This lesson helps students explore the elements of poetry and their effect on meaning, tone, and style. Students also analye various forms of poetry both in pairs and independently and create their own poems and presentation slide show to show how to analyze poetic elements within their writing.

Through haiku, students learn to slow down and become mindful of their natural surroundings, enabling them to capture experiences vividly through description. In this unit, students read and listen to examples of haiku, and learn about the history and structure behind this Japanese poetic form. They engage in both outdoor and classroom activities that encourage mindfulness and the exploration of sensory imagery. After writing, illustrating, and pairing their haiku with instrumental music, students collaborate with classmates in creating movements to their poems. The final project is a student compilation of choreographed haiku performances put to movement and music.

Change is an inevitable part of life that challenges many young adults. Understanding and accepting change are key components in career and future planning. In this lesson, students explore the theme of change through allegory and poetry by reading an example of literary allegory and creating their own pictorial allegories. Students first define allegory and complete a pictorial allegory or "me tree" that displays phrases describing their interests, trails, and dreams on outlines of their hands. Next, they read and discuss a text, such as Shel Silverstein’s, The Giving Tree or Sandy Stryker's Tonia the Tree that addresses change, and then review basic literary concepts as they complete a literary elements map and plot diagram. Finally, students further explore change, and what it means to them, as they write diamante poems related to the theme of change.

In this lesson, students are introduced to the genre of folktales and engage in a study of several Russian folktales. They are asked to read the tales aloud, and then to fill in a chart about each one. Next, they analyze the charts, answering questions about the folktales’ setting, main characters, and "uniquely Russian" attributes. They also compare and contrast Russian folktales with folktales they may have heard as young children. The lesson culminates with a writing assignment in which students will analyze the folktales or create their own.

Students work together in small groups to read, discuss, and analyze fairy tales. After compiling a list of common elements, students collaborate on their own original fairy tales—based on events from their own lives or the lives of someone they know. Each student decides what kind of experience to write about, composes and revises a fairy tale, and then presents their story to the rest of the class.

This resource contains figurative language poems for various levels with text-based questions for each.

This lesson provides hands-on differentiated instruction by guiding students to search for the literal definitions of figurative language using the Internet. It also guides students in understanding figurative meanings through the use of context clues and making inferences.

Science fiction has the potential to spark lively discussions while inviting students to extrapolate from their own working knowledge of scientific principles. They first define the science fiction genre and then read and discuss science fiction texts. Next, they conduct research to find science facts that support or dispute the science included in the plot of the science fiction book they read. Students then revisit their definition of the genre and revise based on their reading. Finally, students complete a project that examines the science fiction genre in relation to real-world science concepts and topics.

This lesson primarily is left open for teachers to determine how you would like to celebrate the independent reading students have been doing.

In this lesson, students learn background information about Victorian England and the setting and time period of the play Pygmalion.

In this lesson, students analyze how the plot, setting, and characters in Pygmalion interact.

This lesson introduces the Checking for Understanding entry task where students answer several questions about the previous night’s homework using their Reader’s Notes and the text of the play.

In this lesson, students read the first half of Act V from Pygmalion. Students also have an independent reading check-in in this lesson.

In this lesson, students take one final look at the play Pygmalion through the lens of gender roles.

This lesson begins a five-lesson mini unit on poetry. Students also begin choosing an independent reading book.

This lesson includes the Mid-Unit 1 Assessment. After, there is time dedicated to launching independent reading for this module.

In this lesson, students finish their End of Unit 2 Assessments. They should especially apply their work with sentence structure to this essay. Also in this lesson, students participate in an independent reading check-in. Use whichever routine you have established with your class for these check-ins.

In this lesson, students write book reviews for their independent reading books. Students also work on their children’s book illustrations. Finally, as their End of Unit 3 Assessment, students turn in a packet of work that includes their second draft of their Storyboard, plus related materials: their first draft, the rubric, a self-assessment, and their I Heart Revisions worksheet.

This lesson serves as the transition between exploring whether or not to raise the AAP’s screen time recommendation to endorsing one side or the other. Today’s lesson allows for some reflection in students’ Thinking Logs on how the Fishbowls have helped to refine and clarify their thinking about this topic.