ABSTRACT

Schools nationwide are transitioning to the Common Core--our advice to you: Don't go it alone! Our new book, Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 6-8, shows you that teaching the Common Core State Standards in the middle grades doesn't have to be intimidating!

This easy-to-use guide meets the particular needs of middle school teachers. It provides model lesson plans for teaching the standards in reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language. 

  • Get engaging lesson plans that are grade-appropriate, easy to implement and include ready-to-use reproducible handouts, assessments, resources, and ideas to help you modify the lesson for both struggling and advanced learners.
  • Our Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans are equally effective for both English and content-area teachers—the plans are designed to fit seamlessly into your middle school curriculum.
  • You get practical tips for revamping your existing lessons to meet the standards.
  • Middle school students learn how to answer text-based questions, read informational texts, conduct research, write arguments, and improve their speaking and listening skills.

We take the guesswork out of Common Core lesson plans with this practical, easy-to-use guide. All lesson plans are grade-appropriate, but every lesson plan includes...

  • Common Core State Standards covered in the lesson
  • Overview of objectives and focus of the lesson
  • Background knowledge required and time required
  • A detailed, step-by-step agenda for the lesson, plus a materials list
  • Differentiation ideas to adapt the lesson for different kinds of learners
  • Assessment ideas, including rubrics and scoring guides
  • A place for your notes: what worked; what can improve

 Bonus! We show you how to extend the lessons into longer units to suit your particular grade's curriculum, and even help you create more of your own lessons!

part 1|4 pages

Reading

chapter 1|6 pages

The Text Is a Gold Mine—Let's Start Digging!

Answering Text-Based Questions

chapter 2|4 pages

What's the Big Idea?

Tracing a Theme

chapter 3|3 pages

Leave Your Opinions for Later!

Producing an Objective Summary

chapter 4|6 pages

Who's Telling This Story, Anyway?

Analyzing Narrative Point of View

chapter 5|4 pages

The Parts vs. the Whole

Studying Informational Text Structures

chapter 6|3 pages

Did That Really Happen?

Examining Fact and Fiction in Historical Texts

chapter 7|4 pages

See It, Hear It, Love It (or Hate It)!

Compare Print and Audio Versions of a Poem

chapter 8|6 pages

Everyone's Entitled to an Opinion

Determine the Author's Point of View

chapter 9|4 pages

You Be the Judge

Determining Whether the Evidence Is Sound, Sufficient, and Relevant

chapter 10|3 pages

Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words?

How Different Mediums Explain an Idea

chapter 11|4 pages

These Authors Aren't on the Same Page

Analyze Texts with Conflicting Information

part 2|3 pages

Writing

chapter 12|6 pages

Let Me Tell You a Legend

Writing a Narrative

chapter 13|7 pages

I've Got Questions. Who Has Answers?

Conduct a Research Project

chapter 14|6 pages

What's Google Giving You?

Evaluating Your Sources

chapter 15|5 pages

To Quote or Not to Quote?

Incorporating Your Sources

chapter 16|3 pages

Collaborate in the Cloud

Creating a Literature Guide Wiki

chapter 17|3 pages

Clean-Up Time

Edit the Wordiness from Your Writing

chapter 18|3 pages

Do They Know What You Know?

Describing Technical Information to an Audience

chapter 19|3 pages

Hook People In!

Introducing Your Information

chapter 20|5 pages

I Say Tomato, You Say To-Mah-To

Effective Argument Techniques

part 3|3 pages

Speaking and Listening

chapter 21|4 pages

Yield or Jump In?

Creating Balanced Class Discussions

chapter 22|4 pages

Formalities Required?

Considering Audience When Making Language Choices

chapter 23|5 pages

Look at What I'm Saying!

Creating Engaging Presentations

chapter 24|5 pages

Please Lend Me an Ear

Presenting Your Findings

chapter 25|4 pages

There's Information at Your Fingertips, but Is It All Worthwhile?

Comparing Medio Formats

part 4|3 pages

Language

chapter 26|6 pages

The Case of the Missing Pronoun

chapter 28|5 pages

Let's Figure Out Figurative Language

chapter 29|3 pages

It's Not All Black and White

Understanding Shades of Meaning in Words

chapter 30|4 pages

Which Punctuation Mark Are You?

chapter 31|5 pages

Choppy No More

Writing Compound Sentences to Link Ideas

chapter 32|5 pages

Switch It Up!

Adding Complex Sentences to Your Writing

chapter 33|3 pages

Keeping the Action Straight

Understanding Verbals

chapter 34|3 pages

Should You Pass on Passive Writing?

Considering Voice

chapter 35|2 pages

What's Missing?

Using an Ellipsis to Indicate an Omission