Study the history of women's rights in America and around the world as you learn about the fight for women's equality.This collection...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Westward Expansion
Throughout the 1800s, Americans pushed ever westward in the search of prosperity and the American dream. It was a time of growth and adventure for settlers, and loss for most American Indians. This collection includes 7 Grade-Leveled...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian" by Sherman Alexie
Junior, a Native American boy growing up on the Spokane reservation in Washington, decides to attend Reardan -- an all-white school that's located 20 miles away from home. It includes selected (11) reading passages (grades 5-10) to pair...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "1984" by George Orwell
In this dystopian novel, the protagonist of the story, Winston Smith, attempts to rebel against a totalitarian government that exercises complete control over all aspects of its citizens' lives. It includes selected (8) reading passages...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte
This Gothic-Romantic novel, set in Victorian England, chronicles the life of Jane Eyre: a plain governess who falls in love with her employer and discovers a terrible secret within Thornfield. Selected (11) reading passages (grades 8-12)...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by Maya Angelou
Maya Angelou recounts her coming of age story as a mature but apprehensive girl in the American South and California during the Jim Crow era. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 7-10) to pair with "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" by...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "The House on Mango Street" by Sandra Cisneros
Told through a series of vignettes, Esperanza Cordero narrates her life growing up as a Latina girl in a Chicago neighborhood, and her desire to grow up and leave. Selected (8) reading passages (grades 5-8) to pair with "The House on...