Middle School Resources

Use this forum item to share your best resources--unit plans, lesson plans, writing invitations, or other ideas that have worked for you in a middle school setting.

Just reply to this discussion item with a brief description of your resource (e.g., Hatchet Unit Plan) and then attach any files that go along with it. Ideally, we'll have a rich archive for new and veteran teachers alike. Be sure to include your name, and be sure to credit any resources you use from this site.

Views: 278

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Kendra Hilton on April 15, 2009 at 7:49pm
Hi everyone. I'm uploading my pedagogy project for my ENG 311 class at Grand Valley State University. It's titled "Holocaust through Night and Relating it to Life." For a seventh grade classroom this curriculum is taught from Elie Wiesel's novel Night. I focus on allowing the students to become interested in the text and then form their own opinions based on what they have read and researched.

The main component of this curriculum is the "Blue Dot Project" where students participate in a role play for a day. It comes complete with new names, killings, and the "good guys" vs. "bad" guys. The activity is meant to give the students a relatability factor with the book and the events happening in it. It also is meant to give a lasting impression on them that they will remember long after they leave my classroom. If you have any questions feel free to contact me and I will do my best to answer them.
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Megan Roberts on April 15, 2009 at 10:40pm
Hello. My name is Megan Roberts and I am uploading my pedagogy project for ENG 311. It's called "A perfect world? Exploring The Giver in the 8th grade". The main focus of the unit is for students to get an understanding of the main themes in the book. It also might help give them a better appreciation for their memories. The activities included in the unit will help the students become interested in the themes brought up in the book and keep them active throughout. There are quite a few journal prompts to help the student become familiar with what they are reading because they are able to connect/find relationships to certain characters or situations in the book. If there are any questions, don't hesitate to ask.
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Cameron Kutzli on April 16, 2009 at 9:43am
Hello everyone, I am Cameron Kutzli, and I hope this works. My computer does not give me the option of adding a zip file only a rar file. Anyway, this is a unit plan focused around Art Spiegelman's Graphic Novel Maus and takes up seven class periods in a block schedule. It is designed for seventh grade students and is a good way to incorporate important historical events into a new format for young readers. The unit is discussion based (both small and large group) and allows the students to learn how to engage in good discussion. At the beginning of the unit the students are divided into literature circles where small group discussions will take place throughout the unit. The students are assigned a "Drama Happenings" project (adapted from Jeffery Wilhelm's book "You Gotta BE the Book") at the end of the unit, however they will be introduced to this at the beginning, and allowed to work on it periodically throughout.

If there are any questions or, more importantly, suggestions please let me know!
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Krashawn McElveen on April 16, 2009 at 12:23pm
Hi my name is Krashawn McElveen and this is my unit on Hatchet by Gary Paulsen.The unit is called Hatchet: A Story of Survival. In this unit students will explore stories of survival and their importance. They will learn many things about using figurative language in stories, character development, and how characters develop throughout a novel. This resource includes many class discussions, group work, and journal writing. This unit plan is geared toward 6th to 7th grade students and could be accompanied with a writing unit.

If you have any questions or suggestions let me know!
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Steve Foutz on December 9, 2009 at 8:45pm
Hello, my name is Steve Foutz and this is my pedagogy project for ENG 311 at GVSU. This is a 10 day unit plan on learning Informational Text. This unit is geared toward 6th grade students. The main text that is used is Sharks: Challengers of the Deep by Mary Cerullo and Jeffrey Rotman. It focuses on the improving the students ability to pull information out of any text that they are reading.

If you have any question or suggestions let me know.
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Leah J. Austin on April 21, 2010 at 10:43am
Hi All-

My name is Leah J. Austin and this is my thematic conceptual unit project for ENG 311 at GVSU. My project consists of an eleven day lesson plan on the novel The Giver by Lois Lowry. This lesson plan is aimed towards teaching a seventh grade Language Arts class. The lesson plan focuses on using multiple methods of engaging students and helping them thoroughly learn the text. In this lesson plan there are uses of multi-media, creative art projects, writing lessons/activities, and work sheets. I use activities meant for group work, single student work, and class work.

If you have any questions feel free to ask!

Leah
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Katie Jesser on April 21, 2010 at 9:46pm
Hi Everyone,

My name is Katie Jesser and I am uploading my project that I completed for my ENG 311 class at Grand Valley State University. It is geared toward a seventh grade classroom and is titled "The Holocaust." In it I chose to use Anne Frank: The Diary of A Young Girl as the main text. I hope you enjoy it and don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or comments you might have.

Katie
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Derek W. Ochodnicky on April 22, 2010 at 1:53am
Hello,

My name is Derek Ochodnicky and I am uploading my conceptual unit for my ENG 311 class at GVSU. It is titled "A Fable of a Conceptual Unit: The Fabled Thieves". It is focused toward the 6th grad classroom and the key text is "The Thief of Always" by Clive Barker. I focus on a balance between reading, journals, and the major assignment, The Fable Project (FP).

Students are encouraged to participate and express themselves in class discussions, group discussions, an online blog, and their journals. The FP will call upon their not only their creative skills, but their interactive and social skills to seek assistance from their groups. If you have any questions contact me and I am more than happy to answer any questions.

Derek W. Ochodnicky
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Kelsey Curlett on June 21, 2010 at 10:27am
Hello. My name is Kelsey Curlett and I have put together a conceptual unit called Walk Two Moons: Making Literary Connections. This conceptual until contains fifteen, 50 minute lesson plans that were made for a seventh grade classroom. Over a three week period, students will have the chance to read the novel, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech in small groups, aloud as a class, and as homework. At the end of three weeks, students will know how to make important literary connections, not only throughout the text but across other literary conventions as well. This conceptual unit involves blogging, dramatic interpretation, journal writing, concept mapping and more! I would love to answer any question you may have about my unit!
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by Carolynn R White on June 21, 2010 at 12:23pm
Hi all,
This is my conceptual unit for English 311 at Grand Valley State University. In it I am using myths and folklore to teach students to explore the connections that can be found in literature. This is part of a larger unit I would like to do later down the road. I chose three mythical creatures that appear time and time again cross culturally and in a multitude of time periods. Students will explore the connections between the historical sources and todays modern versions. Much of the planning makes use of classroom discussions and group work, ending with the production of a blog arguing for or against the existence of said creatures. Enjoy and let me know if you have questions.
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by debie kolehouse on June 21, 2010 at 9:02pm
This is Debie Kolehouse and attached is my Conceptual Unit for Eng311, Summer, 2010. It is meant for a middle school environment and is an overview Michigan authors, entitled "Voices of Michigan". This unit focuses on three different Michigan authors, their personal bios, their experiences in Michigan, and how Michigan shapes their writing. This unit will give students an opportunity to meet with an author as well. Kids will read various types of writing, and respond in various ways.
Attachments:
Permalink Reply by colleen atkinson on April 20, 2011 at 1:50pm
Attached you will find a unit for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet for eighth grade Language Arts. The unit includes a wide variety of activities that allow students of all different learning types and abilities to experience Shakespeare. During the unit students will explore opposing themes within the play, and make connections between these themes and their own lives. The students will participate in an on-site outreach acting workshop with a touring Shakespeare company. The final assessment of the unit will be a multi-media group project where students will showcase their understanding and interpretations of the play using technology. To finish the unit students will examine Shakespeare's influence on modern culture through viewing the current film Gnomeo and Juliet.
Attachments:

▶ Reply to Discussion

RSS

Quick Links


Videos

  • Add Videos
  • View All

Photos

Loading…
  • Add Photos
  • View All

Groups

© 2012   Created by Robert Rozema.

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service