ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (6) 8 :

8. Participate in collaborative discussions using information from a source.

[ELA2021] (6) 9 :

9. Participate in collaborative discussions about literary devices and elements found in prose and poetry.

[ELA2021] (6) 13 :

13. Create and edit digital products that are appropriate in subject and purpose for a particular audience or occasion.

Examples: social media posts, blog posts, podcast episodes, infographics

[ELA2021] (6) 28 :

28. Discover word meanings through active listening in various contexts.

Examples: classroom discussion, oral presentations, digital formats

[ELA2021] (7) 9 :

9. Participate in collaborative discussions about prose and poetry by evaluating the use of literary devices and elements.

[ELA2021] (7) 14 :

14. Create and edit digital products that are appropriate in subject, occasion, audience, purpose, and tone.

[ELA2021] (8) 10 :

10. Engage in coherent and collaborative discussions about prose and poetry by evaluating the use of literary devices and elements.

[ELA2021] (8) 13 :

13. Create and edit digital products that are appropriate in subject, occasion, audience, point of view, purpose, and tone.

In this five-lesson unit, students participate in a Directed Listening-Thinking Activity (DLTA), in which they listen to "The Tell-Tale Heart" by Edgar Allan Poe and answer prediction questions at designated stopping points during the reading. Students then discuss and write a written response to the story at the conclusion of the lesson, in the form of either an acrostic poem or a comic strip. This lesson works well at Halloween or at the beginning of a mystery unit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (6) -6 :

R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

[ELA2021] (6) -5 :

R2. Use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar spoken or written words.

[ELA2021] (6) 28 :

28. Discover word meanings through active listening in various contexts.

Examples: classroom discussion, oral presentations, digital formats

The Flip-a-Chip activity turns ordinary poker chips into a teaching tool, showing students how different affixes and roots can be joined to make words and then placed into a context-rich paragraph. Each set of chips contains two-word roots and two affixes that can be combined into four different words. For example, the prefixes im- and sup- might be written on the two sides of one poker chip, and the roots pose and press on the other chip. The four possible words (impose, impress, suppose, suppress ) are inserted into four blanks in a paragraph according to context clues. After practicing with both real and "virtual" chips (in the Flip-a-Chip online interactive), students work in pairs to create their own set of chips and corresponding paragraph. They exchange their packets to see whether the context clues are strong enough to enable classmates to fill in the blanks correctly.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (6) -5 :

R2. Use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar spoken or written words.

[ELA2021] (6) 7 :

7. Produce clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writing in which the development, organization, style, and tone are relevant to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

a. Write narratives incorporating key literary elements, including characters, plot, setting, point of view, resolution of a conflict, dialogue, and sensory details.

b. Write informative or explanatory texts with an organized structure and a formal style, incorporating a focused point of view, a clear purpose, credible evidence, and technical word meanings.

c. Write an argument to convince the reader to take an action or adopt a position, stating a claim and supporting the claim with relevant, well-organized evidence from credible sources.

[ELA2021] (6) 28 :

28. Discover word meanings through active listening in various contexts.

Examples: classroom discussion, oral presentations, digital formats

[ELA2021] (7) -5 :

R2. Use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar spoken or written words.

[ELA2021] (7) 7 :

7. Produce clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writing in which the development, organization, style, and tone are relevant to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

a. Write narratives to convey a series of events incorporating key literary elements, establishing a clear purpose, using narrative techniques (dialogue, pacing, description, and reflection), and sequencing events coherently (chronological and/or flashback).

b. Write informative or explanatory texts with an organized structure and a formal style to examine ideas or processes effectively while developing the topic and utilizing appropriate transitions, precise vocabulary, and credible information or data when relevant.

c. Write an argument to defend a position by introducing and supporting claim(s), acknowledging alternate or opposing claims, and presenting reasons and relevant text evidence from accurate and credible sources.

[ELA2021] (7) 31 :

31. Infer word meaning through active listening in various contexts for purposeful, effective communication.

Examples: classroom discussion, oral presentations, digital formats

[ELA2021] (8) -5 :

R2. Use context clues to determine meanings of unfamiliar spoken or written words.

[ELA2021] (8) 8 :

8. Produce clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writing in which the development, organization, style, and tone are relevant to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

a. Write narratives that establish a clear purpose, use narrative techniques, and sequence events coherently.

Examples: narratives - memoir, short story, personal narrative; techniques - dialogue, pacing, description, reflection;
sequencing - chronological, reverse chronological, flashback

b. Write informative or explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas or processes effectively, by developing the topic with relevant information or data from credible sources and using appropriate transitions and precise vocabulary.

c. Write an argument to defend a position by introducing and supporting a claim, distinguishing the claim from opposing claims, presenting counterclaims and reasons, and citing accurate, relevant textual evidence from credible sources.

[ELA2021] (8) 30 :

30. Analyze and connect word meanings through active listening in various contexts for purposeful, effective communication.

Examples: classroom discussion, oral presentations, digital formats

Engage middle school students in a meaningful study of the lives of students from across the globe through the use of contemporary nonfiction and fiction. Students create personal autobiographies, sequence story events, and prepare well-crafted summaries while learning to use higher-level comprehension strategies such as Question-Answer Relationships and the Bio-Cube. Additionally, students conduct a critical study of the NCSS Notable Tradebook Nasreen's Secret School: A True Story From Afghanistan by Jeanette Winter, comparing and contrasting their own lives to Nasreen's and expanding their geographical knowledge of the Middle East.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (6) -3 :

R4. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (6) 7 :

7. Produce clear, coherent narrative, argument, and informative/explanatory writing in which the development, organization, style, and tone are relevant to task, purpose, and audience, using an appropriate command of language.

a. Write narratives incorporating key literary elements, including characters, plot, setting, point of view, resolution of a conflict, dialogue, and sensory details.

b. Write informative or explanatory texts with an organized structure and a formal style, incorporating a focused point of view, a clear purpose, credible evidence, and technical word meanings.

c. Write an argument to convince the reader to take an action or adopt a position, stating a claim and supporting the claim with relevant, well-organized evidence from credible sources.

[ELA2021] (6) 11 :

11. Utilize written, visual, digital, and interactive texts to generate and answer literal, interpretive, and applied questions.

[ELA2021] (6) 13 :

13. Create and edit digital products that are appropriate in subject and purpose for a particular audience or occasion.

Examples: social media posts, blog posts, podcast episodes, infographics

[ELA2021] (6) 14 :

14. Enhance oral presentations by introducing ideas in digital formats with specific attention to subject, occasion, audience, and purpose.

Examples: speaking to defend or explain a digital poster, multimedia presentation, or video

[ELA2021] (6) 19 :

19. Demonstrate command of standard English grammar, usage, and mechanics when writing.

a. Use commas, parentheses, or dashes to set off nonrestrictive or parenthetical elements.

b. Revise writing for correct mechanics with a focus on commas, apostrophes, quotation marks, colons, and semicolons.

c. Compose and revise writing by using various pronouns and their antecedents correctly.

Examples: personal, intensive, reflexive, demonstrative, relative, interrogative, indefinite

[ELA2021] (6) 24 :

24. Write about research findings independently over short and/or extended periods of time.

[ELA2021] (6) 28 :

28. Discover word meanings through active listening in various contexts.

Examples: classroom discussion, oral presentations, digital formats

Validate students' out-of-school language use by asking them to share details on the use of words and phrases from movies, television shows, books, and other texts. In this activity, students compose dictionary entries for words and phrases from pop culture texts, connecting the definitions to their personal use of the terms. Their work is published individually, or if desired, collectively in a class dictionary.