This English Language Arts lesson for 9th or 10th graders focuses on reading comprehension and vocabulary via nonfiction articles linked from commonlit.org, and addresses the following NE state standards: NE.LA 10.1.5.A; NE.LA 10.1.5.C; NE.LA 10.1.6.A; NE.LA 10.2.2.BThe lesson will take approximately 90 minutes.

The ability to ask and answer questions while reading is essential to comprehension. This article discusses instructional strategies used to teach questioning and provides many online resources. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which explores the seven essential principles of the climate sciences for teachers in k-grade 5 classrooms.

In this seminar you will be engaged by video, text, and activities that will help you identify and explain the “Author’s Purpose” of printed material. You will be using habits of mind which focus on clarity in communication, as well as accessing prior knowledge to make new decisions regarding the purpose of text. Realize that authors of any printed material have a reason for writing.  Understanding this purpose will help you develop your own comprehension and writing skills.StandardsCC.1.2.6.D - Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.  

In this plan you will find a great activity to use with students. This activity will boost your students' reading comprehension and will boost their interest for literature and story reading. This lesson supports the use of a text set (paired fiction and nonfiction texts on a similar topic) to increase student interest in and understanding of content area material and to develop critical writing skills. The more familiar format of narrative fiction introduces the topic and generates confidence in exploring the less familiar genre of nonfiction.

 The attached Lesson Plan is designed for Third Grade English Language Arts students. Students will determine character traits and provide supporting evidence from the text. They will also identify and explain why authors use literary devices, specifically similes, in their writing. This Lesson Plan addresses the following NDE Standard: NE LA 3.1.6.b and NE LA 3.1.6.c.It is expected that this Lesson Plan will take students 2- 30-40 minute sessions to complete.

 Overview: In this lesson, students closely examine Crevecoeur’s third letter in order to understand historically early American literature and the culture. Students critically read the letter and answer critical content questions to increase their knowledge. Students will take a quiz demonstrating their understanding of some of the literature of this period. Finally, in the spirit of early America, students will write their own letters defining what an American is, why immigrants should come, and what the American Dream is or if it is still alive. Students will exchange their letters with a partner for feedback and then turn them in for completion points.

In this seminar you will be engaged by video, text, and activities that will help you determine (identify/label) the author’s purpose in printed material. You will be using habits of mind which focus on clarity in communication, as well as accessing prior knowledge to make new decisions regarding the purpose of text. Realize that authors of any printed material have a reason for writing. Understanding this purpose will help you develop your own comprehension and writing skills.StandardsCC.1.2.6.D - Determine an author’s point of view or purpose in a text and explain how it is conveyed in the text.

The 11th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 11th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Students move from learning the class rituals and routines and genre features of argument writing in Unit 11.1 to learning about narrative and informational genres in Unit 11.2: The American Short Story. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

In this 5-day unit, students will explore the topic of cheating. Cheating seems to be ever-present in today’s society. Whether we are talking about athletes being busted for using steroids or students “sharing” answers and plagiarizing on final exams, one thing is clear—there’s a whole lot of cheating going on. In this unit, students will take a look at some contemporary instances of cheating and argue whether under certain situations cheating is not only excusable, but also justifiable.

In this lesson, students will share annotations and discuss the articles “Don’t Alter Models’ Bodies” and “Is Photoshop Destroying America’s Body Image?” Then they will write an argument in which they state their claim, present relevant evidence, and respond to counterarguments.

In this short unit, students will spend three lessons exploring the importance of themes and main ideas in fiction and informational texts.  Now would be a good time to have them take an assessment of their reading and writing skills. They'll explore theme through O. Henry's classic short story  "The Gift of the Magi" and consider how this piece compares to the main idea in the article "The Proven Power of Giving, Not Getting."

In this lesson, students will consider whether aphorisms are trite, true, or both. They’ll think about the theme of “The Gift of the Magi” and read an informational article on a similar subject.

The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 12th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

In this short unit, students will spend three lessons exploring some of Abraham Lincoln's speeches. Students will explore Lincoln's themes and consider how they address the issues of his time, and they'll analyze the literary and rhetorical devices he used to express his ideas.

In this lesson, students will continue analyzing Lincoln’s first inaugural address. They’ll read two more of his speeches, including the Gettysburg Address. Then, they’ll analyze his themes and the ways that he used literary and rhetorical devices.

In this 5-day unit, students will explore the topic of love. After reading six poems from writers in the 16th and 17th centuries, they will decide which poet had a better idea than the others about how to express love to a young woman.

Over the next two lessons, students will complete the culminating assessment for this unit.In this lesson, students will read text and answer questions that reflect their reading comprehension. Some questions will ask students to select from a group of answers supplied. Other questions will ask students to construct their own answers and write them in the space provided.

Students will practice reading, oral and listening skills based on the theme Van Gogh’s Bedroom in Arles, by working with a virtual tour of the painter’s bedroom and by producing their own recordings of podcasts about the virtual tour.

Evaluating has been called one of the six most important reading comprehension strategies. In this article, it is also considered as a strategy for analyzing and interpreting data. This professional development article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which integrates science education and literacy instruction for K-grade 5 teachers. Each issue examines one of the recognized essential principles of climate literacy and the climate sciences and one or more reading strategies for elementary teachers and their students.