$5 - $10 Close Reading Resources (by date, latest first)

Boost your students' understanding of story elements and plot structure with this comprehensive printable pack of 10 reading comprehension passages designed for grades 4-6. Each passage explores story elements like characters, setting, plot, and structure through engaging, age-appropriate content. Perfect for reinforcing plot comprehension and encouraging students to delve deeper into narrative details.

With two activity worksheet options per passage, this pack provides flexibility and variety:

• Worksheet 1: Includes 10 multiple-choice questions focusing on plot comprehension and story elements.
• Worksheet 2: Features 12 higher-order questions in multiple formats to boost higher-order thinking skills.

This resource contains 50 pages total, making it easy to print and go for fast, effective lesson planning. Ideal for ELA classrooms in grades 4-6, each activity comes with an answer key for efficient assessment.

Why You’ll Love This Resource:

• Focus on Key Story Elements: Each passage highlights plot structure and essential story elements.
• Print and Use: No prep required—simply print and go!
• Versatile Formats: Choose from multiple-choice or mixed-question worksheets to meet diverse learning needs.
• Grades 4-6 Comprehension: Aligned with common ELA standards for upper elementary grades.

Use this story elements pack to deepen plot comprehension and improve students’ ability to analyze and understand story structure—all while fostering a love of reading!

I hope you find this resource just as helpful for your students as it has been for mine!

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Keep your students engaged all month long with this January Writing Prompts 1st Grade and 1st Grade New Year Reading Comprehension bundle!

This pack includes:

✨ January Writing Prompts with Crafts – 20 fun prompts paired with adorable winter-themed crafts. Great for morning work, centers, or writing practice!
MLK & New Year Reading Comprehension Passages – Build reading skills with passages about Martin Luther King Jr. and the New Year, complete with three differentiated questions for each passage.

❄️ Why Teachers Love It:
✔️ Perfect for 1st-grade learners
✔️ Supports creativity and comprehension
✔️ Fun, seasonal themes for January lessons

Boost engagement and learning in your classroom with this ready-to-use bundle!

Let’s Connect!
Hi there! I’m Chasity, a first-grade teacher with a Specialist Degree in Elementary Education. I create resources that save time, build foundational skills, and make learning fun for young learners.

Join my email list to get exclusive freebies, teaching tips, and resources straight to your inbox—plus, grab your free CVC passages instantly!
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I can’t wait to hear how this resource helps your students thrive!

This is a GROWING BUNDLE of my 1st Grade Reading Passages with Comprehension Questions! These resources are designed to help first-grade teachers solve the challenge of finding high-quality, engaging, and low-prep reading comprehension materials that align with monthly and holiday themes.

With 20 passages per month, this bundle is perfect for teachers looking for ready-to-use resources that promote fluency, text-based comprehension, and confidence in their readers. Each passage includes text-dependent comprehension questions, making it easy for students to practice finding answers directly in the text.

What’s Currently Included?

• November Reading Passages with Comprehension Questions
• December Reading Passages with Comprehension Questions
• January Reading Passages with Comprehension Questions

What’s Coming Next?

This growing bundle will include 12 months of reading comprehension passages.

• February Passages: Available by January 15th
• March Passages: Available by February 15th
• April Passages: Available by March 15th
• May Passages: Available by April 15th
• June Passages: Available by May 15th
• July Passages: Available by June 15th
• August Passages: Available by July 15th
• September Passages: Available by August 15th
• October Passages: Available by September 15th

When you purchase this bundle now, you’ll lock in the current price and receive all future updates for free! As more months are added, the price will increase, and once complete, this bundle will value at $36+!

Why You’ll Love This Bundle:

• Includes 20 reading comprehension passages per month
• Aligned with monthly and holiday themes to keep students engaged year-round
• Saves teachers time and effort with low-prep resources
• Promotes fluency practice and strengthens text-based comprehension skills
• Perfect for use in reading centers, small groups, independent practice, and homework

Why You Will LOVE This Bundle

Teachers often spend hours searching for meaningful reading comprehension materials that fit into their monthly curriculum and holiday units. This bundle provides a consistent, high-quality resource every month, ensuring your students get engaging and purposeful practice without the extra planning time.

These 1st Grade Reading Passages with Comprehension Questions are designed to support young readers in developing confidence, fluency, and comprehension all year long.

Grab this bundle today to start using the included passages immediately, and watch your students grow as readers! Don’t forget to leave feedback—it helps others and earns you TeachShare credits for future purchases.

Let’s connect! Sign up to receive weekly freebies and teaching tips straight to your mailbox! Click here!

Looking for the perfect Christmas 1st Grade Busy Work Packet? This holiday bundle includes text evidence comprehension passages and math practice activities packed into over 40 pages of engaging, no-prep materials. With a math and reading comprehension sheet for every school day in December, this resource will keep students focused, learning, and on task right up until Christmas break.

What’s Included:

• Christmas Comprehension Passages: Build essential text evidence skills with short, engaging stories and questions that promote critical thinking.
• Math Practice Activities: Reinforce key math concepts like addition, subtraction, and number sense with fun, holiday-themed problems tailored for 1st graders.
• Daily Practice Sheets: Simplify your planning with ready-to-use activities for every day in December.
• Over 40 Pages: A wide variety of activities designed to keep students engaged and progressing all month long.
• No Prep Format: The planning and prepping is all done for you, so you can simply print and go.

Perfect For:

• Morning Work or Centers
• Fast Finishers
• December Classroom Activities
• Substitute Teacher Plans
• Engaging Holiday Lessons

Enjoy extra time to focus on grading, planning, or even just taking a moment to breathe—this resource has everything you need to make your December stress-free and successful. Get your Christmas 1st Grade Busy Work Packet today and keep your classroom running smoothly all month long!

Let’s connect! Sign up to receive weekly freebies and teaching tips straight to your mailbox! Click here!

The book, Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas is great for children ages 7 - 13 years old, as they can relate with Bree as she moves to a new state, starts a new middle school, makes friends along the way and the challenges with friendships she struggles to maintain, the lack of self confidence she has, and she becomes more confident along the way, how she solves disagreements with friends, tries her best, shares her talents with others, adjusts to changes that occur in her life, learning that it is okay not to be friends with everyone, the importance of friendship, doing things that you want to do - being a leader instead of a follower, and how to handle stressful situations, anxiety, conflict, and bullying.

The comprehension questions in this product relate with the text as well as students own experiences. Vocabulary words, their meanings, and example sentences are presented in the packet. Students can also write vocabulary words in sentences. As the book is being read aloud, as students are reading the book or after the book has been read, students can answer the comprehension questions in this packet. Comprehension questions are broken down into chapters that match the book's 9 chapters. An answer key is provided at the end of this product. Students can also answer comprehension questions towards the end of the packet as well that relate with the entire book.

If you download this product, and found it useful, please leave me a positive review! :)

Students love Kwame Alexander's verse novel The Crossover, and I love the rigor of these power worksheets! His novel is organized into sections just like a basketball game including:

• Warm-up free download here!
• First quarter
• Second quarter
• Third quarter
• Fourth quarter
• Overtime

This resource covers all of the poems in the First Quarter section; with each poem accompanying two pages of guided practice with middle school ELA standards including:

• Vocabulary and dictionary practice
• Inferencing
• Identifying figurative language 
• Making text-to-self connections
• compare and contrast characters
• Identifying Imagery
• Text structure
• Analyzing point of view

Did you know The Crossover is coming to Disney+? The novel is set to release a miniseries in 2023! If your class loves this text, check out my other resources:

• The Crossover Warm Up Standard Aligned handout for each poem! PDF & PPT (TeachShare.com)
• The Crossover First Quarter Standard Aligned handout for each poem! PDF & PPT (TeachShare.com)
• The Crossover Basketball Rules Motivational and Plot Posters PNG/PDF (TeachShare.com)

Looking for a versatile resource that works with any fiction novel? This Lit Circle Packet is perfect for Upper Elementary and middle school students, offering a wide range of engaging activities designed to encourage deep analysis, creativity, and critical thinking, regardless of the novel being studied. Whether you're working on a class novel, independent reading, or small group book clubs, this resource provides a comprehensive approach to exploring literature.

What’s Included: This packet includes 20 flexible and meaningful activities that can be applied to any fiction text. From character analysis to creative writing, each activity is designed to help students engage with and understand the story on a deeper level.

Activities:

1. Summary – Students summarize key events of each chapter to track the story’s development.
2. List the Characters – Identify characters and describe their roles or actions in the chapter.
3. I Predict... – Students make predictions based on text evidence, promoting critical thinking.
4. Significant Quote – Choose a key quote and explain its importance to the story’s themes or characters.
5. Illustrate an Important Scene – Draw and explain a pivotal moment from the chapter.
6. Vocabulary – Define new words, use them in context, and draw pictures to reinforce meaning.
7. Character Adjectives – Describe the protagonist with three adjectives and support one with text evidence.
8. Musical Playlist for the Main Character – Create a playlist that represents the character's journey or emotions.
9. Character Identity – Explore six key elements of the character’s identity and support with text from the novel.
10. Window and Mirror – Compare and contrast yourself with the main character, identifying similarities and differences.
11. Conflict Analysis – Identify and explain three types of conflict (e.g., character vs. character, self, society, etc.).
12. Text Conversation – Write a text message conversation between yourself and a character to help them solve their conflict.
13. Setting Analysis – Explore how different settings impact the characters and the story’s events.
14. Imagery of Setting – Use sensory details to describe a setting and analyze the mood it creates.
15. Theme Statements – Write three universal theme statements that apply to the novel’s message or lesson.
16. Rewrite the Ending – Get creative by rewriting the final chapter or scene using the author’s tone and style.
17. Comic Strip – Draw a comic strip of four key moments from the story, showing the progression of the plot.
18. Breaking News – Write a newspaper article about a major event in the story, reporting it as breaking news.
19. Expository Essay – Write an essay explaining how the protagonist changes throughout the novel, supported by evidence.
20. Argumentative Essay – Argue whether the protagonist’s critical decision was justified, using textual evidence to support your claim.

Why You’ll Love This Resource:

• Flexible for Any Novel: These activities can be applied to any fiction text, making this packet a versatile tool for any reading assignment, novel study, or literature circle.
• Engaging and Interactive: Activities encourage students to think critically, make connections, and engage creatively with the story.
• Multiple Skills: Students will practice a variety of skills, including summarization, analysis, prediction, creative expression, and essay writing.
• Ready-to-Use: Simply print and go! Perfect for class novels, independent reading, or book clubs.

Use this Lit Circle Packet to foster a deeper understanding of any novel while encouraging meaningful discussion and creative expression in your classroom!

Comprehensive Text Structure Resource for Middle School ELA (Grades 5-8)

Aligned with TEKS 5.10B, TEKS ELA 6.9b, ELA 7.9B, ELA 8.9B, and Common Core State Standards: Literacy.RI.5.5, RI.6.5, RI.7.5, RI.8.6

Introducing a meticulously crafted resource designed to empower middle school ELA and intervention teachers. Dive into the world of text structures with this comprehensive package that seamlessly blends theory with hands-on practice.

Objective: Equip students with the skills to identify six distinct text structure types of informational text and discern the author's purpose.

What's Inside:

• Engaging PowerPoint presentation with clear directions and captivating visuals.
• Comprehensive guided notes and a graphic organizer.
• Eight pages of practice materials, including text structure exercises and author's purpose identification tasks.
• A fun and educational coloring sort activity.

How to Use:

1. We Do (15 min): Kickstart the lesson with the provided note-taking graphic organizer. As you navigate through the PowerPoint, students will jot down definitions, signal words, and the author's purpose for each structure. Enhance engagement by having students read aloud or using popsicle sticks for random selections.
2. Teams Do (20 min): Transition to partnered practice with six high-interest paragraphs centered around social media. Students will highlight signal words, pinpoint the text structure, and elucidate the author's rationale behind choosing a particular structure.
3. You Do (20 min): Culminate the lesson with an independent color sort activity, allowing students to showcase their understanding.

Formats Available: PDF and PowerPoint.

Unique Selling Points:

• Print & Go: Save precious prep time with materials that are ready to be printed and presented.
• Low Prep: Minimize your preparation efforts without compromising on the quality of instruction.

Perfect for introducing text structures or as a refresher, this resource is structured into three distinct sections: We Do, Teams Do, and You Do. Designed to fit snugly into a 55-minute class period, it offers a balanced mix of guided instruction and independent practice.

Elevate your teaching game with this comprehensive resource. Ideal for middle school grades 5-8, it aligns with key educational standards, ensuring that your students are on the right track.

Dive into the Winter Text Features educational resource, a perfect blend of winter wonder and academic rigor crafted for middle school ELA classrooms. This unique tool is designed to help students explore the fascinating world of snowflakes, snowstorms, and the artistry of snow, all while honing their ability to navigate and comprehend various text features such as timelines, subheadings, maps, captions, photographs, and includes three quizzes.

What's Included:

• Engaging Articles: Two in-depth articles, "The Secret World of Snowflakes" and "Historical Snowstorms: A Timeline of Winter’s Fury," provide context-rich content that is both informative and captivating.
• Interactive Quizzes: Reinforce learning with quizzes tailored to each article, testing comprehension of text features and content.
• Visual Aids: High-quality photographs and diagrams not only capture students' interest but also serve as practical examples of text features in action.
• Educator's Guide: Get tips on how to integrate this resource into your lesson plans effectively, ensuring a seamless fit with your curriculum goals.
• Answer Keys: Save time with ready-to-go answer sheets for quizzes, making assessment straightforward and efficient.
• Google Slides: Introduce or review text features with a presentation, have students skim through their articles finding each text feature

Highlights:

• Targeted for Middle School ELA: Ideal for grades 6-8, this resource aligns with common core reading standards.
• Text Features Focus: Enhances skills in identifying and understanding the purpose of various text features.
• Winter-Themed Content: Engages students with high-interest topics like snowflakes and snowstorms, keeping them motivated during the winter months.
• Ready for Classroom Use: Print-friendly format allows for easy distribution and assignment in the classroom setting.
• Versatile Application: Use as part of a reading unit, a supplemental activity, or as a fun educational break during the winter season.

With Winter Text Features, you're not just buying worksheets; you're providing an experience that will warm up your students' enthusiasm for reading and analysis, even on the coldest days. Add this resource to your teaching toolkit today and watch your students' comprehension skills snowball!

Introducing our dynamic ELA resource, expertly designed to enhance middle school students' understanding of narrative perspectives. This 15-page toolkit focuses on the skill of identifying different points of view, including first person, second person, third person limited, and third person omniscient, making it an essential addition to your teaching arsenal this winter.

Key Features:

• Comprehensive Point of View Exploration: Delve into the nuances of narrative perspectives. This resource covers first, second, third person limited, and third person omniscient points of view, providing a holistic understanding of this fundamental ELA concept.
• 15 Pages of Tiered Activities: Enjoy a rich collection of tiered exercises. Each page is carefully designed to progressively build your students' skills, ensuring a deep and thorough grasp of the topic.
• Differentiated Instruction: This resource recognizes the diverse learning styles and abilities in your classroom. The activities are differentiated using Bloom's Taxonomy to cater to varying levels of comprehension and engagement, making learning inclusive and effective.
• Engaging Winter Themes: Capture your students' interest with activities that are wrapped in appealing winter themes. This seasonal touch adds relevance and fun to the learning process, keeping students motivated and curious.
• Ideal for Middle Schoolers: Specifically crafted for 6th to 8th graders, these activities align with middle school benchmarks in ELA. They challenge students to think critically and creatively, enhancing their reading and analytical skills.

Upgrade your teaching toolkit with our point of view activities and watch as your middle school students develop a deeper, more nuanced understanding of narrative perspectives. Perfect for winter-themed learning, this resource is a must-have for any dedicated ELA educator!

Elevate your middle school students' narrative writing skills with this winter-themed essay planning guide. This resource features 10 captivating, holiday-themed photos, ranging from a snowman on the beach to a gingerbread family on the run, Krampus enjoying hot chocolate, and a pirate ship bathed in green holiday lights. These images are perfect for sparking creativity and guiding students through the narrative writing process.

Learning Objectives:

• Enhance the ability to plan and draft a narrative story that is both engaging and imaginative.
• Encourage creativity while ensuring narratives encompass all essential elements of a structured narrative text.

What's Inside:

• 10 double sided planning guides, one for each photo!
• Detailed graphic organizers to assist students in exploring the setting, characters, conflict, and resolution.
• A Google Slides presentation featuring each high-interest photo for classroom projection, facilitating the introduction of each new writing prompt.

How to Use:

• Day 1: Display the photo prompt using the slides and encourage students to brainstorm ideas with the graphic organizer.
• Day 2: Start drafting the narrative, drawing inspiration from the vivid image.
• Day 3: Continue the narrative, adding details and developing the storyline.
• Day 4: Conduct peer reviews or teacher feedback sessions, followed by revisions and editing.
• Day 5: Publish the final narrative piece, celebrating the students' creative achievements.

Standards Alignment:

• Aligned with CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.3 through W.8.3, ensuring the resource meets educational standards for narrative writing.

Formats Available:

• A ready-to-use PDF for printouts and a Google Slides version for seamless classroom integration.

Usage Scenario:

• Ideal for middle school teachers to use as a standalone writing unit, an extension activity, or as a part of a choice board for students.

Highlights:

• Engaging and diverse photo prompts: Each image is carefully chosen to resonate with middle school students, featuring themes like winter holidays, mythical creatures, adventure, and family.
• Classroom-ready: The Google Slides format allows for easy introduction of each writing prompt, while print-ready PDFs ensure quick and effortless preparation.

Transform your classroom's narrative writing approach with this captivating, standards-aligned essay planning guide. Watch as your students' imaginations soar with each unique and inspiring photo prompt!

Celebrate Thanksgiving in your classroom with an engaging and educational coloring activity designed to help students in grades 5 through 7 master the art of identifying text structures in informational texts. This unique resource combines the festivity of the holiday with essential ELA skills, perfect for a 55-minute class period.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and understand seven common text structures: Description, Compare and Contrast, Problem-Solution, Question-Answer, Sequence, Chronological Order, and Cause and Effect.

What's Included:

• A 10-slide presentation (Google Slides) for direct instruction.
• Three coloring pages with a total of 60 prompts that reinforce text structure knowledge.
• A comprehensive note-taking graphic organizer to accompany the lesson.

How It Works:

1. Introduction (15 mins): Kick off the lesson with the presentation, using the graphic organizer to define each text structure, identify signal words, and discuss the author’s purpose.
2. Practice (30 mins): Students pair up to read prompts and determine the text structure, using colors to categorize each one correctly.
3. Review (10 mins): Reconvene as a class to go over the answers, allowing students to correct their work and solidify their understanding.

Perfect for Busy Teachers:

• Print & Go: No prep needed! Simply print the materials and you're ready for an interactive class.
• High Engagement: Students will love the combination of coloring and learning, making it a memorable Thanksgiving activity.
• Versatile Use: Ideal for an introduction to text structures, a refresher course, or as a review, quiz, homework, or choice board activity.

Unique Selling Points:

• Thanksgiving Theme: Incorporate the holiday spirit into your ELA curriculum with Thanksgiving-themed prompts that students will enjoy.
• Comprehensive Coverage: With prompts for every major text structure, students will leave the lesson with a well-rounded understanding.

Bring a blend of holiday cheer and educational value to your middle school classroom with this Thanksgiving Informational Text Structure Coloring Activity. It's the perfect way to keep students engaged before the holiday while ensuring they're learning and practicing key ELA skills!

Delve into the intriguing world of Krampus with this comprehensive ELA resource, designed specifically for upper middle school students. "Unraveling Krampus" presents a unique opportunity to explore this mythical figure through a literary lens, enhancing key reading and analysis skills.

What’s Inside:

• Five Engaging Articles on Krampus: Each article focuses on a different text structure – compare and contrast, description, problem and solution, cause and effect, and chronological order
• – providing a multifaceted view of Krampus' lore and cultural significance.
• Skill-Focused Comprehension Quizzes: After reading, students can apply their knowledge with quizzes targeting central ideas, author's purpose, inferences, summaries, and text-dependent questions.
• 15-Slide Google Slides Presentation: A visually engaging presentation to introduce or reinforce each literacy skill. These slides are interactive and tailored for upper middle school learners, perfect for both classroom and remote instruction.
• Targeted Skill Development: This resource is crafted to bolster students' abilities in identifying text structures, understanding authorial intent, drawing inferences, summarizing, and engaging with text-dependent analysis.
• Interactive Annotation and Reading Experience: Encourage active reading with annotation prompts, fostering deeper comprehension and critical thinking.

Benefits:

• Enhances Critical Thinking: Cultivates analytical skills essential for upper middle school ELA.
• Captivating Content: The mysterious and intriguing subject of Krampus keeps students engaged and curious.
• Facilitates Deeper Understanding: Helps students grasp complex concepts like text structure and author's purpose in an engaging context.
• Ready for Classroom Use: A complete, ready-to-use package that saves preparation time for busy educators.

Ideal For:

• Upper Middle School ELA Teachers
• Reading and Literacy Coaches
• Homeschool Educators
• Tutors Specializing in Advanced Literacy

Step into the captivating folklore of Krampus and transform your ELA lessons into an exciting and educational exploration. "Unraveling Krampus" not only offers a deep dive into a unique cultural phenomenon but also arms students with critical literacy skills. Add this rich, engaging resource to your educational toolkit and elevate your teaching approach today!

For lower level readers, try this resource: St. Nick: Informational Text Structures, Main Idea, Author's Purpose 5 text sets (TeachShare.com)

Engage your middle schoolers with a festive dive into informational text skills using the iconic Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade as the backdrop. This comprehensive resource is designed to captivate students while reinforcing critical reading skills over two to three class periods.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify and analyze the central idea in informational texts.
• Understand and evaluate the author's purpose.
• Recognize and interpret various text structures.
• Determine the meaning of academic words in context.

What's Included:

• Five high-interest informational texts centered on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
• A four-question multiple-choice quiz for each text, complete with an answer key.
• A Google Slides presentation to introduce and review key informational text skills.

How It Works:

• Day 1: Kickstart the lesson with a Google Slides presentation to refresh students on each skill's definition. Then, dive into the first two texts with guided annotation and strategic multiple-choice question approaches.
• Day 2: Continue with the remaining texts and quizzes, followed by a comprehensive review of the answers, solidifying students' understanding.

Perfect for Busy Teachers:

• Print & Go: No prep needed! Simply print the materials or share them digitally for an interactive class experience.
• Highly Engaging Material: The vibrant history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade keeps students interested and learning.
• Holiday Themed: Bring the Thanksgiving spirit into your classroom with content that's both educational and festive.
• Rigorous & Multi-Skill Focused: Challenge students with texts that are rigorous and cover multiple ELA standards.

Usage Scenario: Ideal for ELA, special education, and interventionist teachers, this resource serves as an excellent review of priority standards. It's adaptable to various student abilities and can be used after teaching the skills explicitly, ensuring that all students can participate and learn effectively.

Highlights:

Holiday Material: Students will enjoy learning with content themed around a beloved national holiday event.

• Engagement & Rigor: Not only does this set engage students, but it also challenges them to apply multiple literacy skills in a cohesive manner.

Elevate your ELA curriculum with this ready-to-use Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade informational text set. It's the perfect blend of holiday cheer and academic rigor, designed to keep your students engaged and on track with their literacy skills!

Immerse your middle school students in the festive spirit of learning with this "Winter Holiday Text Sort" ELA resource. This unique, holiday-themed package offers a hands-on approach to mastering informational text structures, perfectly blending educational rigor with seasonal fun.

Product Highlights:

• Dynamic Learning Experience: Embrace kinesthetic learning as students color sort and match texts, reinforcing their understanding of six different text structures.
• Broad Range of Holiday Topics: From the magical lore of Santa Claus to the fascinating facts about snowflakes, this resource covers a variety of winter holiday topics, ensuring high engagement and cultural enrichment.
• Designed for Middle School Students: Tailored to captivate and challenge young adolescents, the activities encourage critical thinking, analysis, and application.
• Comprehensive Instructional Tool: Includes a Google Slides presentation for direct instruction or as a refresher, along with a graphic organizer for note-taking and guided learning.
• Versatile Usage: Perfect for group activities, individual practice, or as a part of your ELA stations. This resource adapts seamlessly to different classroom settings and teaching styles.

Benefits:

• Enhances Text Structure Comprehension: Students gain a clear understanding of various informational text structures, a crucial skill for ELA proficiency.
• Interactive and Engaging: Moves beyond traditional worksheets, offering a tactile and interactive learning experience.
• Facilitates Independent Learning: Students can self-check their work, fostering autonomy and confidence in their ELA skills.
• Holiday Themed: Adds a festive touch to your classroom, keeping students engaged and excited about learning during the holiday season.

Ideal For:

• Middle School ELA Teachers
• Literacy Coaches
• Homeschool Educators
• Tutors specializing in Reading and Writing

With the "Winter Holiday Text Sort," transform your classroom into a winter wonderland of learning. Engage your students’ minds and hands in an educational journey through the holidays. Watch as they unwrap the gift of knowledge, one text structure at a time!

Unveil the world of St. Nicholas through this captivating ELA resource, specifically crafted for middle school students. "Discovering St. Nicholas" offers a rich, multifaceted learning experience, designed to enhance key literacy skills while diving into the historical and cultural aspects of this beloved figure.

What’s Inside:

• Five Comprehensive Articles: Explore the intriguing story of St. Nicholas through five meticulously written articles, each employing a different text structure – descriptive, chronological, cause and effect, compare and contrast, and problem and solution.
• Interactive Comprehension Quizzes: After reading, students can test their understanding with comprehension quizzes. Questions are crafted to reinforce central/main ideas, author's purpose, inferences, summaries, and text-dependent analysis.
• 15-Slide Google Slides Presentation: Kickstart each lesson with our engaging presentation slides, designed to introduce or reinforce each focused skill. Perfect for classroom or remote learning, these slides are interactive and visually appealing.
• Skill Building Focus: This resource hones vital ELA skills such as understanding text structures, pinpointing author’s purpose, making inferences, summarizing text, and answering text-dependent questions.
• Annotation and Interactive Reading: Encourage students to engage actively with the text through annotation, fostering a deeper understanding and critical thinking.

Benefits:

• Boost Literacy Skills: Strengthen reading comprehension, analysis, and critical thinking abilities.
• Cultural Insight: Dive into the historical and cultural significance of St. Nicholas, enriching students' global understanding.
• Engage and Inspire: The intriguing content about St. Nicholas keeps students interested and motivated to learn.
• Versatile Teaching Tool: Ideal for in-depth study units, literacy centers, independent work, or as supplementary material for your ELA curriculum.
• Ready-to-Use: Save valuable prep time with this ready-to-go, comprehensive package.

Ideal For:

• Middle School ELA Teachers
• Reading Specialists
• Homeschooling Parents
• Tutors focusing on Literacy and Comprehension

Transform your ELA sessions into an exciting exploration of St. Nicholas and his world. "Discovering St. Nicholas" is not just an educational journey; it's a gateway to mastering essential literacy skills while uncovering the layers of a fascinating historical figure. Add this invaluable resource to your teaching toolkit today and watch as your students' comprehension and analytical skills soar!

For higher level students, try this resource: Unraveling Krampus: Text Structures and Critical Analysis Print and Go! (TeachShare.com)

Engage and Inspire Your Middle School ELA Students!

Dive into the festive season with our Christmas Hip Hop Lyrics Analysis resource, exclusively designed for grades 6-8 ELA classrooms. This unique, print-and-go package on TeachShare brings the vibrant world of hip hop into your classroom, featuring iconic tracks "Christmas Rappin'" by Kurtis Blow and "Christmas in Hollis" by Run DMC.

What's Inside:

• Comprehensive Lyrics Annotation Guide: Students will delve into the lyrics, identifying key elements like setting, rhyme scheme, imagery, connotation, and repetition.
• Figurative Language Classification: A step-by-step guide to help students classify different types of figurative language used in the songs.
• Critical Thinking through Discourse: Utilize the innovative Agree, Disagree, Modify method for stimulating classroom discussions.
• Thematic and Plot Analysis: Students will explore the themes and plot elements, including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution.
• Multiple Choice Quiz: Test their understanding with a 6-question multiple-choice quiz, tailored to middle school comprehension levels.

Why Choose This Resource?

• Culturally Relevant: Connects with students using the universal language of music, particularly hip hop.
• High Engagement: Keeps students interested and involved with contemporary and relatable content.
• Rigorously Designed: Meets educational standards while challenging students' critical thinking and analytical skills.
• Ready to Use: No prep needed, just print and you're ready to teach!

Elevate your teaching approach with this comprehensive RL.8.1 Resource Kit, meticulously crafted to align with Bloom's Taxonomy. This dynamic resource, featuring sports-themed texts for high engagement, is superbly suited for 8th Grade ELA teachers targeting Tier 1 instruction and 7th-grade educators with advanced students.

Key Features:

• Aligned with RL.8.1: Meticulously designed to fulfill the rigorous demands of RL.8.1, this kit emphasizes citing textual evidence and making inferences, essential for literary mastery.
• Bloom’s Taxonomy Framework: The activities, progressing from Remember to Create, are structured to cultivate higher-order thinking skills, making them ideal for both introducing new concepts and reteaching for mastery.
• Sports-Themed Texts: Engage your students with relatable, sports-themed texts that make learning both fun and relevant.
• Differentiated Instruction: This resource adapts to individual learning levels, ensuring every student is both challenged and supported.
• Engaging and Interactive: Dive into diverse activities like text analysis, lively group discussions, and creative writing prompts, all designed to stimulate critical thinking.
• Teacher-Friendly: Equipped with detailed instructions, comprehensive answer keys, and practical classroom implementation tips.
• Versatile Use: Tailored for varied instructional strategies, including classroom instruction, small group activities, and individual study.

Benefits:

• Deep Literary Analysis: Cultivate your students' ability to dissect literature with precision and insight.
• Critical Thinking: Foster essential analytical skills, preparing students for academic success.
• Effective Evidence Citing: Equip students with the skills to cite textual evidence confidently and make informed inferences.
• Interactive Learning: Engage students in a dynamic learning process with varied and thought-provoking activities.

Target Audience: 8th Grade ELA Teachers, 7th Grade Teachers with Advanced Students.

Whether you're introducing new concepts or reinforcing existing knowledge, this kit is an invaluable tool for elevating your teaching and enriching your students' learning experience.

I am not throwing away my shot! Hamilton vs. Burr: A Musical Journey through Conflict and Character is an innovative resource designed for upper middle school and lower high school English Language Arts teachers. This engaging packet leverages the powerful narrative of the musical 'Hamilton' to delve into the intricate dynamics between two of America's founding fathers, Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. This literary analysis is an easy way to practice plot, conflict, and character development while enjoying some of the best songs from the Hamilton Musical soundtrack.

Key Highlights:

• Detailed Lyric Analysis: Students will read and annotate the lyrics of key songs, exploring the deep narrative and character development. Song lyrics include Aaron Burr, Sir, My Shot, Wait for It, The Election of 1800, Your Obedient Servant, and The World Was Wide Enough.
• Figurative Language Identification: Enhance literary comprehension by identifying figurative language, fostering a greater appreciation of the songs' poetic elements.
• Critical Character and Conflict Exploration: Thought-provoking questions on conflict, plot, and character are included, promoting analytical skills through a 'Claim, Evidence, Reasoning' framework.
• Cross-Curricular Engagement: Seamlessly integrating music and history with English literature, this resource offers a multi-dimensional learning experience.
• Interactive Google Slides Presentation: A comprehensive presentation with embedded songs enhances classroom engagement and interaction.
• Comprehensive Answer Key: Facilitates teaching and ensures effective learning outcomes.

Extension Opportunities:

• Creative Writing Prompts: Encourage students to write from the perspectives of Hamilton or Burr, deepening their understanding of these historical figures.
• Debate Sessions: Host debates on the decisions and actions of Hamilton and Burr, fostering critical thinking and public speaking skills.
• Research Projects: Students can undertake research projects on the historical accuracy of the musical, comparing it with actual historical events.

'Hamilton vs. Burr: A Musical Journey through Conflict and Character' is more than just a teaching resource; it's a gateway to exploring history, literature, and music in an immersive and captivating way. Prepare to bring the excitement of 'Hamilton' into your classroom and watch as your students develop a richer understanding of literary analysis, historical context, and character study.

"New Year's Insights: Informational Text Structure Set" is a comprehensive educational resource expertly crafted for middle school ELA teachers. This engaging and cross-curricular package is designed to enhance students' understanding of various text structures, aligning perfectly with STAAR and other standardized testing requirements.

Product Description:

• Rich Content Spanning Five Articles: Dive into five captivating articles, each centered around the iconic Times Square New Year's celebrations. These articles are not only informative but also diverse in their presentation, covering a range of topics from the history and evolution of the celebrations to their environmental impact.
• Diverse Text Structures: Each article in this set is a model of a different text structure – Description, Chronological, Problem and Solution, Compare and Contrast, and Cause and Effect. This variety provides a dynamic learning experience, helping students recognize and understand these essential components of informational texts.
• Aligned with Standardized Testing: Accompanying each article is a set of carefully crafted multiple-choice questions focusing on the central idea, vocabulary, author's purpose, and text structure. These questions are specifically aligned with STAAR and other standardized tests, making this resource an invaluable tool for test preparation.
• Cross-Curricular Learning Experience: While rooted in ELA, this resource offers a cross-curricular approach, touching on aspects of history, culture, science, and environmental studies, thus enriching the overall educational experience.
• Introduction to Text Structures: Included is an introductory Google Slides presentation that either refreshes or introduces students to the concept of text structures. This presentation is designed to be interactive and student-friendly, making it an excellent starting point for the lesson.
• Graphic Organizer for Effective Learning: To aid in comprehension and retention, a graphic organizer is provided for students to take notes during the presentation. This organizer serves as a valuable reference tool during work time, helping students organize their thoughts and analysis.
• Comprehensive Answer Keys: For each article's question set, a detailed answer key is provided, simplifying grading and allowing for in-depth class discussions on each topic.

"New Year's Insights: Informational Text Structure Set" is a must-have for any middle school ELA classroom. It not only bolsters students' reading and comprehension skills but also encourages critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the world around them. This resource is perfect for teachers looking to add depth and variety to their instruction while aligning with educational standards.

This resource is included in the New Year 2024 Bundle Here: Ring in Learning: New Year's Thematic Middle School Classroom Bundle (TeachShare.com)