Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 7–8 Professional Commentary: This resource is a literature-based instructional unit centered around survival novels. Maintained by the New Zealand Ministry of Education, this unit presents opportunities for students to read novels and stories that share a survival theme, conduct research, and share a presentation of their findings.... Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 7–8 Professional Commentary: Cross-cultural Dialogue uses two personal narratives, written by a beginning English teacher in an unfamiliar culture, to teach point of view. Students read two narratives, first from the teacher's point of view and then from what she imagines to be her students' point of view.... 3 Scaling Back to Essentials: Scaffolding Summarization With Fishbone Mapping Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 4–7 Professional Commentary: What's important and what's not? Students work in pairs and cooperative groups to explore this question by completing fishbone maps that highlight the main ideas and relevant details from a cause-effect text.... 4 Using the Four-Square Strategy to Define and Identify Poetic Terms Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: Understanding poetry can be a daunting task for students. Using the four-square strategy offers a systematic structure for defining key poetic terms.... 5 Writing Free Verse in the "Voice" of Cesar Chavez Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: Using biographical information about the labor activist Cesar Chavez students read several examples of free verse poems and then write a free verse poem. The procedures outlined in this lesson may be customized to study historical figures or authors that fit a teacher's curriculum.... 6 The History Behind Song Lyrics Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: The events described in the lyrics from Billy Joel's song "We Didn't Start the Fire" are used as a springboard for this lesson. The lyrics include references to people, places and events from four decades of world occurrences.... Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grade 6 Professional Commentary: Providing a new twist on a traditional theme, this lesson asks students to explore the distinction between a hero and an idol. Students work collaboratively to define criteria for heroism and characteristics of heroes.... 8 Lights, Camera, Action: Interviewing a Book Character Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–7 Professional Commentary: During a novel study, students closely examine the different characters in the text by keeping journal entries, meeting for group discussions, and using graphic organizers. This extensive character examination is designed to help them to prepare a final project that involves creating an interview-style television show.... 9 Biography Project : Research and Class Presentation Resource Type: Lessons Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 6–8 Professional Commentary: This lesson sets the stage for high-interest reading with a purpose. As a class, students brainstorm a list of famous people and each student then selects an individual to research.... 10 Literacy Strategies: Concept Mapping Resource Type: Content Supports Discipline: Reading Grades: Grades 5–7 Professional Commentary: This resource, developed by an instructional design team at Southeastern Louisiana University as part of a large content area reading project, provides directions for using concept mapping with expository texts. Concept mapping allows teachers and students to visually organize key concepts and main ideas after reading.... |