Students begin Unit 3 comparing A Long Walk to Water to the audiobook version of the text, exploring how authors and readers develop tone, mood, and expression. Students draw on this exploration as they start the second half of the unit, planning and then writing a narrative children’s book about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan. Through mini lessons and independent planning work, students focus on developing characters, settings, plot points, and narrative techniques such as pacing, description, and dialogue. Once students complete a draft of their narrative, they convert it into an ebook and publish it by sharing it with others, especially elementary school children.

For homework, students continue to read chapters of A Long Walk to Water in preparation for reading and discussing them in class. When they are not reading the anchor text, they should continue their independent research reading for at least 20 minutes and responding to a prompt. Additionally, students should continue independent research reading over the weekends.

What can we learn from those who have survived the greatest tragedies and become even more determined to help others? How can we share these kinds of stories to inspire and educate? In this module, students develop their ability to analyze narratives and create their own stories as they learn about the Lost Boys and Girls of Sudan and the lessons revealed through their journeys.

Students begin Unit 1 reading the novel A Long Walk to Water. The focus of the reading is on how the setting shapes the characters and plot, how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters in the text, and how themes are developed throughout the story. As they analyze and discuss the text, students also create discussion norms in order to have productive discussions about the text at the end of the unit.

Students begin Unit 2 researching to answer the questions generated while reading A Long Walk to Water during Unit 1, including questions about the Lost Girls of Sudan. While researching, they determine two or more central ideas in informational texts and provide objective summaries of them. Students also watch clips of the documentary God Grew Tired of Us about the Lost Boys of Sudan, analyzing the main ideas and supporting details and explaining how the ideas clarify what they have been researching. In the second half of the unit, students write a compare and contrast essay looking at how an informational text about the Lost Children of Sudan and the novel treat similar subject matter.

Students begin Unit 3 comparing A Long Walk to Water to the audiobook version of the text, exploring how authors and readers develop tone, mood, and expression. Students draw on this exploration as they start the second half of the unit, planning and then writing a narrative children’s book about a Lost Boy or Girl of Sudan. Through mini lessons and independent planning work, students focus on developing characters, settings, plot points, and narrative techniques such as pacing, description, and dialogue. For their performance task, students refine their narratives and convert them into ebooks to publish and share with others, especially elementary school children.

In Unit 2, students transfer the knowledge about how scientists think about and investigate medical epidemics to the study of social epidemics. Students are introduced to the topic of social epidemics through various articles that describe the basic terms and theories behind social and emotional contagion. They practice summarizing the central ideas of the articles as well as delineating and evaluating their claims. In small groups, students engage in discussions in preparation for the mid-unit assessment, a text-based discussion in which students evaluate whether the authors of an article have provided sufficient evidence and reasoning for their claims connecting social and disease epidemics.

In the second half of the unit, students learn and practice the skills necessary for completing their end of unit assessment, an informative essay that answers the question: How do social scientists use ideas from the study of epidemics to understand and explain human behavior? Students engage in the full writing process, from planning to drafting to peer critique to revision. By the end of the unit, students will be able to think critically about the latest research about how emotions, ideas, and behaviors spread. This will prepare them for further investigation of the topic in Unit 3, as they engage in their own research and develop a podcast script related to a social or disease epidemic.

In this unit, students continue to read nonfiction texts at their level as they choose independent research reading texts. Students should complete 20 minutes of independent research reading for homework when they are not reading a chapter from the anchor text. Students should also continue independent research reading over weekends.

How do epidemics begin and spread? How do human responses help or hinder during trying times? Can the way we think about medical outbreaks tell us anything about how we should think about human behavior? In this module, students explore epidemics in many forms: historical and current, medical and social. While students learn about the scientific investigation and medical intervention in these outbreaks, they also focus on the social and cultural responses to develop a model of how best to respond to challenging circumstances. Students also examine the ways that the concept of “contagion” is applied to human behavior and ultimately explore the question of why we behave the way we do.

In Unit 1, students begin exploring the history of medical epidemics and focus on people’s mindsets and contributions, and how they behaved differently from those around them. Students define what a medical or biological epidemic is, answering questions such as: what characteristics do the large-scale disease outbreaks that we refer to as epidemics have in common, and how do they spread? Exploring these foundational questions about epidemics and the people who “fought” them provides the conceptual scaffolding and some of the terminology necessary for extending the study of medical epidemics to social epidemics in Unit 2. Students read three chapters from the anchor text, Patient Zero, examining the wide variety of text features and structures incorporated in each chapter of Patient Zero, as well as how major sections contribute to the whole text and the development of ideas. Students also practice determining the meanings of words and phrases, especially technical terms associated with epidemiology. In the second half of the unit, students focus more on the interactions between the individual epidemiologists or scientists, the events during the epidemics, and the ideas about disease at the time, as well as consider the mindsets, tools, and character traits that enabled the scientists to solve these medical mysteries. Students also practice determining the impact of word choice on meaning and tone.

In Unit 2, students transfer the knowledge about how scientists think about and investigate medical epidemics to the study of social epidemics. Students are introduced to the topic of social epidemics through various articles which describe the basic terms and theories behind social and emotional contagion. They analyze the articles both for central ideas and argument in order to evaluate whether the authors of an article have provided sufficient evidence and reasoning for their claims connecting social and disease epidemics. Students respond to the broader question of how learning from social epidemics is applied to medical epidemics both in formal discussion and informative writing.

In Unit 3, students begin by listening to exemplar podcasts and reading a model podcast script about epidemics and how people responded to them. They analyze what makes these podcasts strong and build criteria for success based off of their observations. Using these models as a template, students embark on researching an epidemic of their choosing. They gather research around the epidemic stories, toolkit, character traits, and message. In triads, students plan, write, and revise a narrative nonfiction podcast script. For their end of unit assessment, students present their script, focusing on coherence and organization of information, volume, eye contact, clarity, and formal, conventional English. Next, they find sound effects, and then finally, they record and splice together the podcast. In the end, they have a podcast created with craftsmanship to publish for their classmates, school, or even the world.

Please note that students do not read about the COVID-19 pandemic in the assigned reading in this module; however, there are references to this pandemic in some of the chapters in Patient Zero. For those students who may wish to research the COVID-19 pandemic in Unit 3, there is an entire chapter in Patient Zero dedicated to this topic.

Students launch the second unit with a Build Background Knowledge protocol, reading short informational texts and examining visual art to further develop their sense of the social and political context of the Harlem Renaissance. They explore the context of the Harlem Renaissance, noting how the Harlem Renaissance occurred during the Great Migration, Jim Crow laws, and the racial violence of post-Civil War America. Students read two short stories, “His Motto” by Lottie Burrell Dixon and “The Boy and the Bayonet” by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Students explore character, plot, setting, theme, language, and point of view in these short stories. Additionally, students discuss how both stories develop themes about working hard to achieve dreams and how community helps to bring out our best selves. For the mid-unit assessment, students examine the third part of “The Boy and the Bayonet” for how particular elements of a story interact and how the author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters.

In the second half of the unit, students continue to explore the context of the Harlem Renaissance by analyzing how the theme of looking to the past for strength and hope connects examples of its artwork and text. Students begin this work by examining a model literary argument essay, discussing how three pieces of work from the Harlem Renaissance are connected by this theme. Next, students study the introduction, Proof Paragraphs, and conclusion of the model literary argument essay as they work collaboratively to plan and write their own pair literary argument essay. This pair essay explores the theme of how collaboration and community bring out the best in people. In the end of unit assessment, students independently write their own literary argument essay about how three works from the Harlem Renaissance are connected by the theme of dreams giving life meaning and purpose.

Can we “find fuel for the future in the past”? Poet Nikki Grimes asks this question in her poem “Emergency Measures,” the first in her collection One Last Word: Wisdom from the Harlem Renaissance. As Grimes does in her book, students will spend the module pondering the wisdom from works created during the Harlem Renaissance. First students will explore scenes and songs from a play, poems, and artwork to experience the explosion of creativity and ideas of collaboration and innovation. Then students examine political artwork and cartoons, informative articles, and short stories to explore the social and political context of the Harlem Renaissance. Finally, students explore the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance, turning back to Nikki Grimes and her collection of poems crafted with lines from Harlem Renaissance poets. Students consider whether they and contemporary writers, singers, and musicians truly can “find fuel for the future in the past.”

In Unit 1, students explore collaboration in the Harlem Renaissance, noting how the Harlem Renaissance was an explosion and confluence of art, music, and literature. Students first examine scenes and songs from the Broadway musical Shuffle Along, experiencing this celebratory text that transformed American musical theater and was created through the collaboration of Eubie Blake, Noble Sissle, F. E. Miller, and Aubrey Lyles. Students analyze how the musical and textual techniques in the play affect meaning and develop themes such as love persevering through tough times. Similarly, students explore the thematic connections of triumph over hardships in the poem “Lift Every Voice and Sing” by James Weldon Johnson and the song and sculpture inspired by the text. Students then analyze iconic poems such as “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes, “Calling Dreams” and “Hope” by Georgia Douglas Johnson, and Claude McKay’s “I Shall Return.” In each of these poems, students analyze the structure, figurative language, and themes such as drawing strength from the past and overcoming adversity to fulfill one’s dreams. Students conclude their exploration of collaboration and cultural confluence in a collaborative discussion comparing McKay’s poem to artwork by Meta Warrick Fuller and Winold Reiss for thematic connections around drawing strength from and longing for home or Africa.

In Unit 2, students explore the social and political context of the Harlem Renaissance by reading short informational texts and examining visual art. Students learn how the Harlem Renaissance occurred during the era of the Great Migration, Jim Crow laws, and the racial violence of post-Civil War America. They then read two short stories, “His Motto” by Lottie Burrell Dixon and “The Boy and the Bayonet” by Paul Laurence Dunbar, analyzing point of view and the interactions between story elements, such as character, plot, and setting. Additionally, students discuss how both stories develop themes about working hard to achieve dreams and how community helps to bring out our best selves. Students continue their exploration of the Harlem Renaissance context by engaging with literary argument writing. Students examine a model literary argument essay then write pair and independent essays, discussing how three pieces of work from the Harlem Renaissance are connected by themes such as looking to the past for strength, collaboration and community to bring out one’s best self, and dreams giving life meaning and purpose.

In Unit 3, students explore the contemporary legacy of the Harlem Renaissance by examining short informational and literary texts, visual art, and performances to further develop their sense of how the Harlem Renaissance continues to impact us today. To develop their background knowledge about this legacy, students analyze Nikki Grimes’ poem “Emergency Measures,” original artwork associated with the poem, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s ballet, “Uptown,” which was inspired by the people, places, art, music, and writing of the Harlem Renaissance. Then students study several of Nikki Grimes’ poems in conjunction with the poetry of the Harlem Renaissance, learning how Grimes uses lines from poets such as Langston Hughes and Georgia Douglas Johnson to create her own poems which develop themes similar to those of the Harlem Renaissance but in a contemporary context. Students continue their exploration of the legacy of the Harlem Renaissance by creating a museum exhibit, which includes three pieces from the Harlem Renaissance and one contemporary piece that they have studied or created themselves. Students write a curator’s statement explaining how the works are connected by theme and create labels discussing the details of structure, language, and theme in each piece. Students practice and revise the presentation of their curator’s statements and labels preparing for the Harlem Renaissance museum, in which students contribute to making a better world by sharing these important works with their community.

In Unit 2, students continue exploring the problem of plastic pollution by focusing on what can be done to address the problem. They read three articles and revisit their anchor texts to understand what interventions can be taken at each stage of the plastic life cycle: beginning, middle, and end. Students also learn about new materials being invented to replace plastic at the beginning of the life cycle, what consumers can do to use less plastic at the middle of the life cycle, and efforts by governments and organizations to stop single-use plastic and invent ways of cleaning up plastic pollution at the end of the plastic life cycle. With the first two articles, students practice analyzing how authors develop their points of view as well as how different authors writing about the same topic shape their presentations of key information. Students also practice finding the meanings of words using relationships between words. For their mid-unit assessment, they read a new article and answer selected response questions to demonstrate their understanding of point of view and how authors present similar information differently as well as how word relationships can help them discover the meaning of unfamiliar words. As students analyze these articles, they also practice debating which part of the plastic life cycle is the best place to intervene to reduce plastic pollution. By the middle of the unit, students will take a stand about which part of the plastic life cycle would be most effective to target. They will have the opportunity to defend their position in a debate with their classmates. Although this debate will not be assessed, students’ preparation and work in participating in the debate will continue to prepare them for their end of unit assessment and performance task in the following unit.

In the second half of the unit, students use the evidence and reasoning they’ve collected and organized from their reading to practice on-demand argument essay writing about which place in the plastic life cycle is the best place to target to reduce pollution. They work first in pairs to plan, draft, and revise argument essays before following the same routine for independent writing, while practicing revising sentences to avoid using dangling and misplaced modifiers as well as properly using coordinate adjectives. By the end of the unit, students will have strengthened their arguments about which part of the plastic life cycle they think would be the most effective place to intervene. In Unit 3, students will continue to develop this idea through experiential research and storytelling as they plan and execute a documentary about their attempts to solve the problem of plastic pollution for their performance tasks.

In the first half of Unit 3, students delve deeper into their chosen areas of intervention in the life cycle of plastic. Students choose a personal action to respond to the issue of plastic pollution, such as deciding to use less plastic or recycle more, communicating with officials, or researching an invention. They will form triads with classmates who have chosen the same category of action plan; together, they will determine how to coordinate their personal actions to be used in their documentary clip. Each homework includes the opportunity to enact and take notes on this personal action. Each lesson includes in-class time to discuss the results of the action plan and to further enact it through research or other efforts. In addition to working on their action plan, students will write their documentary script over the course of the first half of the unit. First, they review the Model Documentary Script, determining the characteristics of a strong narrative lead. Then each member of the triad practices these narrative writing skills by creating a lead to their documentary script. Triads work together to choose, revise, or combine their narrative drafts into one lead for their documentary script, focusing on eliminating redundancy and wordiness. Students then divide the remaining three sections of their documentary script among their triad, so that each student writes either the argument, action plan description, or conclusion. Before the mid-unit assessment, students engage in a Tuning protocol to improve the content of the script, focusing on presenting findings (including descriptions, facts, details, and examples) in a focused and coherent manner. For the mid-unit assessment, students demonstrate their revision skills, using the knowledge gained from the Tuning protocol to improve their section of the script.

In the second half of Unit 3, students work in their triads to create a storyboard, using visuals to clarify their claims and findings as well as to emphasize the points in their documentary script. They then learn how to pitch their documentary to potential film producers, observing a model pitch and using a Tuning protocol to practice and refine their presentation skills, such as using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. Finally, in the end of unit assessment, each student in the triad pitches a part of their documentary script, focusing on using formal English, domain-specific vocabulary, their storyboard visuals, and their presentation skills.

“It is past time that we tackle the plastic problem that blights our oceans. Plastic pollution is surfing onto Indonesian beaches, settling onto the ocean floor at the North Pole, and rising through the food chain onto our dinner tables.” So explains Erik Solheim, the environment director of the U.N., quoted in Danielle Smith-Llera’s book Trash Vortex. Craig Leeson, one of the narrators of the documentary A Plastic Ocean, also conveys the urgency of the situation: “The problem with that is that today only a fraction of the plastic that we produce is recycled. The rest ends up in our environment, and it's coating our land and our oceans like a disease.” Students spend the module learning about how plastic pollution became such a widespread problem, particularly in our oceans, and what can be done to reduce pollution. Students use their anchor text, the documentary, and additional articles in Units 1 and 2 to gather background knowledge about the problem, as well as explore possible solutions to reducing plastic pollution at different points in the plastic life cycle. As students transform their understanding into action plans and documentary clips to share with their communities, they help make into reality the final part of Erik Solheim’s quote: “We’ve stood by too long as the problem has gotten worse. It must stop.”

In Unit 1, students are introduced to the topic of plastic pollution and how it affects humans, animals, and the environment. Students study the documentary A Plastic Ocean, noting the transcript’s portrayal of a subject as compared to the film’s portrayal. In each lesson throughout the first half of the unit, students view a film clip as a class several times. Then they work collaboratively to complete note-catchers and engage in discussions to compare the film and transcript portrayals of subjects as well as to evaluate the speakers’ arguments. In the second half of Unit 1, students address big ideas about where and how plastic pollutes, as well as what can be done about plastic pollution. Students analyze the anchor text Trash Vortex for the author’s purpose and central ideas. Students then learn to analyze the text to discover how the author distinguishes her position from that of others. During the end of unit assessment, students read and analyze the end of Trash Vortex, answering selected and constructed response questions to analyze central ideas as well as the author’s purpose and how she distinguishes her position from others.

In Unit 2, students continue exploring the problem of plastic pollution by focusing on what can be done to address the problem. They read three articles and revisit their anchor texts to understand what interventions can be taken at each stage of the plastic life cycle: beginning, middle, and end. Students also learn about new materials being invented to replace plastic at the beginning of the life cycle, what consumers can do to use less plastic in the middle of the life cycle, and efforts by governments and organizations to stop single-use plastic and invent ways of cleaning up plastic pollution at the end of the plastic life cycle. By the middle of the unit, students take a stand about which part of the plastic life cycle would be most effective to target. They have the opportunity to defend their position in a debate with their classmates. Although this debate is not assessed, students’ preparation and participation in the debate continues to prepare them for their end of unit assessment and performance task in the following unit. In the second half of the unit, students use the evidence and reasoning they’ve collected and organized from their reading to practice on-demand argument essay writing about which point in the plastic life cycle is the best place to target to reduce pollution.

In Unit 3, students delve deeper into their chosen areas of intervention in the life cycle of plastic. Students choose a personal action to respond to the issue of plastic pollution. Actions might include using less plastic or recycling more, communicating with officials, or researching an invention. They form triads with classmates who have chosen the same category of action to determine how to coordinate their personal actions to be used in their documentary clip. In addition to this action plan work, students write their documentary film clip script over the course of the first half of the unit. In the second half of Unit 3, students work in their triads to create a storyboard, using visuals and captions to clarify their claims and emphasize the points in their documentary script. They then learn how to pitch their documentary to potential film producers, observing a model pitch and using a Tuning protocol to practice and refine their presentation skills. These include using appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. Finally, in the end of unit assessment, students work in triads to each pitch a part of their documentary script, focusing on their use of formal English, domain-specific vocabulary, storyboard visuals, and presentation skills.

All written work should be assessed using a rubric. Using a set of criteria linked to standards not only allows for uniform evaluation, but helps students understand what is important about an assignment and encourages them to reflect on their work.

RAFT is a writing strategy that helps students understand their role as a writer, the audience they will address, the varied formats for writing, and the topic they'll be writing about. By using this strategy, teachers encourage students to write creatively, to consider a topic from a different perspective, and to gain practice writing for different audiences. Students learn to respond to a writing prompt that requires them to think about various perspectives (Santa & Havens, 1995):

Learn how to conduct effective peer and teacher writing conferences to improve student writing.

This BBC Skillswise introduction to editing and proofreading shows how to check spelling and grammar at different stages of writing. Includes nine downloadable practice sheets for different stages and types of writing. [1:04]

A detailed account of how to improve one's writing through the process of the peer review. Includes basic information and content-specific additions, such as peer review guidelines, questions, and online resources.

A detailed source for professional editing and proofreading strategies. Links on the right offer several pages of text for both editing and proofreading, including guidelines and samples for each.

This modular ELA collection for grades 6–12 invites students to explore the complexity of identity and develop a sense of agency as they reflect on what it means to grow up in the world today.

The collection includes:
- Back to School Toolkit
- Introductory lesson
- Multi-genre text sets
- Unit Guide for teaching Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming
- Unit Planning Guide for developing a unit on a book of your choice
- Book Club Guide
- Whole School Read Planning Guide

The resources in this collection help you diversify the range of stories that students read and combine reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills with ethical and empathic reflection.

What does the editing process consist of for your students? Use this informative site to learn more about editing.

An excellent tip sheet on how to evaluate and edit a completed draft of a research paper. Includes in-depth information and examples.

What rights to fair use do you have as a creator? Kids can be voracious consumers -- and creators -- of media, and it's easier than ever for them to find and share digital content online. But do middle schoolers know about concepts like fair use, copyright, and public domain? Give students a framework they can use to better understand how fair use works in the real world. Approximately 50 mins.

LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define the terms "copyright," "public domain," and "fair use." Identify the purpose of the Four Factors of Fair Use. Apply fair use to real-world examples, making a case for or against.