6th Grade Writing Literature Circles (by rating)

Transform your middle school ELA classroom with this comprehensive bundle of 12 highly engaging short story units. Each unit is meticulously designed to provide a full week of dynamic lessons, complete with detailed plans, interactive slides, a choice activity board, Socratic seminar questions, three STAAR-aligned essay prompts, a film vs. text Venn diagram, and the text PDF. These short stories will captivate your students and enhance their literary analysis skills, making learning both fun and meaningful.

Included Short Stories:

1. The Most Dangerous Game
2. Sorry, Wrong Number
3. The Hitchhiker
4. The Way Up to Heaven
5. Lamb to the Slaughter
6. The Landlady
7. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
8. Harrison Bergeron
9. Examination Day
10. The Pedestrian
11. All Summer in a Day
12. There Will Come Soft Rains

Bundle Features:

1. Comprehensive 5-Day Lesson Plans: Each story unit includes a detailed five-day lesson plan, ensuring a structured approach to teaching. Lessons are aligned with educational standards and include clear objectives and outcomes.

2. Interactive Slides: Engage your students with interactive slides that guide them through the story, provide context, and facilitate discussions. These slides are designed to keep students focused and involved.

3. Choice Activity Board: Each unit comes with a creative choice board, allowing students to demonstrate their understanding through various projects such as writing an alternate ending, creating a comic strip, designing a literary brochure, and more.

4. Socratic Seminar Questions: Encourage critical thinking and in-depth discussion with six thought-provoking Socratic seminar questions for each story. These questions help students delve deeper into the text and analyze its themes, characters, and literary elements.

5. Three STAAR-Aligned Essay Prompts: Each unit includes three essay prompts (argumentative, correspondence, and informational) that are aligned with STAAR standards, helping students practice their writing skills and prepare for standardized assessments.

6. Film vs. Text Venn Diagram: Enhance your students' analytical skills with a film vs. text Venn diagram activity. Students compare and contrast the short story with its film adaptation, focusing on key similarities and differences.

7. Text PDF: Each unit comes with a PDF of the short story, making it easy to provide students with the text for reading and annotation.

Why Choose This Bundle?

• Engaging Content: These short stories are highly engaging and perfect for capturing the interest of middle school students. The diverse selection of stories includes suspense, science fiction, dystopian themes, and more.
• Comprehensive and Ready-to-Use: Save time with ready-to-use lesson plans, activities, and resources. Each unit is designed for easy implementation, ensuring you can focus on teaching and engaging your students.
• Develop Critical Thinking: The activities and discussions included in each unit promote critical thinking, literary analysis, and deeper understanding of the text.
• Flexible and Adaptable: The bundle provides flexibility in teaching, with a variety of activities and assessment options to suit different learning styles and classroom needs.

Perfect for middle school humanities teachers, this bundle offers everything you need to deliver engaging and effective ELA lessons throughout the year. Enrich your curriculum and inspire your students with these timeless short stories and comprehensive teaching resources.

Explain how vaccines work. This is an informative essay prompt, two articles,a graph, and outline sheet. Your kids will learn about how vaccines are made and how they work in the human body. This comes complete with rubric.

Balloons Over Broadway, The True Story of the Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade Reading Comprehension Test Questions Quiz & Story Sequencing Set!

Includes both multiple choice and short answer versions. (Based on the book by Melissa Sweet . (Book NOT included.)

8 Pages Total Include:

10 Comprehension short-answer questions

10 Multiple Choice Questions

* * * answer sheets (corresponds with both sets)

Sequencing : 12 written scenes from the story to place in order, with illustrations

* * * Sequencing : Blank paste sheet

* * * Sequencing answers

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**Or see my full 50-page BOOK COMPANION in my store!
**Balloons Over Broadway Thanksgiving Read Aloud Book Study Companion Macys Parade

** See my other Thanksgiving Packets in my store here:
Teaching Inclusion Thanksgiving Packets

* Be sure to visit my store for many comprehension packets, and other activity worksheets! My packets strive for inclusion of all students. I provide lined paper, a choice of comprehension, simple activities, and answer sheets. I also take requests!

https://www.TeachShare.com/Store/Teaching-Inclusion

This purchase is for the use of one teacher. It is not intended to be shared. Please use the 'additional license' purchase if more than one teacher will be using it. Thank you!

Copyright © 2022 Teaching Inclusion
All rights reserved by author.
Permission to copy for single classroom use only.
Electronic distribution limited to single classroom use only.

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This 31 page middle grade lesson plan comes ready to implement with easy to follow, color coded examples and activities for teaching, learning, and mastering author's style and types of sentences. Includes: History of Writing and Changes in Styles (1400s and 1700s to current) Models for writing great author's style and types of sentences Practice activities for sentence lengths and varieties Types of sentences (basic, compound, complex, compound-complex) Colorcoded examples of sentences Tips for writing Peer workshopping activities Excellent for homeschool, flipped classes, Gifted & Talented/Pre-Ap/AP, literacy centers, project based classrooms, and test prep. Meets CCSS and state guidelines for ELA. Requires critical thinking and problem solving skills.

Editable writing awards and certificates for any occasion! 60 fun writing themed editable Writing Awards and Certificate Templates ideal anytime awards or certificates for during the year. Use the editable writing award and certificate templates to recognise, acknowledge and celebrate student success and achievements. You can easily personalize the templates for any purpose - in any language. Great for writing projects and recognizing young writers who achieve their goals.

This collection of fun Writing Award and Writing Certificate templates are editable and you can personalize each one to suit your use or message. Simply edit, personalize, print and present. The templates offer variety and choice. Hopefully they will save you time, energy and money.

All template text is editable so they are great for international languages and multi-lingual use too - edit text to French, Spanish, German, Japanese - any language you choose!

You can:

• Edit text
• Edit font
• Edit font color
• Remove current text and replace with your own
• Insert logo, graphics or photos as needed into the blank templates
• Export your edited pages as PDF or picture format to use digitally with your

students

Included in this Set: 60 Editable Writing Award Templates

• 10 Different Templates (Editable)
• 5 Different Styles (Blue Lines, Big Spots, Black Pattern, White and Ink-Savers
• Each Template is Unique - 60 different options
• 5 Plain Color Templates
• 5 Plain Black and White Award Templates

Product Information:

These editable award templates are in PowerPoint form. You will download files in a flattened and secured PowerPoint file format. This format will allow editing and rearranging of text, text changes and editing font colors, etc. You can rearrange the lines and add logos and clipart where room allows. Please note that Clipart is not editable.

If you do not have PowerPoint then you can use a free on-line version at www.officelive.com - you just need to create an account.

You can change the font to whatever you prefer - I know I have favorites! The font used in the templates are free font. Potato Chips font and Poppins fonts are used and can be downloaded for free (personal use only) by clicking on the links.

The Writing Awards or Certificates are designed to fit on 8.5" x 11" paper and can be reduced or enlarged at the time of printing if needed or can be printed 2 or 4 per page using your printer's settings. If A4 size is needed then you can adjust the template to fit A4 paper size at the time of printing by clicking FIT TO PAGE. Border-free printing will depend on your printer's capability and settings.

The awards and certificates are for classroom and/or personal use of the person downloading only.

Additional licenses can be purchased at a discounted price.

Check out other awards - patterned and fun themed ones.

Please ask any questions you may have – I am more than happy to help.

Thank you for visiting Jane G Learning. Click here to Follow Me so that you will see new products and freebies as they are posted.

Terms of Use:

All rights reserved by Jane Gallen © Jane G Learning. This product is only to be used by the original person downloading. Copying for more than one teacher, classroom, department, school, or school system is prohibited. Additional licenses at discounted prices are available. This product must not be distributed or displayed digitally for public view unless by the class teacher for the purposes of distance learning. It may not to be used for Outschool. Failure to comply is a copyright infringement and a violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Intended for classroom and personal use ONLY.

Writing Awards | Pencil Theme Awards | Writing Achievement | Awards | Editable Awards | Certificates | Editable Certificates | Editable Writing Awards | Editable Writing Certificates | Pencil Theme | Writing Theme | Writing Decor | Writing Week | Pencil Decor | Writing Theme Awards | Editable Certificate Templates | Editable Award Templates | Editable Certificates | Kindergarten Writing Awards | Grade 1 Writing Awards | End of Year Writing Certificates | Black and White Awards | Black and White Certificates | Motivating Writers | Writing Incentives | Writing Celebrations | End of Year Writing Awards | Young Writers | Writing Incentive

I used this resource with one of my guided reading groups. They completed the packet as they read the story "One Day in the Prairie" By Jean Craighead George. If they finished they could choose from the extra activities.

Lexile: 860L

Guided Reading Level: P

AR Level: 5.0

AR Quiz: 4052

Thanks for looking! Please rate and leave a comment.

A NOVEL STUDY for GANGSTA GRANNY based on the book by David Walliams.

This 64 page Novel Study includes highly engaging and comprehensive questions and activities that allow your students to respond to the story by using a wide range of reading comprehension strategies and skills.

This is a NO-PREP resource that has been created with questions and activities following the order of the book. Students will be able to respond to each section after they have read it. Teachers can use this resource as either an independent work packet for students or as a guide to questions and discussion whilst working alongside students. Students will cover a wide range of Curriculum Standards in context.

This novel study is ideal as an independent activity or follow-up to the book.

AN ANSWER KEY IS INCLUDED

Activities include:

• Comprehension strategies - inference, prediction , visualizing, questioning, retrieving information, activating prior knowledge, making connections, cause and effect, summarizing, analyzing, synthesizing, understanding vocabulary in context.
• Literacy Skills - sequencing, cause and effect, main idea and events, compare and contrast, point of view.
• Story elements - character descriptions, character analysis, character emotions, character challenges, setting, plot, theme.
• Book response - creative responses, critical thinking, partner discussion response, written responses.
• Vocabulary - a focus on vocabulary words in context, word work and morphology.
• Applying and Synthesising - engaging activities designed for your student to show a deeper understanding of the story.
• Written tasks - using a range of genres as relevant to the story including diary writing and personal narrative.
• Creative Thinking - engaging activities allowing student to apply their own knowledge and themes from the story to be creative.
• Critical Thinking - using themes from the story to consider wider issues.

All activities have been designed with student engagement at the forefront. In responding to the book, students will be required to think both within and beyond the text. Children learn best when they are having fun! Even better that they are learning the love of books at the same time!

This product is not associated with this book's author or publishing company. The book must be purchased separately in order to be used alongside this product.

Please follow me for more literacy units - particularly new releases.

You are welcome to request a novel study in the questions and answers section of my shop!

Thank you for your continued support.

Are you searching for an engaging way for students to complete a literary analysis reading response activity? Stop your scroll! You'll love this printable reading response activity that combines an open-ended literary reponse with the element of creation and design--resulting in a deeper level of critical thinking and idea synthesis.

Students are invited to design and create the wallpaper for a phone lock screen based off of a text--any fictional text will work--and justify their design in writing.

Skills applied may include:

• critical thinking
• literary analysis
• text evidence
• synthesizing ideas
• thematic ideas
• symbolism
• figurative language
• tone/mood
• character
• plot

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

1. Examination Day Full-Week ELA Unit Plan: Socratic Seminar, Choice Board, Slides

• Dive into Henry Slesar's thought-provoking short story, "Examination Day," with a full-week ELA unit plan designed for middle school. This comprehensive package includes detailed Socratic seminar procedures, engaging choice board activities, and dynamic presentation slides to encourage critical thinking and student-led discourse on themes of intelligence testing and government control.

1. Harrison Bergeron Full-Week ELA Plan: Socratic Seminar, Choice Board, Slides

• Explore Kurt Vonnegut's classic dystopian tale, "Harrison Bergeron," in this complete week-long ELA unit. Middle school students will engage deeply with themes of enforced equality and individuality through structured Socratic seminars, creative choice board activities, and informative slides, all designed to foster critical analysis and vibrant classroom discussions.

1. All Summer in a Day Comprehensive Week-Long Lesson Plan: Seminar, Choice Board

• Immerse your students in Ray Bradbury's poignant story, "All Summer in a Day," with this extensive unit plan. The curriculum includes everything you need to facilitate meaningful discussions around themes of isolation, bullying, and the longing for sunshine. Engaging seminars and diverse choice board activities provide varied learning opportunities that cater to different student interests and learning styles.

1. The Pedestrian Full-Week ELA Unit Plan: Socratic Seminar, Choice Board, Slides

• Step into the futuristic world of Ray Bradbury's "The Pedestrian" with this detailed unit plan for grades 6-8. Through thoughtful Socratic seminars, a creative choice board, and educational slides, students will analyze the story's critique of technological dependency and societal conformity, developing critical thinking skills that transcend the classroom.

Should schools ban soda? This is an argumentative essay prompt, three articles, and outline sheet. Your kids will all have their own opinions about sugary drinks and whether or not schools should ban soda. This comes complete with rubric. This product works great in any digital classroom. This is editable in Google Docs. You must have Google Drive to use this product! You may sign up for Google drive for free Visit here for help with Google Drive.

Use this NO PREP, ready to print & go packet to help study many elements of any book—picture or chapter, fiction or non-fiction—with added fun!

A Book Study Companion Unit with Fun Activities & a few templates, too!

This 24-page packet provides a variety of levels to reach each individual student. Please see preview pages and descriptions below . Worksheets include lined paper for easy handwriting practice:

24 Pages Total Include:
* Story Elements : Who, What, When, Where, Main Idea, Problem Solving
* Reflection : Connection, Text-to-Self
* Spelling Test : blank, lined paper
* Story Map: Setting, Characters, Problem, Solution
* Step By Step : First, Next, Then, Last

* Read & Recall : What is it about? Tell me two things. Moral of the story.

* Title Page: Author, Illustrator, add your own illustration 
* Design & Detail illustrating page : Design your own cover for the story. Describe why you have chosen this illustration.
* Opinion Journal: What did you think? What would you change?
* Cause & Effect  : Fill in the Cause & Effect blanks

* IDIOMS : Blank template for adding any idioms from your book
* Book Report : Who is the author? Fiction or Non Fiction? Characters? Favorite part? Rate this book! 

* Writing Prompt : with book- shaped lined paper (Write your own prompt on the spine)

* Writing Prompt : with crayon box- shaped lined paper (Write your own prompt on the spine)

* Contractions : 9 contractions to combine, or separate

* Follow the instructions : coloring, addition/subtraction OR multiplication/division using photos (fill in your own)

* Follow the instructions : counting pictures , left/right

* Follow the instructions : First/Second/Third/Fourth ; Counting photos graph

* Acrostic Poem : READING
* Compare & Contrast Venn Diagram: Blank for you to fill in
* Math : 12 simple addition problems
* * * Math : answer sheet

* Interactive Notebook Template : S_traight_
* Interactive Notebook Template : Square style

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* Be sure to visit my store for many comprehension packets, and other activity worksheets! My packets strive for inclusion of all students. I provide lined paper, a choice of comprehension, simple activities, and answer sheets. I also take requests!

https://www.TeachShare.com/Store/Teaching-Inclusion

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

*** A big HUGE thank you to https://www.TeachShare.com/Store/Empty-Jar-Illustrations for a couple of extra clip art illustrations!! Check out their page for many fabulous clipart sets!

I used this resource with one of my guided reading groups. They completed the packet as they read the story "The Big Wave" by Pearl S. Buck. If they finished they could choose from the extra activities. Answer key is included!

Lexile: 790L

Guided Reading Level: Q

AR Level: 5.2

AR Quiz Number: 5209

Thanks for looking! Please rate and leave a comment.

Two NOVEL STUDIES for THE GIRL WHO STOLE AN ELEPHANT and THE BOY WHO MET A WHALE by Nizrana Farook.

These are engaging and comprehensive units that allow your students to respond to the story by using a wide range of reading comprehension strategies and skills.

With comprehension questions and activities for each chapter the units can be followed chapter by chapter, with no extra preparation or planning required by the teacher. The responses in the unit have been planned and arranged so that your students will practise a wide range of comprehension strategies in context. They have been designed to promote thinking and understanding. Tasks can be completed independently, collaboratively or alongside a teacher. The units have been planned so that over the course of the book, students will become familiar with and well-practised in using comprehension strategies to make meaning from text.

Activities include:

• COMPREHENSION ACTIVITIES FOR EACH CHAPTER
• Comprehension strategies - inference, prediction , visualising, questioning, retrieving information, activating prior knowledge, making connections, summarizing, analysing, synthesising, understanding vocabulary in context.
• Literacy Skills - sequencing, cause and effect, main idea and events, compare and contrast, point of view, venn diagrams, writing, point of view, vocabulary work.
• Story elements - character descriptions, character analysis, character emotions, character challenges, setting, plot, theme,
• Book response - creative responses, written responses, critical thinking.

All activities have been designed with student engagement at the forefront. In responding to the book, students will be required to think both within and beyond the text. Children learn best when they are having fun! Even better that they are learning the love of books at the same time!

Please follow me for more literacy units - particularly new releases!

Thank you for your continued support

Dive into the suspenseful world of "Sorry, Wrong Number" by Lucille Fletcher with this comprehensive, end-of-year ELA unit, perfect for middle school humanities teachers! This meticulously designed resource offers a full week of engaging, scaffolded lessons, culminating in a dynamic Socratic seminar and creative choice board activities.

What's Included:

• Fully Detailed Lesson Plans: Each day is carefully planned with clear objectives, standards alignment, and step-by-step instructions. Scaffolds and differentiation strategies ensure all students can participate and succeed.
• Engaging Activities: Students will read and analyze the text, listen to the captivating radio play, and participate in thought-provoking discussions. Every lesson is designed to captivate students' imaginations and deepen their understanding of the material.
• Socratic Seminar: Facilitate a rich, student-led discussion with our structured Socratic seminar guidelines. Students will engage in meaningful dialogue, using evidence from the text to support their points.
• Choice Board Projects: Empower students to demonstrate their learning creatively with a variety of project options, including writing an alternate ending, crafting a comic strip, designing a literary brochure, and more. Each option includes graphic organizers and rubrics to guide student work.
• Comprehensive Question Sets: Thoughtful questions accompany each lesson, encouraging critical thinking and textual analysis. An answer key is provided to support teacher facilitation.
• Paper-Based Resource: Designed for easy implementation, this unit is fully printable and ready to use in any classroom setting.

Unit Breakdown:

• Day 1: Whole-class reading of "Sorry, Wrong Number" followed by listening to the radio play. Discussion on suspense and foreshadowing.
• Day 2: Collecting evidence and constructing responses using the claim, evidence, reasoning (CER) format. Preparation for the Socratic seminar.
• Day 3: Socratic seminar day. Students explore and discuss the text, aiming to speak 2-3 times, using textual evidence to support their points.
• Days 4 & 5: Choice board activities. Students choose from a range of creative projects to showcase their understanding of the story.

Benefits:

• Engaging End-of-Year Content: Keep students motivated and excited about learning with a thrilling, suspenseful story that will capture their interest.
• Scaffolding and Extension Ideas: Each lesson includes scaffolds to support all learners and extension ideas to challenge advanced students.
• Comprehensive and Ready-to-Use: Save time with detailed lesson plans, organized materials, and everything you need to deliver a successful unit.

Perfect for middle school humanities teachers looking to end the year with a bang, this unit will leave students discussing, debating, and reflecting on "Sorry, Wrong Number" long after the lessons are over. Bring your classroom to life with this engaging, paper-based resource!

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

Includes prompts for writing informative and argumentative essays. Also includes writing powerpoints, outlines, and rubrics

I used this resource with one of my guided reading groups. They completed the packet as they read the story "Animal Ark: Cat in the Crypt" by Ben M. Baglio. If they finished they could choose from the extra activities. Answer key is included!

Lexile: 570L

Guided Reading Level: N/A

AR Level: 3.9

AR Quiz Number: 59045

Thanks for looking! Please rate and leave a comment.

THREE DIARY OF A WIMPY KID Novel Studies for DIARY OF A WIMPY KID, RODRICK RULES and DIPER OVERLODE.

These are engaging and comprehensive units that allow your students to respond to the story by using a wide range of reading comprehension strategies and skills.

With comprehension questions and activities for each chapter the units can be followed chapter by chapter, with no extra preparation or planning required by the teacher. The responses in the unit have been planned and arranged so that your students will practise a wide range of comprehension strategies in context. They have been designed to promote thinking and understanding. Tasks can be completed independently, collaboratively or alongside a teacher. The units have been planned so that over the course of the book, students will become familiar with and well-practised in using comprehension strategies to make meaning from text.

Activities include:

• COMPREHENSION ACTIVITIES FOR EACH CHAPTER
• Comprehension strategies - inference, prediction , visualising, questioning, retrieving information, activating prior knowledge, making connections, summarizing, analysing, synthesising, understanding vocabulary in context.
• Literacy Skills - sequencing, cause and effect, main idea and events, compare and contrast, point of view, venn diagrams, writing, point of view, vocabulary work.
• Story elements - character descriptions, character analysis, character emotions, character challenges, setting, plot, theme,
• Book response - creative responses, written responses, critical thinking.

All activities have been designed with student engagement at the forefront. In responding to the book, students will be required to think both within and beyond the text. Children learn best when they are having fun! Even better that they are learning the love of books at the same time!

Please follow me for more literacy units - particularly new releases!

Survivors - The Empty City

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Thank you for your continued support

Keep your middle school students engaged in the world of Ray Bradbury's "There Will Come Soft Rains" with this all-encompassing week-long ELA unit. Designed specifically for educators teaching grades 6-8, this resource is perfect for deepening understanding of science fiction and dystopian themes, but it is flexible enough to be adjusted for other levels.

What’s Included:

• Interactive Lesson Slides: Engage students from the start with detailed slides that outline daily activities, from insightful readings to critical discussions.
• Socratic Seminar Toolkit: Equip your students for high-level academic discourse with comprehensive guides and tools for a Socratic seminar that emphasizes student-led discussions and analytical thinking.
• Choice Board Activities: Motivate students with diverse projects such as creating comic strips, crafting alternative endings, and more, allowing them to express their understanding creatively and diversely.
• Varied Writing Prompts: Challenge students with tailored writing prompts, including argumentative, informational, and correspondence essays that probe deeper into the story’s speculative and technological themes.
• Film vs. Text Comparative Analysis: Utilize our ready-to-use Venn diagram to compare the text with film adaptations, enhancing multimedia analytical skills.

Perfect For:

• End-of-Year Projects: Keep the learning momentum going with engaging material that captivates students’ imaginations and critical thinking skills until the final day.
• Sub Plans: Fully prepared and easy to follow, this unit ensures that learning is seamless and comprehensive, even when the regular teacher is away.
• Mini Dystopian Unit: Integrates smoothly with larger thematic studies, offering students a layered understanding of dystopian narratives and futuristic cautionary tales.

Educational Objectives:

• Foster critical analysis and discussion skills through structured and guided debates about technology and humanity.
• Encourage creative writing and narrative skills by having students explore and invent within the world Bradbury imagined.
• Promote student engagement and autonomy in learning through activities that require active participation and personal input.

Crafted with precision for both teacher ease and student engagement, this unit not only meets educational standards but also inspires students to consider deeper questions about technology, society, and human impact.

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

I used this resource with one of my guided reading groups. They completed the packet as they read the story "Cam Jansen and the Secret Service Mystery" by David A. Adler. If they finished they could choose from the extra activities. Answer key is included!

Lexile: 580L

Guided Reading Level: L

AR Level: 3.6

AR Quiz Number: 109523

Thanks for looking! Please rate and leave a comment.