EngageNY
Forming Evidence-Based Claims: Should Lyddie Sign the Petition?
Pupils reread selected passages from Katherine Paterson's novel Lyddie. After they finish, individuals gather textual evidence supporting whether Lyddie should sign a controversial petition and record their findings on graphic organizers.
EngageNY
Framing Lyddie’s Decision and Practicing Evidence Based Claims
Scholars grapple with whether the title character of Katherine Paterson's novel, Lyddie, should sign a petition about working conditions at the factory. They engage in close reading and discussion before adding their thinking about the...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment about Working Conditions in the Mills
Pupils demonstrate their knowledge of how setting impacts character development by completing a mid-unit assessment based on Katherine Paterson's novel Lyddie. They answer multiple-choice questions and cite textual evidence to explain...
PBS
The Symbolism of Castle's Bedroom in Ghost
To conclude a unit study of Jason Reynold's Ghost, class members examine how Castle's feeling about his bedroom change over the course of the novel. Groups use the provided graphic organizer to identify the plot of the novel and then use...
PBS
The Symbolism of Sneakers in Ghost
As part of a study of Jason Reynold's Ghost, readers take a close look at sneaker culture and how Reynold uses sneakers as a symbol in his award-winning young adult novel. Groups explore links to "Sneakerology 101", a Carnegie Mellon...
PBS
The Symbolism of Sunflower Seeds in Ghost
Ghost by Jason Reynolds is a coming-of-age book that resonates with teenagers who have experienced childhood trauma. Explore the novel with an interactive resource that focuses on the author's use of symbolism, particularly with...
PBS
Figuring Out Figurative Language in The Outsiders
S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders is well known for its relatable characters and plot, but don't forget how effective the book's figurative language can be! Check out an interactive resource that explores how figurative language comes alive...
PBS
Symbolism and Personification in The Outsiders
A shirt can't really swallow you—right? Readers find examples of symbolism and personification in S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders with two straightforward lessons.
Read Write Think
Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot!
Have you ever looked for a new way to teach an old concept? Scholars thinking about the rising action of a story in a whole new perspective. However, Book Report Alternative: Rewind the Plot! challenges readers and allows for much...
Louisiana Department of Education
How to Write a Memoir
Who are we and what shapes our identities? Seventh graders work to answer this question as they learn how to write a memoir. Full of non-print resources and supplemental texts that range from fiction to non-fiction, scholars write their...
Prestwick House
Vocabulary in Context: Wilderness Survival
Do you have what it takes to survive in the wilderness? A high-interest reading passage offers practical advice while incorporating vocabulary practice. Follow-up worksheets focus on skills such as defining words, making inferences, and...
Project WET Foundation
The Blue Planet
What a neat interactive that interacts with the amount of water on Earth's surface. It begins with a brief audio introduction of the Blue Planet and how it got its name. Then, users click on the activity to play a game that calculates...
Curriculum Corner
7th Grade ELA Common Core Checklists
Track your class's progress on all of the ELA Common Core standards with these handy charts. Along the left side, each seventh grade identifier is listed along with the full text of the standard. As you teach, reteach, assess, and...
Curated OER
Edgar Allan Poe Short Story WebQuest
Introduce your class to Edgar Allan Poe with a series of mostly self-guided tasks and assignments. Class members follow the list of tasks, starting by watching a video with background information and ending with a compare-and-contrast...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Solving Word Meanings: Engaging Strategies for Vocabulary Dev.
A 5-lesson unit where students learn to use context clues and semantic gradients together to determine the meanings of unfamiliar words.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Context Clues
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart gives students practice using context to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word. Included are practice activities and assessment pages.
Other
Cambridge University Press: Cambridge Dictionaries Online
Search this online dictionary which includes the Cambridge International Dictionary of English, American English, Dictionary of Idioms, and Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs and English/Spanish translations. L.9-10.4c References, L.11-12.4c...
McGraw Hill
Mc Graw Hill: Vocabulary Acquisition and Use: Use Context Clues
See models of different types of context clues, and practice finding meanings of words in context.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Understanding New Vocabulary Within Context
Learn how to find the meanings of words through analogy and other word relationships.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Understand New Vocabulary Within Context (English 6 Reading)
You will learn how to use context (e.g., cause and effect or compare and contrast organizational text structures) to determine or clarify the meaning of unfamiliar or multiple-meaning words.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Understand New Vocabulary Within Context (English 7 Reading)
You will learn how to determine or clarify the meaning of words using context within a sentence and in larger sections of text.
Student Achievement Partners
Achieve the Core: "Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution"
Lesson plan explores the meaning of the words in the Preamble to the Constitution.
Other
Visuwords: Visuwords Online Graphical Dictionary and Thesaurus
Visuwords is an online graphical dictionary which you must see to believe! It is highly interactive and allows you to create diagrams, to drag and drop, pass over words to see their meanings, and much much more. It can be as easy or as...
Other
Heinle: Newbury House Dictionary of American English
The Newbury House Dictionary provides simple and clear definitions. Also includes sample sentences, idioms, and a wide array of cultural facts and figures. Students may also view photographs related to the words.