In this lesson, students read like a writer and analyze figurative language and the author’s word choice, meaning, and tone in Chapter 3 of Bud, Not Buddy.

Do folktales, myths, and fables all have nonhuman characters? Do they all express a lesson or moral for readers to take away? Students use a semantic feature analysis to find out in this lesson. A semantic feature analysis, a comprehension strategy that helps students identify characteristics associated with related words or concepts, is used to compare folktales, myths, and fables. Students begin with an introduction to the strategy and a teacher-directed lesson in how to use the strategy to analyze a folktale. In subsequent sessions, students continue to practice the strategy in small groups by analyzing myths and fables. After students have read and analyzed the texts, they reflect on how semantic feature analyses helped improve their understanding of their reading.

In this excerpt, thirteen-year-old Brian Robeson overcomes the initial hurdles of survival in the Canadian wilderness. As he wards off fears from his earlier encounter with a bear, Brian faces off with a porcupine in the dark of night. Realizing that self-pity would get him nowhere, Brian figures out how to use his hatchet and natural materials to start a fire. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments; writing samples included.

This lesson examines the characteristics of Greek heroes and leads students to recognize references to Greek mythological heroes found in literature and culture today. Students will present analyses of heroes by defending their favorites in a slideshow presentation nominatting them for selection to a Heroes' Hall of Fame.

The hero's journey is an ancient story pattern that can be found in texts from thousands of years ago or in newly released Hollywood blockbusters. This interactive tool will provide students with background on the hero's journey and give them a chance to explore several of the journey's key elements. Students can use the tool to record examples from a hero's journey they have read or viewed or to plan out a hero's journey of their own.

In this lesson students analyze a model narrative and begin planning their own narratives.

In this lesson students begin to practice analyzing the central text in writing using evidence from the informational article read in the last two lessons.

In this lesson students practice drawing evidence from the text to infer about the main character and narrator, and use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

In this lesson students engage in a close read of a chapter from the central text to infer about the main character's thoughts and actions.

In this lesson students continue their close read from the previous lesson now focusing on vocabulary strategies including using context clues and prefixes to determine the meaning of words.

In this assessment students read a new passage from the central text and answer questions using evidence from the text to infer about the main character's thoughts and actions.

This resource includes nonfiction two texts, a link to a video, and 13 text-dependent questions (including one optional constructed-response prompt for students). Also includes explanatory information for teachers regarding alignment to the CCSS.

This webpage contains theme-based discussion prompts for each vignette in The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, as well as a selection of follow-up activities.

In this lesson, students focus on sequencing using a narrative passage and Make Sense Guided Reading Strategies.

In this lesson, students delve more deeply into figurative language and conflict resolution as they read the novel "Jacob Have I Loved"

This lesson will use the "infinite variety" of resources on the Internet to let students find their own image of Othello. The lesson will take them on a WebQuest, first to textual references, and then to on-line searches for images of Othello in film, play productions, and art. Then, students will write an essay about the casting of Othello to conclude the lesson.

In this lesson, students will engage in a close read of a chapter from the central text to infer about the main character's thoughts and actions.

In this lesson on The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, students will practice drawing evidence from the text to infer about the main character/narrator, and use context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words.

Students will explore images from the Klondike and read White Fang closely to learn how to define and differentiate these terms, ultimately presenting their findings as nature and culture detectives.

John Henry competes against a steam drill in driving steel and proudly claims that he would sooner die than let a steam drill beat him. In this CCSS lesson, students will explore this story through text dependent questions, academic vocabulary, and writing assignments;