Well known for addressing social issues in the world through her poetry, Maya Angelou’s moving poems serve to teach historical topics in this lesson. To understand the world that surrounded her, students practice their visual literacy skills as they first examine photographs from the Library of Congress. These primary sources illustrate some of the events that affected her life and thus her writing. Next students research these events in order to create trading cards using the ReadWriteThink Trading Card App or Trading Card Creator Student Interactive. While reading Angelou’s poems, students share the trading cards to better understand the background for her writing.

This lesson explores how The Giver addresses issues of personal identity, memory, and the value of reading and education. It also examines how this newer read relates to other famous classics in this genre and books that students may have read on their own.

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.

This lesson uses Jane Addams Award-winning books to explore author's voice and style. The Jane Addams Book Awards are given to children's books that effectively promote the cause of peace, social justice, world community, and the equality of the sexes and all races. After reading and examining The Yellow Star: The Legend of King Christian X of Denmark by Carmen Agra Deedy, a Jane Addams Honor Book in 2001, students choose another Jane Addams Award-winning book for personal investigation of author's voice. This lesson is designed for students in grades 6 to 8, but can be adapted for other grade bands as well.

In this lesson, students are encouraged to explore the idea of memory in both large- and small-group settings. Students access their own life experiences and then discuss family stories they have heard. After choosing a family member to interview, students create questions, interview their relative, and write a personal narrative that describes not only the answers to their questions but their own reactions to these responses. These narratives are peer reviewed and can be published as a class magazine or a website.

In this lesson, students participate in a Socratic seminar discussing a person's right to refuse to say the Pledge of Allegiance.

In this lesson, students observe the characteristics of effective small-group discussions through video examples of a "fishbowl" technique. In subsequent discussions, they are encouraged to interact with one another in a productive and respectful manner, with a focus on the value of exchanging meaningful compliments. Through targeted self-reflection, students set goals for improving their participation in productive discussions and take responsibility for monitoring their progress. Although this lesson is recommended for middle school students, it could also be used effectively with both younger and older students.

Making Evidence-Based Claims ELA/Literacy Units empower students with a critical reading and writing skill.
This unit develops students’ abilities to make evidence-based claims through activities based on a close reading of Cesar Chavez’s 1984 California Commonwealth Club Address.

In this lesson students begin to read the central text and learn some of the close reading strategies that will be used throughout the module.

In this lesson students begin to analyze characters by examining their point of view.

In this lesson students use a text-based discussion protocol to revisit chapters 1-5 in the novel and discuss points of view.

In this lesson students learn about the concept of theme, which lays the foundation for their work later in the unit on an essay related to the theme in the novel.

In this lesson students use a text based discussion protocol to analyze theme and characters in the novel.

In this lesson, students are introduced to and discuss the question about which they will be writing their essay: Should Lyddie sign the petition?

In this lesson, students gather and analyze textual evidence about why Lyddie should or should not sign the petition.

In this lesson, students reread the final passage listed on Lyddie’s Decision: Passages to Reread chart. Students then synthesize the evidence they have gathered to create reasons why Lyddie should and should not sign the petition.

In this lesson, students are introduced to several new routines to support them in their reading of Lyddie