Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Going to School as a Refugee" by Caroline Garrison

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Going to School As a Refugee" by Caroline Garrison 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: "The Harlem Renaissance" by Jessica Mc Birney

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "The Harlem Renaissance" 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 free...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "The Founding of American Democracy" by Jessica Mc Birney

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "The Founding of American Democracy" by Jessica McBirney, 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: "Seven Decades On, Anne Frank's Words Still Comfort" by Scott Simon

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Seven Decades On, Anne Frank's Words Still Comfort" by Scott Simon, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned...
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: "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: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: Excerpts Ch 1 & 7

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: Excerpts" Frederick Douglass, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF...
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: Walking Down Park by Nikki Giovanni

For Students 7th - 8th
Nikki Giovanni is one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement and has won numerous awards. Her work ranges from covering topics on race, gender, the African American experience and social issues to children's literature and...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Amigo Brothers by Piri Thomas

For Students 7th - 8th
Piri Thomas (1928-2011) was a writer and poet, best known for his memoir Down These Mean Streets. Thomas was born to a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father. During his childhood, Thomas lived in East Harlem, which became known as...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Alaska Accelerates Indoor Agriculture by Emily Schwing

For Students 7th - 8th
Greenhouses can allow produce to grow in even the coldest conditions. In this informational text, Emily Schwing discusses the use of greenhouses in Alaska during its harsh winters. It also offers a guided reading mode, an assessment,...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "How Earthquakes Take Place" by Jessica Mc Birney

For Students 5th - 6th
A learning module that begins with "How Earthquakes Take Place" 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: David's Old Soul by Nikki Grimes

For Students 7th - 8th
Grimes is well known for her award-winning books written for children and young adults. The poem "David's Old Soul" appeared in her book One Last Word, a collection inspired by poems from the Harlem Renaissance that follow the "Golden...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: The Marshall Plan

For Students 11th - 12th
A learning module that begins with news article by Mike Kubic called "The Marshall Plan" 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: The Spanish Civil War

For Students 11th - 12th
A learning module that begins with news article by Mike Kubic called "The Spanish Civil War" 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: Excerpt From Swann's Way

For Students 11th - 12th
A learning module that begins with an "Excerpt from Swann's Way" by Marcel Proust 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: Easter 1916

For Students 11th - 12th
A learning module that begins with William Butler Yeats' poem "Easter 1916" 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: Marshall Plan Speech

For Students 11th - 12th
A learning module that begins with a George Catlett Marshall's "Marshall Plan Speech" 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: Excerpt From "Civil Disobedience"

For Students 11th - 12th
A learning module that begins with Henry David Thoreau's "Excerpt from 'Civil Disobedience'" accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...