6th Grade English Language Arts Literature Circles (by rating)

Take this week-long ELA unit centered around Rod Serling's classic teleplay, "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and let the students do the heavy lifting! This resource is tailored specifically for middle school educators looking to inspire and engage students in grades 6-8, but is easily adaptable for other levels.

What’s Included:

• Engaging Lesson Slides: Jumpstart each lesson with beautifully designed slides that guide you through each day’s activities, from reading to analysis.
• Socratic Seminar Guide: Foster deep, meaningful academic discourse with step-by-step procedures for conducting a Socratic seminar that encourages student-led learning and critical debate.
• Choice Board Activities: Keep students engaged with a variety of creative tasks such as writing an alternate ending, designing a comic strip, and more, allowing for differentiated learning and student choice.
• Comprehensive Writing Prompts: Includes a range of essay questions—argumentative, informational, and correspondence—to enhance writing skills and deepen understanding of the text’s themes.
• Film vs. Text Analysis: Engage students with a comparative analysis using our Venn diagram activity, perfect for visual learners.

Perfect For:

• End-of-Year Engagement: Keep students actively learning until the last bell rings, with engaging content that challenges their thinking and comprehension.
• Substitute Lesson Plans: Everything is ready to go! Substitute teachers can easily pick up and teach, ensuring valuable learning continues uninterrupted.
• Mini Dystopian Unit: Seamlessly fits into a broader dystopian literature study, providing a multidimensional understanding of themes such as paranoia, fear, and the human condition.

Educational Objectives:

• Enhance critical thinking and analytical skills through structured debates and comparative analyses.
• Develop narrative writing and creative expression by allowing students to explore alternative perspectives and craft new story outcomes.
• Promote engagement and discussion, encouraging students to lead their learning journey through thought-provoking questions and peer-led seminars.

Designed with both the teacher and student in mind, this comprehensive unit not only aligns with educational standards but also taps into the students' abilities to analyze, debate, and create. Equip your classroom with this essential resource and watch as your students become more thoughtful, informed, and engaged members of society.

Included in this 12 week unit: Ultimate Middle School Short Story Bundle: 12 Week Engaging Suspense ELA Units (TeachShare.com)

Studying Fahrenheit 451? Don't know where to start? We got you covered. This bundle comes complete with a study guide, characterization flip book, introduction power point, and graphic organizers.

Social Emotional Learning and English Language Arts Mega Bundle

About this SEL/ELA Mega Bundle:

★ Social Emotional Learning

★ 147 resources!

★ Includes a COMBINATION of ELA and SEL resources

★ Print and Dgital versions

★ Excellent for Grades 7-12, Home School

★ Approximately 7,130+ pages

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ABOUT THIS MEGA BUNDLE COMBO:

✅ This Mega Bundle features a blend of ELA and Social Skills/Social Emotional Learning resources. It is organized alphabetically, ensuring seamless navigation and easy access to the specific materials you require. :-)

✅ Purchasing at the current list price provides access to all future bundles and resources at no additional charge. List price will continue to change as new resources and bundles are added, but it will not affect your original purchase price!!! SELECTED resources will be added to this growing bundle!

✅ This incredible MEGA BUNDLE comprises a diverse range of bundled resources designed to elevate rigor in classrooms, boost student engagement, foster critical thinking and reflection, and enrich the overall classroom environment.

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▶️If you are specifically looking for ELA resources, consider exploring the All ELA Bundle.

▶️ If you are specifically interested in Social Skills, Life Skills, or Social Emotional Learning resources, consider checking out:

✅ All SEL Mega BUNDLE (This Bundle includes ALL SEL ONLY resources in my store!)

✅ Mini Social Skills Bundle

✅ Social Emotional Learning Activity Worksheets Mega Bundle

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Created by © Queen's Educational Resources / All Rights Reserved

Your purchase includes one copy to be used in a single classroom. If you are looking for multiple copies, please be sure to purchase additional licenses.

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Interested in REAL-LIFE SCENARIOS?

Checkout my REAL-LIFE SCENARIOS LIBRARY!

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Interested in realistic kids, teens, and adults clipart? Check out my CLIPART GALLERY!

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Click here to FOLLOW ME!

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!

queenseducationalresources@gmail.com

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The Chapter Book Response Sheets can be used with any chapter book. This product comes with 14 different response sheets-students can complete a response sheet after each chapter or after several chapters. These response sheets are ideal for Literature Circles, Independent Read, Homework, etc. Each response sheet focuses on different concepts that are aligned with Common Core. Please check out the Preview for a better view of examples.

Below are suggestions for the use of the Chapter Book Response Sheets:

Literature Circles- Students can use the response sheet after each chapter or every couple of chapters. The concepts covered can be used as discussion pieces during Literature Circle.

Independent Read- Students can use these response sheets to keep their reading skills and memory fresh while reading a chapter book. They can keep their response sheets in order and have a study guide to look back on at the end of the book.

Homework- Students can be assigned one or more chapters, and do a response sheet for homework.

All printables are in black and white. Please rate and comment. Thank You!

Character traits and analysis fun!

Have some outdoor fun (or use butcher paper for indoors) with sidewalk novel characters! Students choose a character from their novels then do body outlines with sidewalk chalk. Fill these with physical and character traits from quotes within the novel...full directions for implementing and making a competitive game. Can be used with all ages and novels. Excellent for comprehension and assessment.

This story is also available as part of an eight story ebook, "Young Voices: Eight Short Stories of Courage & Resilience."

In the wake of the 9/11 tragedy, two seventh graders, Alex and Sarah, display remarkable resilience by choosing to help at their local community center instead of attending school. Through this experience, they learn valuable lessons about community, empathy, and the human capacity to overcome adversity. Alex finds solace in drawing, capturing the emotions around him, while Sarah uses storytelling to comfort younger children. Their actions not only aid in their personal coping but also bring hope to those around them. This story is a poignant exploration of young people finding strength and unity in the face of unspeakable tragedy.

There are thought provoking questions (and suggested answers) at the end of the story.

General Learning Objectives for Deep by Design stories:

Understanding Conflict: The material offers insights into the dynamics of territorial conflicts and their ramifications for those caught in the crossfire.

Effects of War or Conflict on Youth: The content underlines the deep-seated impact of hostilities on the mental and physical health of children and adolescents.

Resilience and Hope: Through character experiences, the narrative highlights the human capacity for endurance and the quest for collective healing amidst adversity.

Cultural Insight: The text provides a window into the complexities of a region's culture and the intense obstacles its inhabitants endure.

Human Rights: The narrative serves as a primer for dialogues concerning the safeguarding of civilians and the enforcement of human rights in times of strife.

Peacebuilding: The book promotes an investigation into the adoption of nonviolent strategies for mitigating disputes and fostering reconciliation at the community level.

3 Little Pigs with a twist- Part of my first story of my Bilingual Series

Tales with a twist is designed to give students a familiar feel, but with surprising elements throughout the story.

Print out the stories in either English, or Spanish or both!!!

It is not direct translation rather I focused in translating the stories in a way they feel right and are authentic.

More stories coming soon!

Being able to analyze and understand characters is very important skill students need in order to understand a story at a deep level. With these Characterization and STEAL character analysis reading response templates for Google Jamboard™, your students will interactively analyze characters by collecting evidence of speech, thoughts, effects, actions and looks.

What's Included:

• 5 templates ( 1 template for each element: speech, thoughts, effects, actions and looks

Directions:

• It is time to take a closer look at a character.
• Click on the Google Slide to access a forced copy of the templates in Jamboard.
• Students go back into the text to identify & explain aspects of the character.
• Students find at least 3 textual example for each element of characterization (S.T.E.A.L.).

Uses:

• individual activity
• small collaborative groups
• whole class where students can each contribute to a part of the activity, or as a guided lesson on character analysis
• distance learning
• assigned as a paper-pencil assignment
• short stories
• novel studies
• book clubs
• litereacy centers
• AVID

What is Google Jamboard:

Google Jamboard is a digital interactive and collaborative whiteboard. It is a FREE online and app version.

Click HERE to see our other reading resources!

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Help your AVID or ELA students build reading comprehension and practice using text evidence with these editable discussion cards and talking chips for an article on solar eclipses! Students will read the provided article with space for note taking and a summary, then they will sit in small groups and take turns pulling a discussion card and using their talking chips.

Great for: using text evidence, collaboration and team building, public speaking practice,

⭐AVID BUNDLE!⭐

✨Solar Eclipse Bundle✨

DIRECTIONS:

• Access your forced copy of the Google Doc with the article on solar eclipses. Allow students to read, take notes in the margin, and summarize the article by answering the essential question at the top.

• Go to the last slide to add your own discussion prompts.

• Click "File" then "Download" and then "PDF" to download the prompts as a PDF document.

• Print, cut, and laminate a set of cards for each of your groups of 4-5 students.

• Print, cut, and laminate talking chips.

• Put students into groups of 4-5.

• Decide how many talking chips each student gets (this encourages participation during the dialogue and teaches students how to use social cues when deciding when to share, instead of raising a hand).

• One student draws a card from the top. That student asks the question and dialogue begins in the group. Students should have the short story handy so they can use evidence in their responses.

• When dialogue dies down, students continue taking turns drawing a card, asking questions. and having discussions.

• Students should discard the questions already asked so they don't repeat any.

WHAT's INCLUDED:

• Google Doc with a solar eclipse article
• Google slide with printable talking chips
• 20 Discussion Prompts in color and black & white
• Editable Discussion Prompt Cards in color and black & white

Solar Eclipse Roll a Story

Check out other AVID Resources HERE!

Check out other Reading Resources HERE!

Perfect for literature circles or book clubs! This product contains 36 unique task cards with thought-provoking questions for novel study arranged by 6 active reading strategies (Predict, Connect, Visualize, Question, Evaluate, Clarify). The uses for these cards are endless but I suggest laminating the cards and using them during literature circles or book clubs! _________________________________________________________________________ Also, check out more great active reading strategy resources by Language Arts Excellence: Active Reading Strategy Signs for the Classroom Active Reading Strategy Book Marks Save 25% by purchasing the Active Reading Strategy Bundle by Language Arts Excellence! Active Reading Strategy Bundle

I used this resource with one of my guided reading groups. They completed the packet as they read the story "What Was Pearl Harbor" by Brennan Demuth and illustrated by John Mantha. If they finished they could choose from the extra activities. An answer key is included!

Lexile: 800L

Guided Reading Level: T

AR Level: 5.4

AR Quiz Number: 160144

ISBN: 978-0-545-64034-3

Thanks for looking! Please rate and leave a comment.

These book discussion task cards are an easy, low-prep way to engage students in any fiction text (novel, short story, picture book, etc.) they may read while supporting critical listening and speaking skills.

With a wide variety of questions, this set of 32 discussion cards covers many reading comprehension skills including:

• Inferencing & Text Evidence
• Making Connections
• Plot Elements
• Theme
• Tone/Mood
• Author's Purpose
• and many more!

What You Get:

32 task cards that can be printed two ways:

1. single-sided (Question side only)
2. double-sided (With a fun, patterned front cover)

Novel Study for Any Novel (Independent or Small Group Novel Study)

For Grades 6 to 9

Aprox. 8 weeks teaching duration.

Google Slides, PDF, Editable MS Word

No Prep

Includes:

Reading comprehension questions

Several writing assignments

Analysis of character, mood, setting, literary devices

Graphic organizers

Student self assessment

Grading Rubric

Master the Art of Mystery with "The Landlady" - A Complete Week-Long ELA Unit

This complete 5 day ELA unit on "The Landlady," expertly is designed for middle school teachers. Whether you're wrapping up the year, setting up engaging sub plans, or looking for a dynamic mini-unit, this resource offers everything you need to bring this thrilling text to life in your classroom.

What’s Included in This Resource?

• Text: PDF version of the text "The Landlady."
• Engaging Slides: 22 beautifully designed slides that provide a visual and textual roadmap for each day’s activities, enhancing student engagement and understanding.
• Socratic Seminar Preparation: Detailed guidelines and procedures for conducting a Socratic seminar, complete with evidence writing tips to help students articulate their thoughts clearly and convincingly.
• Choice Board Activities: A variety of creative and analytical projects including a comic strip, an alternate ending, newspaper article creation, and designing a literary brochure, allowing students to explore the text from multiple angles.
• Essay Questions: Rigorous argumentative, informational, and correspondence essay prompts that challenge students to dive deeper into the themes and characters of the story.
• Film vs. Text Analysis: A Venn diagram activity to compare and contrast "The Landlady" film adaptation with Dahl’s original text, encouraging critical thinking and media literacy.
• Teacher's Guide: Step-by-step instructions to ensure you can easily implement the activities, regardless of any previous familiarity with the text.

Perfect For:

• End-of-Year Engagement: Keep your students hooked until the very last day with activities that combine literary analysis with creative expression.
• Substitute Lesson Plans: Each activity is designed to be straightforward and engaging, ensuring that your class stays on track even when you're not there.
• Mini Units: Perfect for a focused study on narrative techniques, suspense, and character analysis.

Why Choose This Unit?

• Standards-Aligned: Meets a variety of ELA standards with activities designed to develop reading comprehension, analytical writing, and creative skills.
• Flexible and Adaptable: Easily tailored to fit different learning environments and student abilities.
• Engagement and Depth: Provides students with a deep dive into classic literature through interactive and student-centered learning approaches.

Elevate your teaching and inspire your students with this meticulously crafted unit on "The Landlady." This unit is not just a lesson plan but a gateway to enhancing critical thinking, writing prowess, and a love for literature in your middle school classroom.

Included in this 12 week unit: Ultimate Middle School Short Story Bundle: 12 Week Engaging Suspense ELA Units (TeachShare.com)

Reading The Book Thief? Looking for a way to engage your students? Our graphic organizers go perfectly with this timeless classic. Helping your students learn vocabulary, theme, plot, and symbols. This includes 5 graphic organizers and a rubric for easy grading.

Need Google Drive Version?

CLICK HERE

Studying The Book Thief?

Need more resources?

We got you covered.

The Book Thief Flip book Study Guide

The Book Thief Characterization Flip book

The Book Thief Introduction Power Point

Accountable Talk Sentence Starter Stems, Discussion Starters, Academic Language

This resource is also included in the following discounted Bundles:

• Accountable Talk Bundle
• All ELA Mega Bundle
• ELA/SEL MEGA BUNDLE

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Accountable Talk Sentence Starter Stems are tools that students can use to respectfully get themselves into conversations and to draw other people into the conversation. They provide students a framework to agree or disagree with others, ask questions of each other, share an opinion, and paraphrase the discussion or a specific point. The talking stems are language tools that can be used to build productive academic discussions in your classroom. Teachers can use these Accountable Talk Stems can be used to prompt students to join classroom conversations by using the same stems. It helps students better communicate and learn using academic language to express concepts and thinking. This resource provides students with access to five different option speech starters for each category.

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE

☆ Accountable Talk / Discussion Starters

☆ PDF File

☆ Color and B&W

☆ Excellent for ALL grades and Subject Areas!

☆ There are 5 strips for each category. 5 X 14 = 70 different Rectangular Stem Strips in total!

This resource includes:

------ 70 COLORED Rectangular Accountable Talk Sentence Stem Strips

(14 categories X 5 sentence strips = 70 Rectangular Stem Strips in Total!)

------ 70 B&W Rectangular Accountable Talk Sentence Stem Strips

(14 categories X 5 sentence strips = 70 Rectangular Stem Strips in Total!)

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These Accountable Talk Sentence Stem Strips feature the following Accountable Talk categories in both COLOR and B&W:

1. Invite Others to Discuss

2. Introduce Evidence

3. Summarize

4. Disagree

5. Agree

6. Comment

7. Build On

8. Clarify

9. Predict

10. Infer

11. Question

12. Visualize

13. Connection

14. Analyze

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Other Accountable Talk resources you might be interested in:

▶️ Introduction to Accountable Talk PowerPoint Packet

▶️ Accountable Talk Discussion Trackers (Data Collection)

▶️ Accountable Talk Discussion Note-Catcher Worksheets

▶️ Accountable Talk Discussion Starters, Desk Tags, Rubric

▶️ Accountable Talk Reflection Sheets

▶️ Accountable Talk Speech Bubbles

▶️ Accountable Talk Posters

▶️ Reading Strategies Bookmarks

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© Queen's Resources LLC – All rights reserved.

Created by © Queen's Educational Resources / All Rights Reserved

Your purchase includes one copy to be used in a single classroom. If you are looking for multiple copies, please be sure to purchase additional licenses.

*******************************

Interested in REAL-LIFE SCENARIOS?

Checkout my REAL-LIFE SCENARIOS LIBRARY!

*******************************

Interested in realistic kids, teens, and adults clipart? Check out my CLIPART GALLERY!

*******************************

Click here to FOLLOW ME!

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions!

queenseducationalresources@gmail.com

*******************************

DID YOU KNOW that you can earn money for future TeachShare purchases when you leave feedback on a resource you purchased?!?!? All you have to do is leave feedback on the purchased resource! When you do so, you earn TPT credits. These TPT credits can be redeemed and used toward future purchases!

❤️ Reviews and Ratings: Reviews and Ratings are extremely important to me. Your time to rate this product and write a review will greatly be appreciated! ;-)

*******************************

LET'S CONNECT:

• My Website
• Queen's Clipart Gallery
• Facebook
• Pinterest
• Instagram
• TeachShare

This story is also available as part of an eight story ebook, "Young Voices: Eight Short Stories of Courage & Resilience."

Dive into the heartwarming tale of "Irene and Henry: Friendship Beyond the Frontlines," a poignant story set against the backdrop of the Northern Ireland Troubles. This narrative follows young Irene, whose resilience and quiet determination shine through the daily challenges of growing up in a conflict-ridden village. When she forms an unexpected friendship with Henry, a boy from the "other side" of the conflict, they embark on a journey of understanding that transcends the barriers erected by their community.

There are thought provoking questions (and possible answers) at the end of the story.

Learning Objectives:

Understanding Conflict: The material offers insights into the dynamics of territorial conflicts and their ramifications for those caught in the crossfire.

Effects of War or Conflict on Youth: The content underlines the deep-seated impact of hostilities on the mental and physical health of children and adolescents.

Resilience and Hope: Through character experiences, the narrative highlights the human capacity for endurance and the quest for collective healing amidst adversity.

Cultural Insight: The text provides a window into the complexities of a region's culture and the intense obstacles its inhabitants endure.

Human Rights: The narrative serves as a primer for dialogues concerning the safeguarding of civilians and the enforcement of human rights in times of strife.

Peacebuilding: The book promotes an investigation into the adoption of nonviolent strategies for mitigating disputes and fostering reconciliation at the community level.

Elementary Spanish Bundle

More than a $23 savings!!!

-One More Product coming in this Bundle 9/18/204

Everything in this BUNDLE is BILINGUAL OR in Spanish.

Please see the list of all the items that are included!

Help your AVID or ELA students build reading comprehension and practice using text evidence with these editable discussion cards and talking chips for The Landlady by Roald Dahl! This activity is sure to get your middle school students in the Halloween spirit. This resource can be used during the Halloween season, but can also be used at any other time during the year! Students will read the provided story, The Landlady through the Google doc, then they will sit in small groups and take turns pulling a discussion card.

Great for: using text evidence, collaboration and team building, public speaking practice,

⭐Save 30% with this mega AVID BUNDLE!⭐

Save 30% with this AVID Halloween Bundle!

DIRECTIONS:

• Access your forced copy of the Google Doc with the story, The Landlady on the second slide.

• Go to the last slide to add your own discussion prompts.

• Click "File" then "Download" and then "PDF" to download the prompts as a PDF document.

• Print, cut, and laminate a set of cards for each of your groups of 4-5 students.

• Print, cut, and laminate talking chips.

• Put students into groups of 4-5.

• Decide how many talking chips each student gets (this encourages participation during the dialogue and teaches students how to use social cues when deciding when to share, instead of raising a hand).

• One student draws a card from the top. That student asks the question and dialogue begins in the group. Students should have the short story handy so they can use evidence in their responses.

• When dialogue dies down, students continue taking turns drawing a card, asking questions. and having discussions.

• Students should discard the questions already asked so they don't repeat any.

WHAT's INCLUDED:

• Google Doc with the story, "The Landlady"
• Google slide with printable talking chips
• 24 Discussion Prompts in color and black & white
• Editable Discussion Prompt Cards in color and black & white

Check out other AVID Resources HERE!

Check out other Reading Resources HERE!

This set of 32 unique task cards contain engaging thought-provoking questions meant to prompt lively discussion for literature circles or books clubs in your middle or high school ELA classroom. Questions are mainly reader-response and are fully aligned to the Common Core. They can be used at any point during the reading of a novel or short story and are great as both full-class lesson plans or for time-fillers at the end of class. I also like to use these cards as bell-ringer activities to check in on my students' thoughts and understanding of the novel as we go. These are the perfect task cards to add to your teacher's toolbox and use all year long! __________________________________________________________________________ Also, check out these great resources that can be adapted for any novel by Language Arts Excellence: Differentiated Essay Prompt Task Cards Novel Soundtrack Assignment Socratic Seminar Lesson Plan and Materials Adaptable for ANY Topic Differentiated End of Term Reflection Activities Book Recommendation Form Differentiated Essay Prompts for use with ANY Novel Active Reading Strategy Task Cards