Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Army Eyes 3 D Printed Food for Soldiers by Aarti Shahani

For Students 7th - 8th
Today, when most people think of a printer, they think of a laser jet printer that prints ink on paper. But thanks to new technology, engineers have developed 3D printers that can print objects-and even food. As you read, take notes...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: I Am the People, the Mob

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "I Am the People, the Mob" by Carl Sandburg, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: The Last Leaf

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with the short story "The Last Leaf" by O. Henry, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Alter Egos

For Students 7th - 8th
Can a person have two selves? Beyonce is also known as Sasha Fierce; Clark Kent, the newspaper reporter, transforms into Superman. The idea that a person can have "another self" is a relatively new concept. As you read about the concept...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: The Land of Story Books

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with the poem "The Land of Story-books" by Robert Louis Stevenson, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: The Children's Hour

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with the poem "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "After Twenty Years" by O. Henry

For Students 7th - 8th
William Sydney Porter (1862-1910) was an American writer better known by his pen name, O. Henry. "After Twenty Years," published in 1908, is one of his better known short stories that shows how complicated friendship can be. As you read,...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Barack Obama's Nobel Lecture

For Students 9th - 10th
Barack Obama served as the 44th President of the United States from 2009 to 2017. In 2009, Obama was also awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work strengthening international relations. In his acceptance speech, Obama discusses the...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Amelia Earhart by Barrett Smith

For Students 9th - 10th
Amelia Earhart (1897-disappeared 1937) was an American pilot and author. Earhart set many flying records and was the first woman to complete a trip across the Atlantic Ocean by herself. In this informational text, Barrett Smith discusses...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: George W. Harkins to the American People

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "George W. Harkins to the American People" by George W. Harkin, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Can You Still Have Hope When Life Seems Hopeless?

For Students 9th - 10th
The Myanmar (also known as Berma) military has been accused of human rights violations with their increasingly violent persecution of Rohingya Muslims, an ethnic and religious minority in the nation. The violence in Myanmar has displaced...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: The Two Brothers

For Students 9th - 10th
A learning module that begins with "The Two Brothers" by Leo Tolstoy, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: The Challenge

For Students 5th - 6th
A learning module that begins with the "The Challenge" by Gary Soto, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: A Thief Dines Out, Hoping Later to Eat in by Rick Bragg

For Students 9th - 10th
For most people, the threat of jail is enough to convince them to abide by society's laws. But for Gangaram Mahes, the promise of jail time is what prompts his criminal activity. In this New York Times article, Rick Bragg discusses why...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: After 40 Years, the Complete Pentagon Papers

For Students 9th - 10th
The Pentagon Papers are a history of United States' political and military involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967. In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg released portions of the documents to the press. Forty years later, the complete set of...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Walking Down Park by Nikki Giovanni

For Students 7th - 8th
Nikki Giovanni is one of the foremost authors of the Black Arts Movement and has won numerous awards. Her work ranges from covering topics on race, gender, the African American experience and social issues to children's literature and...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Turmoil in China; In Shanghai, Protesters Turn Defiant

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Turmoil in China; In Shanghai, Protesters Turn Defiant" by Richard Bernstein, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Truth

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Truth" by Nikki Grimes, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher and student...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Trailblazing Surgeon Mary Walker Still One of a Kind

For Students 7th - 8th
Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919) was an American abolitionist, prisoner of war, and surgeon. She received the highest medal one can receive in the military, the Medal of Honor, for her role as a surgeon during the Civil War. In this...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: This World

For Students 7th - 8th Standards
A learning module that begins with the poem "This World" by Mary Oliver, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: The Limits of Empathy

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "The Limits of Empathy" by David Brooks, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free teacher...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Thank You Ma'am

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with the short story "Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Teen Brain Takes Biggest Sports Hits

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Teen Brain Takes Biggest Sports Hits" by Katherine Harmon, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Teenage Inventor Alexis Lewis Thinks That Kids Have the Solutions

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Teenage Inventor Alexis Lewis Thinks That Kids Have the Solutions" by Megan Gambino, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as...