7th Grade Reading Literature Circles

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.

Studying _Esperanza Risin_g? Looking to give students some context for the novel ?

Then this product is for you! Introduction power point includes:

•About the Author

•The Mexican Revolution

•The U.S (1920’s)

•Story Overview

•Themes

•Symbols

•Essential Questions

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.

Please check out the video preview for my line of Socratic Seminars!

This bundle includes every product in my Socratic Seminar Bundle line. Multiple novels and short stories are included for grades 6-12! My students LOVE Socratic Seminars, and I often use them as their final assessment grade. The can be used in small literature circle groups, or with a full class. Please ask if you have any questions!

*This is one story taken from a book eight, which can be found here.

Help Your Students Explore Bullying & Resilience with "The Invisible Scars"

A Powerful Story & Engaging Activities for Grades 5-8

"The Invisible Scars" is a compelling short story about Avery, a middle school student struggling with the long-term effects of bullying. This relatable narrative provides a springboard for meaningful discussions about mental health, self-esteem, and the importance of seeking help.

This comprehensive resource includes:

• A moving short story (approx. 2,000 words) that tackles the sensitive topic of bullying and its lasting impact on a young person's life.

• Engaging activities designed to deepen students' understanding of the story's themes, including:

  • Thought-provoking discussion questions to spark classroom conversations about bullying, resilience, and support systems.
  • Creative writing prompts that encourage students to explore the story's themes through different perspectives and genres.
  • Project-based assignments that allow students to research, analyze, and create presentations, campaigns, and more.

• A comprehensive vocabulary list to enhance students' reading comprehension and vocabulary development.

"The Invisible Scars" will help your students:

• Develop empathy and understanding for individuals who have experienced bullying.
• Recognize the signs of bullying and its impact on mental health.
• Identify healthy coping mechanisms for dealing with difficult emotions and situations.
• Understand the importance of seeking help from trusted adults and mental health professionals.
• Develop their critical thinking, writing, and communication skills through engaging activities.

This resource is perfect for:

• Language Arts classes
• Social Studies classes
• Guidance lessons
• Advisory periods
• Anti-bullying initiatives

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!

Now with newly added material!

This resource features a bundle of all of our best-selling lesson plans, materials, and activities for Walter Dean Myer's highly relevant novel, Monster. Each product is thoughtfully crafted and allows students to think outside the box by delving deeply into the novel's themes, characters, and plot development. Lessons have all been classroom-tested and allow for differentiation while encouraging optimal student engagement. This bundle is all that you need for the study of Monster from basic comprehension and vocabulary acquisition to activities that will bring the novel to life!

Included in this Bundle:

⭐ Literature Guide:

This product features a comprehensive literature guide for use while reading Monster. Monster is such a fun book to teach students about the American justice system while bringing up many moral issues and thoughtful points for discussion. This literature guide provides an excellent basis for comprehension and vocabulary acquisition for Monster and encourages students to play along with the jury as they read. I am confident that it will increase your students' understanding of this spellbinding novel dramatically.

⭐ Anticipation Guide & Lesson Plan:

This product features an anticipation guide and meticulously-explained lesson plan that is in my opinion, the absolute best way to approach a new novel. Using a non-intimidating method called "Numbered Heads", this activity will get your students thinking, writing, conversing, and reporting about themes you will be encountering during your study of Monster.

⭐ "Silent Conversation" Quote Pass Activity:

This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during your study of Monster. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the book, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on Monster!

⭐ Socratic Seminar Lesson & Materials:

Socratic Seminars (or "Fish Bowl" Conversations as I like to call them with my students) are fantastic, higher order ways of assessing whether your students are able to understand and react to your class text. These seminars rely on the power of inquiry and allow students to take the lead in their learning and discussion. The only problem? They require a great deal of preparation. Fortunately, this student-tested resource includes everything you need to conduct a structured and formal set of Socratic Seminars in your classroom surrounding Monster... and no preparation is required by you at all!

⭐ Monster vs. Murder on a Sunday Morning Compare Contrast Project:

This week-long project asks students to view the Oscar Award-Winning documentary, Murder on a Sunday Morning, and compare it to the shockingly similar novel. Students love seeing the real-life courtroom action play out and connecting it to the novel they read in class. It is incredibly relevant for our times and is in my opinion, a "must-do" for your Monster unit!

⭐ ESCAPE ROOM

Salvatore Zinzi and Wendell Bolden are at it again, snitching on their buddies to lessen their own sentences in prison. Except this time, they've snitched on your students! Each one has been accused of being a part of a robbery gone wrong and now they are trapped in a frighteningly dark and dreary jail cell. The only way to escape is by solving 5 different skills-based puzzles, discovering a hidden message, and finding clues along the way.

⭐ Monster (Myers) Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game

This resource features a lesson plan and materials for the Human Tic Tac Toe Review Game, an engaging and competitive way to review Monster. Let's face it, review days can be difficult and boring... so your students will appreciate you making learning fun with this collaborative game. The resource includes not only a meticulously detailed lesson plan and set-up instructions, but 60 questions on characters, plot, and vocabulary from Monster. Besides simple set-up, very little preparation is needed for this lesson and if your students are like mine, they will ask for this form of review for every unit of study!

⭐ Quizzes for Entire Novel:

This resource features 3 comprehensive and thoughtfully-written quizzes for the acclaimed novel, Monster. While Monster is perfect for optimal student engagement and involved discussions on contemporary issues in society, it is also important that students understand what is going on. These straightforward quizzes will make sure that you students understand the plot, characters, and vocabulary of this amazing and relevant novel!

Purchasing this bundle saves over 20% off the cost of all resources.

___________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

I used this resource with one of my guided reading groups. After they completed a book they choose from the list of extra activities.

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

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)

A worksheet with requires students to analyze the famous monologue in Shakespeare's play "As You Like It". Works well on it's own or with the play. Includes an answer key.

Are you looking for an interactive, student-led activity/ assessment for the end of Carol Matas's Daniel's Story?

This file contains 2 different packets of Socratic Circle questions- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains 3 different questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with 3 additional questions they will ask if there's time in their circle. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite circle. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase a meaningful comment their partner made. Lastly, the file contains the socratic circle rubric.

When you print out the file, you'll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. You'll need to cut each packet page in half after you print them out, as each booklet you give to the students is only half a page. They are labeled A and B. Give half your class A, half B, and allow them to plan! The day of the circle, you'll let A discuss for maybe 20-30 minutes, then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss.

My students really enjoy Socratic Seminars! I have found it works better when you give each group three different questions, so you don't see the same discussion 2 times, which is how this packet is set up. I used the Socratic Circle as their "final test grade" for Daniel's Story. The students need to have finished the story to answer the questions included in the packet.

Please help my little business grow!

Did you know that you can receive $ credit towards future TeachShare purchases by reviewing this product? Please leave a review at the product page or through "My Purchases" under "My Account" at TpT. Thank you!

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

Aisha, a 13-year-old girl living in Gaza city, chronicles her experiences through a diary during a period of intense conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants in Gaza. As bombings, power outages, water shortages, and infrastructure damage disrupt daily life, Aisha describes her fears for her family's safety and her disrupted education. She finds resilience through community support and small acts of normalcy like playing games with friends. Temporary ceasefires provide glimpses of peace amid the violence. But tensions frequently boil over into clashes and protests at the border, unleashing new rounds of bombardment. Aisha conveys the mental and physical toll of living through endless cycles of war and deprivation in Gaza. Yet she retains hope for justice and freedom in the future, fueled by the strength of her community. Throughout her diary, Aisha gives an intimate account of what it's like to come of age in Gaza against a backdrop of conflict and hardship.

There are thought provoking questions (and possible 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.

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!

Sometimes the best classroom discussions arise when students say nothing at all!

This product features a thoughtful and engaging activity for use during the study of Harper Lee's ever-enduring tale, To Kill a Mockingbird. Centering around 5 different provocative passages from the book, this lesson provides your students with a chance to think, reflect, and respond to their peers without ever saying a word. This creative approach is a great way to differentiate instruction among your students and allows even your most quiet students to shine. I am confident that this no-prep lesson will become a must-do activity within your unit on To Kill a Mockingbird.

Product Includes:

- 5 "Silent Conversation" worksheets with 5 different quotes from the novel

- Full lesson plan

_________________________________________________________________________

Also, check out these great resources to complement your unit on To Kill a Mockingbird by Language Arts Excellence:

To Kill a Mockingbird Anticipation Guide &

Lesson Plan

___________________________________________________________________________

Click to Follow Language Arts Excellence

I used this resource with one of my guided reading groups. They completed the packet as they read the story "Building A Dream: Mary Bethune's School" by Richard Kelso. If they finished they could choose from the extra activities. Answer key is included!

Lexile: N/A

Guided Reading Level: N/A

AR Level: 4.6

AR Quiz Number: 12508

Thanks for looking! Please rate and leave a comment.

Fostering avid readers means consistently presenting books to your class. I have witnessed, first-hand, the power of consistent Book Talks with my students. Book Talks have the power to foster continued love in avid readers and reach even the most struggling readers.
Check out my brand new series of no-prep Book Talk Guides for teachers--starting with this Freebie for Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds.

What's Included?

• Teacher Tips and Tricks for successful book talks, including suggested links for book trailers*

• Book Talk Guide, including genre, what kind of students might enjoy each book, and a plot summary

• At least one student book talk response activity

Follow my store and check back as new titles and themed Book Talk bundles will be added in the days and weeks to come!

Comprehensive Dahl Exploration: This bundle combines three of Roald Dahl’s most compelling stories, each presented in a detailed ELA unit designed to engage middle school students. Perfect for an author’s study, this bundle allows students to analyze Dahl’s unique narrative style and recurring themes across different works. From the mysterious escalations in "Way Up to Heaven" to the unsettling undertones of "The Landlady" and the darkly comic "Lamb to the Slaughter," students will appreciate Dahl’s mastery in crafting suspense and surprise. This bundle is an excellent resource for end-of-year activities, sub plans, or a focused thematic unit on one of literature’s most intriguing authors.

1. Way Up to Heaven ELA Unit

Description: Explore the suspenseful realms of Roald Dahl’s "Way Up to Heaven" with this detailed ELA unit. This package includes engaging slides for easy teaching, a structured Socratic seminar to foster deep discussion, comprehensive lesson plans for effective learning, and versatile choice board activities to cater to diverse learning preferences. Students will delve into thematic analysis, character study, and the craft of writing through guided essays and creative projects.

2. The Landlady ELA Unit

Description: Dive deep into the chilling story of "The Landlady" with this complete ELA unit. It features dynamic slides that enrich the narrative experience, a Socratic seminar to enhance critical thinking, and a choice board that offers creative and analytical options like comic strips and alternate endings. Additional essays and activities, including a film comparison using a Venn diagram, make this unit perfect for a comprehensive study of narrative techniques and thematic development.

3. Lamb to the Slaughter ELA Unit

Description: Unpack the intrigue of Roald Dahl’s "Lamb to the Slaughter" in this all-inclusive ELA unit. This resource provides detailed slides for seamless instruction, engaging seminar guidelines to discuss the complexities of the plot, and a range of activities including a choice board for student-driven projects. The unit also includes tailored essay prompts and additional activities that encourage a deeper understanding of the story’s themes and Dahl’s distinctive writing style.

Bonus:

Includes in-depth character analysis across three stories and synthesizing essay prompt with graphic organizers!

Reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian? 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 More Resources for "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian?***

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Introduction Powerpoint

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Study Guide Flipbook

The Absolutely True Life Diary of a Part-Time Indian Characterization Flipbook