This horror story begins when three lighthouse keepers realize that a derelict ship heading for their tiny island is filled with thousands of giant rats. The ship runs aground and sinks; the famished rats scramble onto the island, and, in time, they break into the lighthouse. The besieged men struggle to stay alive. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

This lesson from the New York Times offers suggestions for making TheTimes a low-stress part of your classroom routine, followed by literacy strategies to help address the Standards before, during, and after reading Times content with your students.

This resource includes one story and a short expository text, eleven text-dependent questions (including one optional constructed-response prompt for students), and explanatory information for teachers regarding alignment to the CCSS.

Worksheets and activities with answer keys to help students of differing levels identify the tone used in selected passages.

This handout provides overviews and examples of how to use tone in business writing. This includes considering the audience and purpose for writing.

A short instructional video on the use of transitions to tighten up student writing.

Fourteen year-old Greg Ridley gets into an argument with his father over his bad grades and his father forbids him to play basketball. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

To become a member of the ship’s crew, Charlotte Doyle must pass a test of climbing to the top of the mast. She faces physical and mental challenges to prove her worth to herself and the crew. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

This TED video traces the etymology of the word "true" to show how there can be a whole story in a single word.

An interactive student resource in which students read and identify various types of advertisements and analyze advertisements for examples of persuasive writing, generalizing, exaggeration, and scare tactics.

From Scholastic Inc., this lesson guides students through citing textual evidence in an informational article. Includes the article, vocabulary and students worksheets.

This is a story of an American-born Chinese daughter, her immigrant mother and their very different beliefs and hopes. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments.

Worksheets and lessons for various levels to help students identify and/or reveal literary conflicts in selected passages.

Tips and tools to help students write for the appropriate audience when writing an essay.

Tips and tools to help students start writing a paper and continue writing through the challenges of the revising process. Brainstorming can help students choose a topic, develop an approach to a topic, or deepen understanding of the topic’s potential.

A handout/tutorial on correct citations. Included in this resource are guidlines for APA, MLA, and Chicago style plus a citation building resource.

A handout/tutorial on comma usage including the mnemonic device FANBOYS, common sentence inturrupters, and comma splice confusions.