How does an author’s culture influence their perspective and point of view? Moreover, how does an author’s purpose affect their point of view? These are the questions middle schoolers investigate in a three-unit module that uses works by...

In the second unit of Module 3A eighth-graders continue their study of forced invisibility by reading a case study of American soldier Louie Zamperini imprisoned by the Japanese and of Mine Okubo, a Japanese-American interned in the US...

The first unit in Module 1 uses The Autobiography of Malcolm X as the core text. Scholars practice close reading, evidence-based writing and discussion, critical analysis of narrative texts, and narrative writing techniques. Marmon...

A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the anchor text in a three-unit module that has eighth graders examine how Shakespeare develops the theme of control. Young scholars look at why and how the characters seek control and the results of...

Where does our food come from? Eighth graders research food chains and the consequences for stakeholders affected by those food chains. Using Michael Pollan’s, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, as a core text, the three units in this module teach...

Eighth-graders develop their ability to read and understand a complex text as they consider the plight of refugees. The first unit uses Thanhha Lai’s novel, Inside Out & Back Again, as well as informational text, to build background...

Water may be everywhere but supplies of freshwater are dwindling. An eight-week, three-unit module takes up the topic of water sustainability and freshwater management. In Unit 1, seventh graders read Barbara Kingsolver’s article, “Water...

Module 4A examines the effects of entertainment screen time has on the adolescent brain. In Unit 1, seventh-graders build background knowledge by reading texts about brain development, centering around the prefrontal cortex, the limbic...

What makes stories powerful? That’s the question seventh-graders consider in a three-unit, eight-week module. Scholars analyze how Frederick Douglas, in his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, uses figurative language and word...

The three units in Module 2A present seventh-graders with literary and informational texts—Katherine Paterson’s novel Lyddie and a speech by Cesar Chavez—that examine historical and present-day working conditions. Pupils learn how to...

Rick Riordan’s, The Lightning Thief is the anchor text in a three-unit module that explores the archetypal storyline of the hero’s journey. Sixth graders examine the many mythical illusions in Riordan’s tale. Additionally, they read...

Were things really harder back in the day? That is the question sixth graders research in a three-unit module. They read information articles and literature about the adversities of medieval life, and then draft an essay in which they...

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!: Voices from a Medieval Village is the anchor text for the second unit in Module 2B. Sixth-graders examine monologues, read articles about challenges and adversities faced by children in medieval villages,...

Personal interest, strengths, talents, and abilities can be used to make a difference. Young learners consider how they can share their talents with others through volunteering, what they can do to take care of the natural environment,...

Module 4B of Unit 3 concludes the study of water sustainability and water management begun in Unit 1. Using research developed in the previous modules of Unit 3, seventh graders draft, revise, edit, and publish a position paper on water...

The 20 lessons in Unit 2, Module 1 collection, continue the study of mythology using The Lightning Thief as the anchor text. Six graders also read multiple myths, as well as informational text about the elements and themes found in...

The internet as well as the popularity of and availability of personal electronic devices equipped with social media has changed journalism forever. Here's a collection of resources that provide student journalists the tools they need to...

Module 4a, Unit 3 is all about research. Over the course of the10 lessons  in the collection, seventh graders plan a research-based position paper. After examining a model, writers consider the claims and counterclaims to include in...

The 16 lessons in the Module 3, Unit 2 collection continue the study of Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass and the language Douglass uses to develop his purpose in writing. Both the mid-unit and final assessments require...

The 19 lessons that make up the second unit in the 2B Module collection continue the study of identity. George Bernard Shaw's play, Pygmalion, serves as the anchor text and readers track the development of Eliza's character. The unit...

The 20 lessons that make up the Module 2a Unit 1 collection focus on building background knowledge of working conditions in American factories during the industrial era. Using their knowledge of these conditions, Class members read...

The 20 lessons in the second unit of Module 3b make up a collection that provides eighth-graders with background knowledge of the Little Rock Nine by using the case study, A Mighty Long Way, and the photo essay, Little Rock Girl...

In Module 3b, eighth-graders study the American Civil Rights Movement and the story of the Little Rock Nine. The central texts of the module,  A Mighty Long Way by Carlotta Walls LaNier and Shelley Tougas' photo essay Little Rock Girl...

In this eight-lesson collection, eighth-graders finish reading Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption and write a narrative about Mine Okubo's life after internment. After assessing the...