$10 - $20 8th Grade Writing Unit Plans

Engage your middle and high school students with this 21-Day Multimedia Thematic Unit focused on Social Media and Mental Health! Designed for Grades 7 and up, this comprehensive unit weaves together ELA, social studies, and digital literacy through interactive lessons, activities, and assessments that explore the influence of social media on identity, mental health, and society.

This unit features a variety of multimedia resources, including TED Talks, informational articles, political cartoons, and the documentary The Social Dilemma. Students will develop critical thinking skills as they engage with different forms of media, reflect on their personal social media habits, and create meaningful projects like a political cartoon capstone.

What’s Included:

• Daily Lesson Plans for 21 days of engaging, standards-aligned instruction
• A range of activities including debates, Socratic seminars, and reflective writing
• Viewing guides and discussion prompts for multimedia content
• Informational text analysis with evidence-gathering strategies
• Step-by-step directions for creating a capstone political cartoon on social media’s impact
• Assessment rubrics and graphic organizers to support student learning

Aligned Standards:
This interdisciplinary unit is aligned with Common Core ELA Standards (including reading, writing, speaking, and listening), as well as ISTE Digital Literacy Standards. Perfect for cross-curricular learning, it encourages students to develop literacy skills, media analysis, and digital responsibility.

Why You'll Love This Unit:

• Interactive and Student-Centered: Students engage with real-world issues like social media usage, body image, and mental health in meaningful ways.
• Multimedia Integration: Incorporates TED Talks, articles, documentaries, and more to create a rich, dynamic learning experience.
• Project-Based Learning: Culminates with a creative capstone project where students design their own political cartoons, showcasing their understanding of the unit’s themes.
• Critical Thinking and Reflection: Encourages self-awareness as students reflect on their own social media habits and the impact on their mental health.

Who It’s For:

• Middle and high school teachers (Grades 7-12) looking for an engaging, interdisciplinary unit that addresses current issues.
• Educators seeking a Common Core-aligned and ISTE-aligned unit that integrates social media, mental health, and literacy skills.

Perfect for:

• ELA, social studies, and digital literacy classrooms
• Teachers looking for 21st-century skill-building units
• Classrooms wanting to address the impacts of social media on student well-being

This 21-Day Multimedia Unit will help students understand the impact of social media on their lives while improving essential academic skills. Get ready for insightful discussions, creative projects, and meaningful reflections that resonate with your students’ real-world experiences. Download now and bring relevant, standards-aligned learning to your classroom!

Narrative Writing made simple! This Narrative Writing Unit provides all of the lessons, graphic organizers, and activities needed to guide students through the entire writing process. Ideal for upper elementary and middles school classrooms, this resource provides a structured approach to crafting engaging narratives, ensuring that students develop their writing skills effectively.

Resource Overview:

Identifying Narrative Elements:

• Mentor Texts for analyzing key narrative elements.
• Guided activities to explore characters, setting, and conflict.

Brainstorming:

• Prompts and exercises to inspire creativity and originality.
• Strategies for drawing from observations and unique perspectives

Planning Graphic Organizers:

• Graphic organizers for planning characters, setting, and conflict.
• Plot graphic organizers to outline the sequence of events.
• Anchor charts and diagrams to help visualize plot structure.
• Detailed resources for planning plot with clear beginnings, middles, and ends.

Drafting:

• Mini-lessons on Transitions, Dialogue, and Imagery to enrich writing.
• Activities to practice and incorporate these elements into drafts.

Revising and Editing:

• Self and peer revision checklists to guide the improvement process.
• Editing checklists for polishing grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Publishing:

• Finalization steps for preparing narratives for publication and presentation.
• A rubric for assessing narrative quality and completeness.

Additional Features:

• Flexible pacing guidelines to fit into your writing block.
• Opportunities for differentiation based on student needs.
• Engaging materials and activities to enhance students' narrative writing skills.

This unit plan provides a detailed roadmap for teaching narrative writing, making it easier to help students produce well-structured and compelling stories.