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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Tracing a Speaker’s Argument: John Stossel DDT Video

For Teachers 6th Standards
Which side are you on? Scholars watch a video of John Stossel discussing the use of DDT pesticide. Learners talk about the purpose of the video and the speaker's argument and then complete a Tracing an Argument graphic organizer while...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading and Gathering Evidence from Frightful’s Mountain and “Welcome Back”

For Teachers 6th Standards
Where did the falcons go? Scholars read the article Welcome Back which describes the disappearance of falcons due to the use of pesticides. During a second read, learners annotate the text by marking unfamiliar words and facts about...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Introducing World without Fish

For Teachers 6th Standards
One fish, two fish, red fish, no fish. Scholars analyze World without Fish to determine the gist, identify vocabulary, and answer text-dependent questions. As learners read, they use sticky notes to annotate the text. They also work in...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Learning from the Narrator’s Point of View: Introducing Flush

For Teachers 6th Standards
It is all down the drain. Scholars read chapter one of Flush and write any unfamiliar words in their word catchers and identify the narrator and point of view of the story. Pupils complete a point of view anchor chart and use Thought,...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 2 Assessment: Finding Evidence of Carl Hiaasen’s Perspective in Flush and Illustrating Perspective

For Teachers 6th Standards
The end is here. Scholars work independently on End of Unit 2 Assessment: Finding Evidence of Carl Hiaasen’s Perspective in Flush and Illustrating Perspective. Learners use their graphic organizers and text to write to a prompt asking...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Finding Evidence of Carl Hiaasen’s Perspective in Flush

For Teachers 6th Standards
Mix and mingle. Scholars travel around the room to music stopping to meet with a classmate when the music stops. They answer questions about Flush at each stop. Learners then work together to identify the evidence they used to determine...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Carl Hiaasen’s Perspective of Florida: Part 2

For Teachers 6th Standards
Look it up. Scholars read Florida: A Paradise of Scandals Excerpt 1 and use a dictionary to look up any unfamiliar words. They then do a close read of the text and answer text-dependent questions. Learners analyze author perspective by...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Carl Hiaasen’s Perspective of Florida: Part 1

For Teachers 6th Standards
Share some tips. Scholars read Five Creative Tips from Carl Hiaasen to determine the gist. They think-pair-share their ideas about the text with a partner and then focus on challenging words and answer text-dependent questions.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading for Gist and Answering Text-Dependent Questions: Chapter 4 of World without Fish

For Teachers 6th Standards
True or false? Scholars read chapter four of World without Fish and explore the idea of a myth. They discuss in triads the meaning of the myth of nature’s bounty. Learners annotate the text on sticky notes and then answer text-dependent...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Introducing the Struggle for Survival in the Introduction of World without Fish

For Teachers 6th Standards
No fish? Catch a word. Scholars read World without Fish and record unfamiliar vocabulary in their word catchers. They discuss word meanings as well as root words. They answer text-dependent questions before discussing the importance of...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Evaluating Eyewitness Accounts

For Teachers 6th Standards
That sounds like a plan! Scholars complete the Newspaper Article Planning graphic organizer to understand the process of writing a newspaper article. They also use what they learned about researching factual information and gathering...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Analyzing and Discussing: Modern Voices

For Teachers 6th Standards
This is the way we go to school. Scholars take a look at two poems about different ways to get to school, TyrannosaurBus Rex and Point A to Point B. Pupils work in triads to analyze the poem images and determine the theme. 
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Launching Modern Voices: Concrete Poetry

For Teachers 6th Standards
Challenges are different for today's kids. Learners begin to think about their own challenges by examining the adversities faced by children in medieval villages. They complete a graphic organizer as they watch the video Hackschooling...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Examples from Life Today

For Teachers 6th Standards
Does that happen in real life? Scholars look at their Themes of Adversity graphic organizers and think of examples in today's world for each type of adversity. They determine if today's world has the same struggles as those in the Middle...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Revisiting the Text: What Are the Adversities They Faced?

For Teachers 6th Standards
Where's the evidence? Scholars take a look at the evidence section of a Literary Argument Essay Rubric. They discuss terms used in the rubric and then begin thinking about collecting evidence for their own essays. They also revisit their...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit 1 Assessment: Drawing Evidence from Text: Written Analysis of How Percy’s Experiences Align with “The Hero’s Journey”

For Teachers 6th Standards
Do your best on the test! Readers finish up by completing the end of the unit assessment. Using the assessment, writers describe how Percy's experiences in The Lightning Thief align to four parts of The Hero's Journey. After completing...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Writing with Evidence: Percy and the Hero’s Journey (Chapter 7)

For Teachers 6th Standards
Read, set, write! Scholars participate in the first fully independent writing task of the unit as they write about how Percy’s experience in The Lightning Thief aligns with The Hero’s Journey. To begin their writing, they complete a...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Selecting Evidence: “The Hero’s Journey” and The Lightning Thief (Chapter 6)

For Teachers 6th Standards
Take a closer look. Scholars learn how to read closely using chapter six in The Lightning Thief. While reading, they write the gist of paragraphs on sticky notes and stick them in the book. They then answer text-dependent questions over...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Selecting Evidence and Partner Writing: Aligning “The Hero’s Journey” and The Lightning Thief (Chapter 5)

For Teachers 6th Standards
Around and around we go! Scholars work in groups to connect The Hero's Journey and The Lightning Thief with a Carousel of Quotes activity. They then independently reflect on the two texts and answer questions about how they connect to...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

The Hero’s Journey, Part 1: What is a Hero?

For Teachers 6th Standards
That was heroic!  Scholars quickly look over What is a Hero to determine and discuss the structure of the text. They then read the introduction and Act 1 closely to find the gist and annotate the text. They circle unfamiliar words and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Finding Relevant Information and Asking Research Questions: The Big Thirst

For Teachers 7th Standards
Let's get to the gist. As scholars continue their study of Charles Fishman's The Big Thirst, they practice writing the gist of the text. Additionally, pupils add notes about the industrial uses of water to their researcher's notebooks. 
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Scaffolding for Position Paper: Peer Feedback and Citing Sources

For Teachers 7th Standards
It's all a process. Scholars watch as the teacher models a peer feedback process. They then carry out the process on their own using the Sustainable Water Management Peer Feedback Form. As a bonus, individuals then participate in an MLA...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Contrasting Evidence: “Water Is Life” and The Big Thirst

For Teachers 7th Standards
Sometimes differing arguments support the same claim. Scholars complete a graphic organizer comparing how two authors support the claim that people need to better manage the world's water supply. Pupils also complete a graphic organizer...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Mid-Unit Assessment: Drafting the Position Paper

For Teachers 7th Standards
Halftime! Scholars write the rough draft of their position papers to serve as the mid-unit assessment. At the end of the sessions, pupils turn in their rough draft essays and work on independent reading.