CCSS Aligned Close Reading Activity

Aside from the focus on nonfiction, the Reading for Literature standards within the Common Core State Standards encourage close reading of classic literature that is at a grade-appropriate level of rigor.  Close reading is the act of really reading like a detective.  It requires a careful reading, and often rereading, of a given text with the purpose of analyzing the structure of the text and the author's choices for writing as he/she did.  My newest product is an example of this type of reading using a classic poem.

"The Cremation of Sam McGee" is a poem written by Robert Service and is located in the Public Domain. It is a classic ballad telling the story of two prospectors as they make their way through the Arctic North looking for gold. A promise is made while on their journey, and to fulfill it is a challenge that is almost too much to bear. The mysterious ending of the tale makes this a fantastic poem to share for Halloween, but it is fun to read and analyze any time of year!

(Click the image to see a preview.)

This product includes:

- a PowerPoint prezi giving background information about Robert Service and includes slides of the poem itself to be used in close reading with the class

PLUS:

- a student packet that contains the poem, vocabulary and space to write responses to questions

-a Formative Assessment Sheet to be used for the "Do Now" activity, 2 focus questions that direct students to support answers to questions with details from the text AND the "Ticket Out" activity (This will be handed in at the end of class.)

-complete lesson plan with Teacher Directions section

-alignment to Anchor Standards and specific grade level standards as well

This contains all that you will need to roll once downloaded. I hope that you enjoy using this lesson with your students. My students truly love this poem every year! Any feedback that you can provide on this resource is greatly appreciated.  Once again, I hope this is a useful resource for you and your students.


***UPDATE:  I've had some great feedback on this lesson and I'm so happy that colleagues are finding it helpful!  Here's what some teachers are saying:

- "This was a very helpful resource to refer to while teaching this poem."

-"Great resources for a wonderful poem."

- "I've taught this poem for YEARS! Thank you for the fresh approach!!!"



Thank you so much for the kind comments!

Reading for Information - Common Core

I've just completed my next part of the Common Core project I'm working on! Yay! :)

(Click the image above to go to my TPT store.)

RI.7 - Reading for Information at the 7th Grade level has now been broken down into student-friendly "I can..." statements. In addition, I've defined key terms for each standard in the strand AND included a Reading Response for Nonfiction printable for each standard (except RI.7.10).

Please consider clicking on the image above to go to my store and have a better look.  I hope that this pack is a helpful tool to use for planning and checking for your students' understanding. Writing and Language Strands are on their way, as well as similar packs for 8th grade.  Check back soon! :)

Common Core, Here We Come!

As an educator in New York State, I've been very aware of the The New York State P-12 Common Core Learning Standards, which were adopted by the New York State Board of Regents in January 2011 for both ELA & Literacy and for Mathematics. The overall implementation of them, however, is new this year to many in our state.  When thought of in its entirety, a daunting task to be sure.  Yet, with a little help in breaking these standards down into manageable chunks, the overall goal for every state that is implementing Common Core - that of ensuring our students are graduating from K-12 schools college and career ready - seems much more attainable. 

It is with this in mind that I have begun tearing down the Common Core Learning Standards for ELA.  My first project is working with the 7th grade standards, as I am most familiar with those.  The first "bundle" I have completed in this project is the Reading Standards for Literature Strand.  

In this bundle you will find each of the Reading Standards for Literature for 7^th grade (RL.7.1 - RL.7.11).  I have taken each standard and created “I can…” statements in simpler, student-friendly language.  You will also find that next to each standard, taking into consideration the “I can…” statements, I have included definitions of terms that your students may need to help them truly understand what is expected.  Once our students know what they need to do, reaching the standards will be much easier! J

 Standards - "I can..." - Definitions of Key Words

The next part of this bundle is a collection of graphic organizers that I have made to help students negotiate meaning from literature and make connections following the learning standards of the Common Core.  I call these Stop, Think and Share Sheets, as I often use these to facilitate classroom discussion and, of course, as a means of formative assessment while I'm monitoring who's "getting it." While your students are working on stopping and filling them out...thinking on paper BEFORE they share, you can easily monitor and intervene with one-on-one attention when necessary.  You’ll know for certain who may need some extra help, and your students will feel more comfortable sharing their thoughts with others.  You will find that there is one graphic organizer for each standard, save RL.7.8 and RL.7.10, for which graphic organizers are not useful.  At the top of each graphic organizer students will find the standard, an “I can…” statement and any necessary definitions that will help them understand the task at hand.

Examples of Graphic Organizers 

I am also including a copy of my Daily Plan Template.  This tool is a freebee also found in my first post here and in my store, but I feel that the tips I include with the template may be helpful with incorporating the standards into you teaching, so I am attaching my template to this bundle as well.

I hope that you find all of these resources to helpful tools as you start your school year.  I am planning to make similar bundles for each strand of the Common Core for ELA at both the 7th and 8th grade levels.  Be sure to click here for an even better look if you are interested in the first of many Common Core resources I have planned.  Let me know what you think below.  Feel free to suggest other ideas as well.  If I know what other teachers are looking for, I can more easily create resources that will fit your needs for your classrooms.

"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." - Helen Keller