All Lessons

Use Technology to Revise Writing
This writing lesson requires students to revise their writing by deleting content that does not fit the topic of the text and adding content where elaboration is needed. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students must select the best sentences to add and delete from multiple choices.

Write a Response to Literature
This writing applications lesson focuses on writing responses to literature. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students are provided a prompt and reading passage. Students underline details in the passage that support the prompt then write a response that includes an intro, body, and conclusion. In addition to the lesson, there are three more of the same activity in Independent Practice and review with questions modeled after current adaptive testing items.

Create Supporting and Concluding Paragraphs
W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.2.BW.4.2.B Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
W.4.2.EW.4.2.E Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
This writing strategies lesson focuses on creating supporting and concluding paragraphs. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students read an introductory paragraph and identify the main idea. Then, they identify supporting sentences and create a supporting paragraph for each one. Last, students write a concluding paragraph. In addition to the lesson, there are four pages of Independent Practice and review with questions modeled after current adaptive testing items.

Plan and Write an Opinion Piece
W.4.1 Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.
W.4.1.AW.4.1.A Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational structure in which related ideas are grouped to support the writer's purpose.
W.4.1.BW.4.1.B Provide reasons that are supported by facts and details.
W.4.1.CW.4.1.C Link opinion and reasons using words and phrases (e.g., for instance, in order to, in addition).
W.4.1.DW.4.1.D Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.
This writing lesson covers how to plan an opinion piece. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students read the prompt and decide their position about it. Then they organize their ideas in a planning chart by answering questions about their position and three reasons for it.They also restate their position for a summary, and identify the strongest reason to put first.

Plan and Write Informative Text
W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.2.AW.4.2.A Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.4.2.BW.4.2.B Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
W.4.2.CW.4.2.C Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).
W.4.2.DW.4.2.D Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
W.4.2.EW.4.2.E Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
This writing lesson covers how to plan informative text. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students read the research and identify related information that is needed to complete a graphic organizer. Then they complete the graphic organizer which asks for a topic, three facts and details, and a conclusion. In addition to the lesson, there are four pages of facts and details related to topics for review and organizing.

Write Informative Text
W.4.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
W.4.2.AW.4.2.A Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension.
W.4.2.BW.4.2.B Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic.
W.4.2.CW.4.2.C Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because).
W.4.2.DW.4.2.D Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic.
W.4.2.EW.4.2.E Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented.
This writing lesson helps students practice writing informative text. In this lesson, students will read given research notes on a topic, then develop a topic sentence, supporting detail sentences, and a concluding sentence using a graphic organizer.

Punctuate Quotations Correctly
This language lesson teaches students how to punctuate quotations in their writing. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students will learn how to separate signal phrases from direct quotations using commas and quotation marks. They will also learn to capitalize the first word of a direct quotation.

Explain the Meaning of Similes & Metaphors
This language lesson teaches students how to interpret figurative language including similes and metaphors. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students will learn how to identify a simile or metaphor in the context of a paragraph and how to use the context of the text to explain the meaning of the figurative language.

Recognize and Explain the Meaning of Idioms
This language lesson teaches students how to recognize and interpret frequently used idioms. This lesson is very impactful for English learners or ELD students. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students look at the literal and figurative meanings of the idioms side-by-side. Then in the activity they use the context of the text to interpret the meaning of idioms.

Produce Complex Sentences
This language lesson teaches students to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words by using antonyms within the text. This lesson is very impactful for English learners or ELD students. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students will identify signal words in the sentence that indicate the opposite of a bolded word. Then, they identify the meaning of the bolded word. For example, if the students do not know the meaning of the word “hectic”, they can use the contrasting word calm to determine that “hectic” must mean not calm or very busy.

Use Quotation Marks Around the Exact Words of a Speaker
This writing conventions lesson focuses on using quotation marks around the exact words of a speaker. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students read the sentence and identify the dialog tag. Then, they punctuate the sentence with quotation marks and read the sentence again, paying attention to the quotation marks. In addition to the lesson, there are four pages of Independent Practice and review with questions modeled after current adaptive testing items.

Correctly Use Verbs that are Often Misused
This writing conventions lesson focuses on correctly using commonly misused verbs, such as lie/lay, sit/set, teach/learn, and rise/raise. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students read the sentences, noting the choice of verbs. Then, they underline who or what the verb is affecting, and thus identify the correct verb. Finally, they write a new sentence with the correct verb. In addition to the lesson, there are four pages of Independent Practice and review with questions modeled after current adaptive testing items.

Use Synonyms to Determine the Meaning of Words
This reading vocabulary lesson focuses on applying knowledge of synonyms to determine the meaning of words. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students use known synonyms to determine the meaning of the unknown synonym. In addition to the lesson, there are eight pages of Independent Practice and review with questions modeled after current adaptive testing items.

Use Antonyms to Determine the Meaning of Words
This reading vocabulary lesson focuses on applying knowledge of antonyms to determine the meaning of words. The lesson includes research-based strategies and strategic questions that prepare students for assessments. In this lesson, students use known antonyms to determine the meaning of the unknown antonym. In addition to the lesson, there are eight pages of Independent Practice and review with questions modeled after current adaptive testing items.