$5 - $10 8th Grade Informational Text Lesson (by date, latest first)

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!

Did you know the theme for Black History Month 2024 focuses on African Americans and the Arts? Do you only have 20 minutes per day to incorporate Black History Month?

Switch up your classroom's exploration of African American history through art with our comprehensive digital resource, which includes 45 interactive Google Slides. This engaging and educational tool is designed to offer an in-depth look into the lives and works of 15 influential African American artists, perfect for daily learning activities in February or any time of the year perfect for daily warm-ups or part of a larger Black History Month unit.

Key Features:

• 15 Detailed Informational Texts: Each of the 15 African American artists across generations featured in this resource comes to life through meticulously crafted informational texts. These texts provide a rich narrative of each artist's journey, achievements, and impact on society.
• Engaging Short Videos: Accompanying each informational text is a carefully selected video, under five minutes in length, providing a visual and auditory learning experience. These videos are designed to complement the texts, offering a well-rounded understanding of each artist's contributions.
• Interactive Open-Ended Response Prompts: Following each informational text and video, students are encouraged to reflect and respond with open-ended questions. These prompts are designed to stimulate critical thinking, personal connection, and deeper comprehension of the material.
• 45 Easy-to-Navigate Slides: With a total of 45 slides, this digital resource provides a comprehensive yet accessible educational experience. Each artist is given a dedicated set of slides, ensuring an organized and focused learning journey.
• Digital Convenience and Accessibility: Hosted on Google Slides, this resource is easily accessible for both in-person and remote learning environments. It offers the convenience of digital use, allowing for interactive and engaging classroom or homework assignments.

Benefits:

• Cultivates an Appreciation for Diversity in Art: Students will gain a deeper understanding and respect for the diverse contributions of African American artists throughout history.
• Enhances Multimedia Learning: The combination of texts, videos, and writing prompts caters to different learning styles, ensuring a more engaging and effective educational experience.
• Promotes Critical Thinking and Expression: The open-ended response prompts encourage students to think critically and express their thoughts and interpretations, enhancing their analytical and communication skills.
• Ready-to-Use and Time-Saving for Educators: This all-in-one resource requires no additional prep, making it a valuable tool for educators looking for comprehensive, ready-to-use teaching materials.

Ideal for Teachers Who:

• Seek to provide a multimedia learning experience in their exploration of African American history and art.
• Require ready-to-go, comprehensive resources for Black History Month or cultural studies.
• Value the integration of videos and interactive elements in classroom instruction.
• Want to incorporate BHM briefly throughout February.

Transform your teaching approach with this enriching digital resource on African American artists. Inspire your students with the powerful stories, artistic expressions, and cultural impacts of these remarkable individuals. Add this multifaceted educational tool to your collection today and bring history to life in your classroom!

Save money and have lots of fun with your middle schoolers in February! Do this all

while learning or reviewing important science concepts!

Related Resources

⭐ Famous People in the Area of STEM Posters for Middle School BUNDLE

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This engaging resource contains four informational reading passages about coral along with follow-up questions.

What is Coral?

Why Are Corals Reefs Important Ecosystems?

Human Impact on Coral Reefs

Coral Farming

The passages were written with middle-schoolers in mind, but the information is very interesting and complex and would be useful for other grades as well.

There is also a Standards and Suggestions page, task cards with pictures of 18 different corals with a report writing organizer, 10 educational posters, and links YouTube videos.

You can share this resource with your students through Google Classroom™ or Google Drive™. Students can then type directly on this document and share it back with you.

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Related Resource

⭐ Endangered Animals: Texts and Activities for Use with Google Slides™

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⭐ What is Pollination? Texts and Activities for Use with Google Slides™

⭐ Plant Adaptations Non-Fiction Texts and Activities for Use with Google Slides™

⭐ Distance Learning: Science at Home Virtual Museums and Activities

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- Do you need a study guide for the inspiring, true story of The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition)?

- This resource will guide your students and hold them accountable for reading the book.

- This resource comes with standards and suggestions for the teacher, 2 to 3 questions per chapter, answer keys, and a mini-poster of William's actual windmill.

- Check out the preview to see if The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind study guide is right for you.

Related Resources

⭐ Middle School Science Human Activity Nonfiction Texts

⭐ Renewable and Nonrenewable Energy Reading Passages and Activity

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⭐ Wind Turbines Nonfiction Text and STEM Challenge

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• These math classroom posters are perfect for your math bulletin boards.
• Each poster includes a picture of the mathematician and a short description of his/her contributions written appropriately for the middle school level.
• When hung in the classroom these posters can be viewed by the students and referred to throughout the year as different topics arise when teaching the Next Generation Science Standards or Math Standards.
• Each sheet can also be used as a close read.

The following mathematicians are included:

Pythagoras

Archimedes

Isaac Newton

Sophie Germain

Carl Gauss

Florence Nightingale

Mary Boole

Benoit Mandelbrot

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Related Resources

⭐ Fractals and Patterns in Nature

⭐ Famous Engineer and Inventor Posters for Middle School

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⭐ Back to School: Common Science Misconceptions for Middle School

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If you are looking for the perfect way to celebrate the March college basketball tournament with a rigorous yet engaging, skills-based activity, look no further than this March Basketball Escape Room for ELA!

There is no wonder why escape rooms are so popular; they are highly engaging and encourage people to work together and think creatively in order to solve different puzzles... all while trying to beat the clock! This meticulously-crafted resource features all of the materials you need to conduct a full-length ELA Escape Room to celebrate March basketball. Planning an escape room may seem like quite the daunting task, but this product provides everything from the basics and set-up instructions to signs and answer keys so that yours runs smoothly from start to finish. The activity involves movement, energy, creative thinking and most of all, collaboration. Your students will be having so much fun that they won’t even realize the higher order thinking skills they are applying in the playing of this game!

How does it work?

Your students must learn to collaborate with their peers to escape your classroom by solving 5 different Language Arts skills-based puzzles about the big tournament.

• March Basketball Fun Facts: In the first task, students will read fun facts about the tournament. In each passage is an incorrectly used homophone. Students must identify and correct the homophone. Shaded boxes in the correct answers will reveal their code.
• Bball Quotes: In the second task, students will read 8 inspirational quotes from famous basketball players and identify parts of speech within the quotes. Once assembled correctly on a chart, shaded boxes will reveal the code.
• Catch: In the third task, students must perform a close reading of the poem, Catch by Samiya Bashir and answer multiple choice questions about the selection that when correct, will reveal the code.
• History of the Madness: In the fourth task, students will read about the origins of the basketball tournament. Within each paragraph, there is one commonly misspelled word. Students must identify the word and write it correctly on their answer sheet. Shaded letters within the correct answers will form their third code.
• Bball Trivia: In the final task, students will be quizzed on what they learned throughout the first four tasks and enter their answers to trivia questions in a fun crossword puzzle. Circled boxes within the puzzle will reveal their final code.

Product Includes:

• Escape Room Basics
• Detailed Day-Of Instructions
• Escape Room Print Checklist
• Student Teams Chart
• Materials for 5 Tasks: task signs to be folded upright, task instructions (2 per page for easy printing), and supplementary information to be kept at stations
• Student Answer Sheet
• Teacher Answer Keys
• Escape Room Reflection for homework or in-class writing activity

Although this escape room is ideal for March, it can be used at any time throughout the year without modification, particularly if you have a sports-obsessed class!

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Can't get enough escape rooms? Check out more by Language Arts Excellence here:

⭐ Halloween ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Thanksgiving ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Christmas ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ New Year's ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Valentine's Day ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ 100th Day of School ELA Escape Room

⭐ Escape to Spring Break ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ Back to School ELA ESCAPE ROOM

⭐ End of Year ELA ESCAPE ROOM

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⭐⭐⭐For the escape room enthusiasts out there, you can now build your own bundle at 20% off the cover price of 3 or more escape rooms! Click the link to check out all of the escape rooms Language Arts Excellence has to offer: Build Your Own Escape Room BUNDLE⭐⭐⭐

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Description

Elevate your students' reading comprehension skills with this comprehensive lesson on identifying and understanding author's purpose. This resource is designed to help students in grades 6-8 develop critical thinking skills and become more effective readers by analyzing various elements of a text, such as word choice, writing techniques, and main ideas.

The package includes:

A detailed, 40-slide presentation covering:

• The importance of understanding author's purpose

• The three main types of author's purpose: persuade, inform, and entertain

• How word choice, writing techniques, and main ideas contribute to author's purpose

• Practical tips and strategies for identifying author's purpose in various texts

• Two example passages with in-depth analysis of author's purpose, word choice, writing techniques, and main ideas

• Recap of key points and encouragement for students to practice their skills

20 carefully curated non-fiction texts from diverse genres, such as opinion pieces, advertisements, and informative essays, providing ample opportunities for students to apply their learning

A versatile worksheet that guides students through analyzing each text, focusing on:

1. Summarizing the main points
2. Identifying the main idea and author's purpose
3. Examining key writing techniques and their effects

Text Titles:

Literary Nonfiction

1. Biography of Malala Yousafzai - Explore the life of a young woman who stood up for education rights and won a Nobel Peace Prize.
2. Emma Raducanu: A Rising Star Overcoming the Odds - An account focusing on the challenges and triumphs in youth sports.
3. Personal Essay on Bullying - Reflections from someone who experienced bullying, discussing its impacts and lessons learned.
4. Travel Writing about a Trip to the Amazon Rainforest - Descriptions and adventures in one of the world's most vital and diverse ecosystems.

Journalism

1. News Article on Climate Change - Current events and scientific explanations regarding global climate shifts.
2. Feature Story on Innovations in Technology - In-depth look at how technology is changing education.
3. Investigative Reporting on Plastic Pollution - Uncovering the sources and solutions of plastic pollution in oceans.
4. Opinion Piece on the Importance of Recycling - Persuasive arguments about why recycling should be a part of daily life.

Academic Writing

1. Research Paper on Habitats of Endangered Species - Study and presentation of critical habitats that need protection.
2. Case Study on the Impact of Video Games on Youth - Analysis of positive and negative effects of gaming.
3. Review of a Science Documentary - Critical evaluation of a popular science documentary's content and presentation.

Practical Nonfiction

1. How-to Guide on Starting a Community Garden - Step-by-step instructions for school-based or community garden projects.
2. Self-help Book for Teens on Managing Stress - Practical advice and techniques for handling school and social stress.
3. Instructions for cooking lasagne - From the history, to the ingredients, to the recipe and execution.

Creative Nonfiction

1. Narrative Nonfiction on a Significant Historical Event - A compelling retelling of the moon landing, focusing on lesser-known facts and figures.
2. Historical Account of the Civil Rights Movement - A blend of factual history and personal stories from the 1960s.
3. True Crime Story about a Famous Art Heist - Examination of the theft, the investigation, and the impact on the art world.

Additional Engaging Topics

1. Exploration of the Ancient Civilization of Egypt  - Delving into their culture, technology, and contributions to modern society.

2. Science Behind Natural Disasters - Understanding earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanoes through a scientific lens.

3. The Evolution of Music from Classical to Modern Pop - Tracing how music has changed over the centuries and its influence on society.

By working through this lesson and completing the accompanying activities, your students will:

• Gain a deep understanding of author's purpose and its significance in reading comprehension

• Learn to identify and analyze the elements of a text that contribute to author's purpose

• Develop critical thinking skills by examining word choice, writing techniques, and main ideas

• Improve their ability to summarize and interpret various types of non-fiction texts

• Become more confident and engaged readers, equipped with strategies for tackling complex texts

This resource is perfect for English Language Arts, Reading, or Writing classes, as well as for test preparation and literacy intervention programs. The slides and activities can be easily adapted to suit your classroom's needs and can be used for whole-class instruction, small-group work, or independent practice.

Empower your students to become skilled, critical readers with this comprehensive lesson on author's purpose. Purchase now and unlock the key to improved reading comprehension!

Help your middle schoolers dive deep into the complexities of climate change with this engaging and thought-provoking resource!

"Climate Change: Five Perspectives" goes beyond basic facts, encouraging students to analyze diverse viewpoints and develop their critical thinking skills.

This comprehensive resource includes:

• Five compelling letters, each written to the United: Each letter presents a unique perspective on climate change, written from the point of view of:

  • The Urgent Activist
  • The Cautious Skeptic
  • The Technological Optimist
  • The Economic Pragmatist
  • The Frontline Youth (a student living in Kiribati)

• A companion AI video where the five letters are read aloud by their authors.

• 12 Engaging Assignments: Designed to spark critical thinking and enhance literacy skills, these activities encourage students to:

  • Analyze author's craft, purpose, and structure.
  • Synthesize information and evaluate evidence.
  • Compare and contrast perspectives.
  • Develop their own informed opinions.

• Alignment with Curriculum: This resource integrates with many Grade 6 literacy outcomes and climate change units. It was paritcularly aimed at the Alberta curriciulum.

Why This Resource Stands Out:

• Promotes Critical Thinking: Students learn to analyze different viewpoints, evaluate evidence, and form their own conclusions.
• Encourages Empathy and Global Awareness: By exploring diverse perspectives, students gain a deeper understanding of how climate change impacts people around the world.
• Offers Flexibility: The resource can be adapted for individual work, small group activities, or whole-class discussions.
• Saves You Time: The ready-to-use letters, video, and assignments make it easy to implement this resource in your classroom.

Spark meaningful conversations about climate change and empower your students to become informed, engaged global citizens!

Click here to purchase "Climate Change: Five Perspectives" and enhance your climate change unit today!

Use this AVID Socratic Seminar Team Building l John F. Kennedy Moon Speech lesson plan with Google Slides and summary/reflection to increase dialogue and engagement in your classroom.

What's Included:

• Lesson Plan with a walkthrough of all the slides and a video overview and explanation.
• John F. Kennedy's speech transcript for students to mark their text and come up with questions in the margins for the Seminar.
• Google slides which go over the lesson related to John F Kennedy and his speech and discuss the process of a Soccratic Seminar. The slides include embedded links for students to follow along and access required documents.
• Summary and reflection digital document for students to summarize and reflect what they learned through the Seminar.

Directions:

• Students will discuss the history of the John F. Kennedy's Moon Speech as directed through the teaching slides
• Students will follow the directions in the slide and read/mark their speech text
• Students will watch the speech video and look for ethical/leadership qualities
• Students will come up with questions for the Socratic Seminar using Costa's Level of Thinking
• Students will meet with a partner to clarify any confusions
• Students will review the protocl for Socratic Seminars
• Students will use their questions and provided sentences stems to have dialogue in the Seminar
• Students will complete a summary and reflection over the Seminar

Click HERE to see our other AVID resources.

We also have several great AVID bundle options available down below!

AVID Mega Growing Bundle

AVID Teambuilding Bundle

AVID Writing Bundle

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Get ready for your upcoming visit to the pumpkin patch with this field trip bundle! This bundle includes the Preschool & Kinder, Elementary, and Middle & High School Units. Includes reading passages and fun activities for before and after the field trip, as well as a trip reflection activity that can be used for any field trip.

All Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Units follow the same outline and the parent/teacher info sheet is the same for all three so that if you have children of several ages, you can seamlessly teach them together. Homeschooling parents and teachers taking multiple grades on the trip can easily combine the three units included in this bundle.

Includes:

• Parent/Teacher information sheet that gives a quick run down of all the pumpkin patch information included in the unit

Pre-Trip Activities

• Pumpkin Patch read aloud for younger students
• Pumpkin Patch reading passage for older students
• Pumpkin Life Cycle activity in full color and black & white
• Pumpkin Life Cycle writing activity - tracing and writing version
• History of Pumpkin read aloud for younger students
• History of Pumpkin reading passage for older students
• Three Sisters read aloud for younger students
• Three Sisters reading passage for older students
• Three Sisters writing activities for each level
• Pumpkin Baking activities - comes with instructions, plus 4 recipes to chose from (these could also be done post-trip)
• Pumpkin writing activity - tracing and writing version

Post-Trip Activities

• Field Trip Log - for homeschoolers to track the year's field trips
• Field Trip Reflection for each level
• Home Again read aloud for younger students
• Home Again reading passage for older students
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds baking instructions
• Jack o' Lantern drawing activity for younger students
• Time to Carve reading passage and activity for older students
• Inside the Pumpkin drawing activity
• Inside the Pumpkin labeling worksheet in two levels (cut & paste and labeling)
• Additional resources sheet

The Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Unit is part of my Field Trip Unit Series. The series was created with homeschoolers in mind, but can be adapted to be used in a classroom as well. Field trips are a great way to supplement learning, but often homeschoolers don’t get any background information on the location of their field trip and want to enrich their experience by expanding the learning at home before and after the trip. These units help give information and fun activities before and after the field trip.

These units are available individually in PreK/Kinder, Elementary, and Middle & High School levels. Buying in this bundle saves you 20% off the individual prices

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Unit - PreK Preschool and Kindergarten

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Unit - Elementary School

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Unit - Middle School

**This unit comes in a zip file. Extract the files to access the Parent/Teacher Info Sheet and the Student pdf file**

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