Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "At the Head of Her Class, and Homeless" by Npr Staff

For Students 7th - 8th Standards
In June 2014, NPR published this story about Rashema Melson. At the time, Melson was a homeless high school senior at Anacostia High School in Washington, D.C. She is now a student at Georgetown University. As you read, identify what...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "First They Came" by Martin Niemoller

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "First They Came" by Martin Niemoller, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Can Television Be Considered Literature in English Classes?"

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Movie days in the classroom are infrequent and far between, but what if teachers used television as a means of teaching? Shelby Ostergaard discusses whether or not television can be considered a form of literature and the benefits and...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: In Danang, Where u.s. Troops First Landed, Memories of War

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "In Danang, Where U.S. Troops First Landed, Memories of War Have Faded" by Michael Sullivan, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "A Defiant Muhammad Ali Was Cherished by Black Men" by Karen G. Bates

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "A Defiant Muhammad Ali Was Cherished by Black Men" by Karen Grigsby Bates, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Introduction to the Holocaust by the United States Holocaust Memorial

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "Introduction to the Holocaust" by The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Excerpt From the Tragedy of Julius Caesar: Act Iii, Scenes I, Ii

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "Excerpt from the Tragedy of Julius Caesar: Act III, Scenes I, II" by William Shakespeare, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Would You Marry a Stranger? Arranged Marriage" by Jessica Mc Birney

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "Would You Marry a Stranger" by Jessica McBirney, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Ancient Greece: Birthplace of Western Individualism by Us history.org

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "Ancient Greece: The Birthplace of Western Individualism," accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Holocaust Survivor, Spared Gas Chamber by Twist of Fate by S. Nelson

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "A Holocaust Survivor, Spared from Gas Chamber by Twist of Fate" by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Puritan Laws and Character" by Henry William Elson

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "Puritan Laws and Character" by Henry William Elson, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Drones Put Spying Eyes in the Sky" by Stephen Ornes

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "Drones Put Spying Eyes in the Sky" by Stephen Ornes, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Joseph Jacobs

For Students 5th - 6th
A learning module that begins with "Jack and the Beanstalk" by Joseph Jacobs, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "You Have the Right to Remain Silent": History of Miranda Rights

For Students 5th - 6th
Can your rights protect you if you don't even know what they are? Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona answered that question by requiring police officers to read the "Miranda Rights" when making an arrest. This text will explain the...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Anger as Inspiration by Sami Awad

For Students 5th - 6th
Sami Awad is the Founder and Director of The Holy Land Trust, a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of children, families and communities in the Middle East. The group identifies the cycle of violence as...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Hello, My Name Is " by Jason Kim

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Hello, My Name Is ___" by Jason Kim accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry

For Students 7th - 8th
William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) was an American writer better known by his pen name, O. Henry. "After Twenty Years," published in 1908, is one of his better known short stories that shows how complicated friendship can be. As you read,...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Athena and Poseidon's Contest for Athens" by Athena europe.org

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with the story "Athena and Poseidon's Contest for Athens," accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "No Man Is an Island" by John Donner

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "No Man Is an Island" by John Donne, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "To Build a Fire" by Jack London

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "To Build a Fire" by Jack London, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Wealthy Teen Nearly Experiences Consequences" by the Onion Staff

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with the satirical article "Wealthy Teen Nearly Experiences Consequences" by The Onion Staff, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Natural Selection Kills 38 Quadrillion Organisms in Bloodiest Day

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with the satirical article "Natural Selection Kills 38 Quadrillion Organisms in Bloodiest Day" by The Onion Staff, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "A Poison Tree" by William Blake

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "A Poison Tree" byWilliam Blake, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...