$5 - $10 English Language Arts Thematic Unit Plans (by date, latest first)

Bring the heartwarming and inspiring Disney+ adaptation of Out of My Mind into your classroom with this comprehensive movie guide and activity bundle. Perfect for grades 5-8, this resource engages students in thoughtful discussion, critical analysis, and creative reflection while exploring key themes of inclusion, perseverance, and advocacy.

What’s Included:

Pre-Watching Activities:

• Agree/Disagree/Justify Statements: Students reflect on key themes like inclusion, disability, and perseverance before viewing the movie.
• Author Investigation: Research questions about Sharon M. Draper’s life, career, and motivations for writing Out of My Mind.

During-Watching Questions:

• 3 Open-Ended Discussion Questions: Encourage critical thinking and active viewing, focusing on the film’s characters, themes, and key moments.

Post-Watching Reflection:

• Creative Reflection Choices: Students choose from a variety of activities, including:

• A personal essay exploring connections to Melody’s story.

• A diary entry written from the perspective of a character.

• A 6-panel brochure highlighting the movie’s plot, characters, and themes.

Skills Covered:

• Critical Thinking: Through open-ended questions and reflection activities.
• Research Skills: Investigating Sharon M. Draper’s life and work.
• Creative Expression: Writing diary entries, essays, or designing brochures.
• Empathy and Inclusion: Exploring themes that challenge perspectives and foster understanding.

Why Teachers Love It:

Engaging & Flexible: Perfect for a wide range of learners with multiple activity options.
Low Prep: Ready-to-use activities designed for easy implementation.
Standards-Aligned: Meets objectives in reading comprehension, writing, and critical thinking.

Perfect For:

• Movie Companion Activities
• SEL Lessons on Inclusion and Perseverance
• Sub Plans or Flexible Learning Days
• Cross-Curricular Connections in ELA and Social Studies

This complete guide offers everything you need to turn Out of My Mind into a powerful teaching moment. Inspire your students to think deeply, reflect creatively, and grow in understanding with this must-have resource. Grab it today!

Additional resources with similar themes: 18-Day Disabilities & Equity Unit Grades 6+ Project, Essay, Assessments, Seminar

Kids love songs! Use these original rhyming songs/poems to sing and move as you learn about color words. Students will learn to spell color words and focus on easy to read, decodable CVC words as they locate and circle the color word for the day.

Over two weeks of daily activities to use at the beginning of school t introduce your young learners to color words.

This activity is easy to pair with my Color Word Craft Book and Color Word Daily Sheets to round out your perfect intro to teaching color words to your kindergarten or first grade class.

Color Word Craft Book

Color Word Sheets

Check out my other listings here and don't forget to earn TeachShare credits by leaving a review for Keeper of Kinders!

This Goldilocks thematic unit incorporates literacy learning, math skills and dramatic play.

Printable “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” story book Black/White so children can color the illustrations and take the book home

Pocket chart word cards from the story

Character development activities (focusing on the emotions of the characters)

Apology letter from Goldilocks to the bears

“Big and Small” easy reader book, focusing on size

Sorting bears by size and color

“Whose is it?” activity focusing on small, medium and large

Counting, number recognition and basic subtraction

Printable gameboard to reinforce counting skills

Memory game

“Bears” banner

Printable bear mask (in color or black/white)

Dramatic play placemats

This packet contains activities designed to enrich any Preschool or Kindergarten study about railroads or trains. The activities will help to reach academic and social goals, and can be used with the themes of "Transportation", "Travel", "Trains" and more.

The activities in this packet include:

★ "Animals on a Train" printable book (in color and B/W)

★ Follow-up activity for the book... "Draw the animals on your train"

★ Poem: "The Big Train" (focusing on color words)

★ Pocket Chart Word Cards for the color words in "The Big Train" and coordinating color train pictures

★Journal page writing prompt

★ Train Math Matching Game

★Train Number Line

★ Printable Train Tickets

★ Printable Train Job Cards (use these to help students remember their role in dramatic play)

★ Signs and a printable banner to enhance dramatic play fun

This is a differentiated mini-unit on Elizabethan England to prepare students for studying Shakespeare's works! It can be used as an introduction to any of Shakespeare's plays. It begins with a day of research into Shakespeare's life and times, then asks students to create a group collage on their topic and ultimately perform a presentation of their findings.

Included in this product:

- Rationale for Project

- English Language Arts Frameworks

- 4 Meticulously Explained Lesson Plans

- Extensive explanation of differentiation strategies embedded in lessons (Perfectly aligned with Standard II of Teacher Evaluations)

- 5 Separate packets with questions for 5 separate topics

- Rubric

- Picture of my students' work from this year

This is an engaging group project that keeps students working from start to finish while playing to their very different strengths. I have put hours upon hours into this project so that you don't have to - truly, you will find that it runs itself!

_____________________________________________________________________________

Also, check out these great products to add to your Shakespeare unit:

⭐ Introduction to Shakespeare Powerpoint, Scavenger Hunt & Lesson Plan

⭐ Shakespeare ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Shakespeare Bell Ringer Journal Prompts

⭐ Shakespeare Crossword Puzzle

⭐ Shakespeare's "Death Lines" Activity

⭐ Shakespeare's Epitaph Assignment

⭐ Shakespeare Valentine's Day Lesson Plan

⭐ Sonnet 130 Valentine's Day Lesson Plan

⭐ Sonnet 18 Valentine's Day Lesson Plan

⭐ William Shakespeare Quote Posters

___________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

This is a full unit plan for reading Lord of the Flies by William Golding through a choice of two different lenses: Psychology or Gender. You'll receive the full Unit Plan in a grid format, as well as every assignment for both lenses.

Students will be put in groups according to their chosen lens and will explore a number of resources pertaining to their lens. They'll complete a wide variety of assignments, including a Double Entry Journal, Socratic Seminar, Symbolism Word Splash and Explanation, Theme Formal Essay, and Characterization Creative Situational Writing. The directions and rubric are included for each assignment. Since it's in a Google Doc, it's all ready for you to post and have your students complete digitally, OR you can print it out and have then do it that way, too!

Please let me know if you have any questions! My students LOVED being in charge of their own learning by choosing how they would read the text and having all of the assignments laid out for them right from the beginning. Thanks for looking!

This preschool apple unit will give preschoolers a fun and engaging way to learn about apples and to learn about the letter A. These apple preschool lesson plans contain a variety of activities that cover the alphabet, beginning sounds, preschool math skills, science, art, and so much more!

What is Included:

• There is a lesson overview that lists the activities with the subject or skill area the activity falls in.
• Art and Crafts Activities: There is a craft template for building an apple out of the letter a, a dot painting page for the letter A and an apple, and an instructional page for two additional crafts.
• Math Activities: There is a simple graphing page, a AB patterning page, a counting to 10 activity, shape sorting, and an ordering images by size activity.
• Language Activities: The activities in this section include sorting capital and lowercase letter As, finding the letter A dot mats, beginning sound sort, and a "my favorite apple" writing journal page.
• Handwriting Activities: There are tracing lines activities as well as worksheets for practicing the correct letter formation of both the capital and lowercase letter A.
• History Activity: This section includes a short story about Johnny Appleseed.
• Science Activities: This section includes an apple life cycle chart and cards as well as an apple investigation activity.
• Fine Motor Activities: The activities in this section include a playdough mat for making an apple out of playdough as well as cards for students to build different apple themed items using connecting cubes.
• Games and Indoor Recess Ideas: There is one game idea for students to act out being different things and actions associated with apples. The second game is a hide and seek game for number recognition practice.
• Snacks and Cooking Ideas: This section includes ideas for snacks and a cooking activity that students can assist with in the classroom.
• Songs and Chants: This section includes some songs and chants for learning the letter A and about apples!
• Sensory Bin Activities: This section includes mats for sorting by color as well as ideas on how to fill a sensory bin with an apple theme!
• Dramatic Play: This section includes ideas on how to set up your dramatic play area with an apple theme. There are also some printables that can help you decorate your center!
• Circle Time Posters: This section includes posters to use during circle time that focus on the letter counting, relevant colors, and shapes.
• The final two pages are suggestions for more activities if you need more on a particular skill or subject.

Check out the preview for a more comprehensive look at the activities in this packet!

This apple themed preschool unit is designed to be used during an apple themed week where students are also learning about the letter A. By connecting a letter to the theme, students will have a meaningful way to remember the letter they are learning. The activities can be stretched to use over 2 weeks if needed, as many of the activities are reusable.

There is a mixture of no prep and low prep activities on a variety of skills and subjects. This allows teachers to be flexible and use only the activities that the teacher desires to complete. The activities in this packet can be completed in any order.

This preschool ball unit will give preschoolers a fun and engaging way to learn about different sports and the balls they use, as well as to learn about the letter B. These ball preschool lesson plans contain a variety of activities that cover the alphabet, beginning sounds, preschool math skills, science, art, and so much more!

What is Included:

• There is a lesson overview that lists the activities with the subject or skill area the activity falls in.
• Art and Crafts Activities: There is a craft template for building a letter B out of a ball, a dot painting page for the letter B and a beach ball, and an instructional page for additional crafts.
• Math Activities: There is a simple graphing page, a patterning center, and a counting to 10 activity.
• Language Activities: The activities in this section include sorting capital and lowercase letter Bs, finding the letter B dot mats, beginning sound sort, words that rhyme with ball activity, and a "my favorite sports" writing journal page.
• Handwriting Activities: There are tracing lines activities as well as worksheets for practicing the correct letter formation of both the capital and lowercase letter B. Students will also trace circles.
• Social Studies Activity: Students will learn how to be a good winner and looser by learning about sportsmanship.
• Science Activities: Students will have the opportunity to explore how balls bounce and roll!
• Fine Motor Activities: The activities in this section include playdough mats for making different kinds of balls out of playdough as well as cards for students to build different types of balls using connecting cubes.
• Games and Indoor Recess Ideas: There is one game idea for students to act out being different things and actions associated with sports. There are instructions for 3 other ball related games that make recess activities.
• Snacks and Cooking Ideas: This section includes a list of snacks shaped like balls that kids can try.
• Songs and Chants: This section includes some songs and chants for learning the letter B and about balls!
• Sensory Bin Activities: This section includes mats for sorting by color as well as ideas on how to fill a sensory bin with a ball theme!
• Dramatic Play: This section includes ideas on how to set up your dramatic play area with a concession stand. There are also some printables that can help you decorate your center!
• Circle Time Posters: This section includes posters to use during circle time that focus on the letter counting, relevant colors, and shapes.
• The final two pages are suggestions for more activities if you need more on a particular skill or subject.

Check out the preview for a more comprehensive look at the activities in this packet!

This ball themed preschool unit is designed to be used during a sports or ball themed week where students are also learning about the letter B. By connecting a letter to the theme, students will have a meaningful way to remember the letter they are learning. The activities can be stretched to use over 2 weeks if needed, as many of the activities are reusable.

There is a mixture of no prep and low prep activities on a variety of skills and subjects. This allows teachers to be flexible and use only the activities that the teacher desires to complete. The activities in this packet can be completed in any order.

This preschool ball unit will give preschoolers a fun and engaging way to learn about pumpkins, as well as to learn about the letter P. These pumpkin preschool lesson plans contain a variety of activities that cover the alphabet, beginning sounds, preschool math skills, science, art, and so much more!

What is Included:

• There is a lesson overview that lists the activities with the subject or skill area the activity falls in.
• Art and Crafts Activities: There are instructions for creating 2 different pumpkin crafts as well as a dot painting page for P is for Pumpkin.
• Math Activities: Students will practice counting to 10, ordering by size, and identifying shapes.
• Language Activities: The activities in this section include sorting capital and lowercase letter Ps, finding the letter P dot mats, beginning sound sort, and a "pumpkin patch" writing journal page.
• Handwriting Activities: There are tracing lines activities as well as worksheets for practicing the correct letter formation of both the capital and lowercase letter P. There are tracing activities for tracing lines and shapes.
• Social Studies Activity: Students will learn where pumpkins originally game from.
• Science Activities: Students will learn about the life cycle of a pumpkin, the parts of a pumpkin, and complete a pumpkin investigation.
• Fine Motor Activities: The activities in this section include playdough mats for making different kinds of pumpkins out of playdough as well as cards for students to build different types of pumpkins using connecting cubes.
• Games and Indoor Recess Ideas: There is one game idea for students to act out being different actions associated with pumpkins. There are instructions for 2 other pumpkin themed gross motor games about pumpkins. Students are also able to play a pocket chart game that practices letter recognition.
• Snacks and Cooking Ideas: This section includes three recipes for easy to make pumpkin snacks.
• Songs and Chants: This section includes some songs and chants for learning the letter P and about pumpkins!
• Sensory Bin Activities: This section includes mats for sorting by size, and two ideas for pumpkin themed sensory bins.
• Dramatic Play: This section includes ideas on how to set up your dramatic play area with a pumpkin patch. There are also some printables that can help you decorate your center!
• Circle Time Posters: This section includes posters to use during circle time that focus on the letter counting, relevant colors, and shapes.
• The final two pages are suggestions for more activities if you need more on a particular skill or subject.

Check out the preview for a more comprehensive look at the activities in this packet!

This pumpkin themed preschool unit is designed to be used during a fall or Halloween themed week where students are also learning about the letter P. By connecting a letter to the theme, students will have a meaningful way to remember the letter they are learning. The activities can be stretched to use over 2 weeks if needed, as many of the activities are reusable.

There is a mixture of no prep and low prep activities on a variety of skills and subjects. This allows teachers to be flexible and use only the activities that the teacher desires to complete. The activities in this packet can be completed in any order.