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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Legacies

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Legacies" by Nikki Giovanni, 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...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Jabari Unmasked

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with the poem "Jabari Unmasked" 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...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Gate a 4

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with "Gate A-4" Naomi Shihab Nye, 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...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Funeral by Ralph Fletcher

For Students 5th - 6th
A learning module that begins with the "Funeral" by Ralph Fletcher, 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...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Amigo Brothers by Piri Thomas

For Students 7th - 8th
Piri Thomas (1928-2011) was a writer and poet, best known for his memoir Down These Mean Streets. Thomas was born to a Puerto Rican mother and Cuban father. During his childhood, Thomas lived in East Harlem, which became known as...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Alaska Accelerates Indoor Agriculture by Emily Schwing

For Students 7th - 8th
Greenhouses can allow produce to grow in even the coldest conditions. In this informational text, Emily Schwing discusses the use of greenhouses in Alaska during its harsh winters. It also offers a guided reading mode, an assessment,...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Teenagers Who Don't Get Enough Sleep Mental Health Problems

For Students 7th - 8th
In this informational text, Tori Rodriguez discusses the effect of not getting enough sleep on teenagers' mental health. It also offers guided reading, an assessment, and discussion questions. [Free account registration required for...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Names/nombres

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

Common Lit: Seventh Grade

For Students 5th - 6th
A learning module that begins with the "Seventh Grade" 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...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: The Drive in Movies

For Students 5th - 6th
A learning module that begins with the "The Drive-In Movies" 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...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: u.s. Attacked; Hijacked Jets Destroy Twin Towers and Hit Pentagon

For Students 7th - 8th
In this article, N.R. Kleinfield reports on the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The article focuses on the destruction of the World Trade Center's Twin Towers in New York City after they were hit by two hijacked passenger jets....
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: Tickle Tackle Botticelli

For Students 3rd - 4th
A learning module that begins with the poem "Tickle Tackle Botticelli" by JonArno Lawson, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "Hearts and Hands" by O. Henry

For Students 7th - 9th
A learning module that begins with "Hearts and Hands" 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 teacher and...
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Unit Plan
CommonLit

Common Lit: "The Terror" by Junot Diaz

For Students 7th - 8th
A learning module that begins with the nonfiction story "The Terror" by Junot Diaz, accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through free...