EngageNY
Development of the Plot: Impending Danger and Turmoil
Danger! Scholars look closely at two poems, 'TV News' and 'Closed Too Soon.' While reading, learners think about Ha's country's increasing dangers and conflict. They record their thoughts in graphic organizers and discuss what details...
EngageNY
Analyzing the Model Essay: Studying Argument (Chapter 27 Plus Synthesis of Scenes in Previous Chapters)
Scholars partner up to review a model essay and talk through the process leading up to writing their essays. During a second reading of the essay, learners locate and underline the claim given, reasons, and counterclaim. They then...
EngageNY
Building Background Knowledge: The Internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII, Part 1
It is all in the details. Scholars read The Life of Miné Okubo and pay special attention to details that reveal Okubo's character. Completing their Understanding Miné: Character Traits graphic organizers and recalling the descriptions...
EngageNY
Analyzing Different Mediums: Advantages and Disadvantages
How do authors play to people's moods? After briefly reviewing mood using a Conditional and Subjunctive Mood handout, learners practice identifying conditional and subjunctive sentences in the Montgomery Bus Boycott speech before reading...
EngageNY
Speech Structure: Unions as Agents of Change— Part 2
Scholars continue reading César Chávez's 1984 speech, "Address to the Commonwealth Club of California." Working with partners, they complete graphic organizers to determine a claim that Chávez makes about the UFW.
Teaching Tolerance
Why Do We (Still) Celebrate Columbus Day?
What are we really celebrating on Columbus Day? The resource explores the narrative behind Columbus Day and ways for people to change the perception. Scholars also review vocabulary terms associated with the topic and how attitudes have...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Research Task: Comparing and Contrasting Texts
It's the half-way mark! Pupils demonstrate understanding of unit standards by completing a mid-unit assessment. After reading an informational article about water management strategies, scholars complete a graphic organizer to identify...
EngageNY
Writing with Evidence: Percy and the Hero’s Journey (Chapter 7)
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...
EngageNY
Analyzing Details in “Prometheus” for Elements of Mythology and Theme
Well isn't that clever? Scholars read Prometheus, a tale describes the clever Greek god and trickster. They tune into details and complete graphic organizers that reveal the theme of the text.
EngageNY
Jigsaw, Part 1: Good Masters! Sweet Ladies!
Complete a puzzle one piece at a time. Scholars gather in triads to complete jigsaw activities over a monologue from Good Masters! Sweet Ladies. They read as a group and independently and use sticky notes to identify the gist of...
EngageNY
Analyzing Point of View and Figurative Language: Chapter 1
Check out the view! Scholars complete a graphic organizer to analyze how Laurence Yep develops a character's point of view in Dragonwings. Additionally, pupils re-read parts of the novel and annotate the text on sticky notes, looking for...
EngageNY
Analyzing Point of View and Figurative Language: Chapter 3
Get to the point ... the point of view, that is! Pupils analyze Laurence Yep's Dragonwings for tone, figurative language, and point of view by completing graphic organizers. Scholars also read an excerpt from the novel and record...
EngageNY
Introducing The Lost Garden and Finding Evidence of Laurence Yep’s Perspective on What It’s like to Fit into Another Culture on Pages 66– 67 of Dragonwings
How does culture shape perspective? Pupils consider the question as they read an excerpt from Laurence Yep's autobiography, The Lost Garden. Using a graphic organizer, they gather textual evidence and make inferences about the author's...
EngageNY
Analyzing Author’s Point of View: Earthquake Excerpt of “Comprehending the Calamity”
How do authors convey their points of view? Using the resource, scholars read an excerpt from a primary source document about the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. Then, they complete graphic organizers to analyze the author's point of view.
EngageNY
Researching: Eyewitness Accounts, Part 1
Time to go on a quote hunt! Because learners cannot interview real eye witnesses for their newspaper articles, they read through text The Great Earthquake and Fires of 1906 looking for quotes to answer their questions. Learners...
EngageNY
End of Unit 1 Assessment: Analyzing Author’s Point of View and How it is Conveyed
One step at a time. Scholars complete the end of unit assessment by reading pages 70–75 of World without Fish and analyzing each paragraph one at a time. They highlight key words leading to author's point of view and complete a...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment: Tracing an Argument in an Article and a Video
Pesticides—unnecessary pollutants or positive application? Learners watch a video about DDT and read Rachel Carson: Sounding the Alarm on
Pollution for their mid-unit assessment. They complete graphic organizers, answer multiple-choice...
Center for History Education
Fighting for Whose Freedom? Black Soldiers in the American Revolution
Fight for freedom! The lesson delves into the world of African American soldiers during the American Revolution. Scholars read documents, such as the Dunmore Proclamation, to understand how the British government treated African...
EngageNY
Identifying Supporting Reasons and Evidence for an Opinion: Exploring Why Jackie Robinson Was the Right Man to Break the Color Barrier (Promises to Keep, Pages 26–29)
Breaking barriers is not an easy thing to do. Scholars read a section in Promises to Keep and summarize how Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in baseball. They write the gist of the passage in their journals and then complete...
PBS
Ebola Outbreak
As of April, 2016, more than 28,000 suspected cases of Ebola were recorded in Western Africa with over 11,000 human deaths. Classes discuss the Ebola virus outbreak in 2014 and then groups develop an action plan based on...
Curated OER
Creating a Story Map Using Kidspiration
Fourth graders use computer software, Kidspiration, to create a graphic organizer detailing main characters, setting, problem, solution, and theme of their favorite short story. Students also discover how graphic organizers can help them...
Curated OER
Build Mastery: Main Idea
Use a graphic organizer to get readers thinking about main ideas as they record the who, what, where, when, and why of a story. Consider modeling this process completely before kids do this independently. They fill in five boxes charting...
Curated OER
Web It!
Looking for a way to bring prewriting into your informative writing unit? Use this lesson to reinforce writing skills in your eighth grade language arts class. Young writers use a web graphic organizer as a prewriting tool for expository...
Curated OER
The Human Body - Five Types of Human Cells
Students complete a chart/graphic organizer based on the reading passage and locate specific information within the reading passage to complete the Human Body Cells Chart. They then utilize the Human Body Cells Chart to complete the...