Schools nationwide are transitioning to the Common Core--our advice to you: Don't go it alone! Our new book, Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans: Ready-to-Use Resources, 6-8, shows you that teaching the Common Core State Standards in the middle grades doesn't have to be intimidating!

This easy-to-use guide meets the particular needs of middle school teachers. It provides model lesson plans for teaching the standards in reading, writing, speaking/listening, and language. 

• Get engaging lesson plans that are grade-appropriate, easy to implement and include ready-to-use reproducible handouts, assessments, resources, and ideas to help you modify the lesson for both struggling and advanced learners.
• Our Common Core Literacy Lesson Plans are equally effective for both English and content-area teachers—the plans are designed to fit seamlessly into your middle school curriculum.
• You get practical tips for revamping your existing lessons to meet the standards.
• Middle school students learn how to answer text-based questions, read informational texts, conduct research, write arguments, and improve their speaking and listening skills.

We take the guesswork out of Common Core lesson plans with this practical, easy-to-use guide. All lesson plans are grade-appropriate, but every lesson plan includes...

• Common Core State Standards covered in the lesson
• Overview of objectives and focus of the lesson
• Background knowledge required and time required
• A detailed, step-by-step agenda for the lesson, plus a materials list
• Differentiation ideas to adapt the lesson for different kinds of learners
• Assessment ideas, including rubrics and scoring guides
• A place for your notes: what worked; what can improve

 Bonus! We show you how to extend the lessons into longer units to suit your particular grade's curriculum, and even help you create more of your own lessons!

Part 1: Reading
Overview
Planning Checklist
Strategies to Help Struggling Readers
Lesson Plans at a Glance
Lesson Plan 1: The Text Is a Gold Mine-Let's Start Digging! Answering Text-Based Questions
Lesson Plan 2: What's the Big Idea? Tracing a Theme
Lesson Plan 3: Leave Your Opinions for Later! Producing an Objective Summary
Lesson Plan 4: Who's Telling This Story, Anyway? Analyzing Narrative Point of View
Lesson Plan 5: The Parts vs. the Whole: Studying Informational Text Structures
Lesson Plan 6: Did That Really Happen? Examining Fact and Fiction in Historical Texts
Lesson Plan 7: See It, Hear It, Love It (or Hate It)! Compare Print and Audio Versions of a Poem
Lesson Plan 8: Everyone's Entitled to an Opinion: Determine the Author's Point of View
Lesson Plan 9: You Be the Judge: Determining Whether the Evidence Is Sound, Sufficient, and Relevant
Lesson Plan 10: Is a Picture Worth a Thousand Words? How Different Mediums Explain an Idea
Lesson Plan 11: These Authors Aren't on the Same Page: Analyze Texts with Conflicting Information

Part 2: Writing
Overview
Planning Checklist
Strategies for Teaching Argument
Lesson Plans at a Glance
Lesson Plan 12: Let Me Tell You a Legend: Writing a Narrative
Lesson Plan 13: I've Got Questions. Who Has Answers? Conduct a Research Project
Lesson Plan 14: What's Google Giving You? Evaluating Your Sources
Lesson Plan 15: To Quote or Not to Quote? Incorporating Your Sources
Lesson Plan 16: Collaborate in the Cloud: Creating a Literature Guide Wiki
Lesson Plan 17: Clean-Up Time: Edit the Wordiness from Your Writing
Lesson Plan 18: Do They Know What You Know? Describing Technical Information to an Audience
Lesson Plan 19: Hook People In! Introducing Your Information
Lesson Plan 20: I Say Tomato, You Say To-Mah-To: Effective Argument Techniques

Part 3: Speaking and Listening
Overview
Planning Checklist
Strategies for Teaching Speaking and Listening Skills
Lesson Plans at a Glance
Lesson Plan 21: Yield or Jump In? Creating Balanced Class Discussions
Lesson Plan 22: Formalities Required? Considering Audience When Making Language Choices
Lesson Plan 23: Look at What I'm Saying! Creating Engaging Presentations
Lesson Plan 24: Please Lend Me an Ear: Presenting Your Findings
Lesson Plan 25: There's Information at Your Fingertips, But Is it All Worthwhile? Comparing Media Formats

Part 4: Language
Overview
Planning Checklist
Strategies for Teaching Vocabulary
Lesson Plans at a Glance
Lesson Plan 26: The Case of the Missing Pronoun
Lesson Plan 27: What's the Right Context for Context Clues?
Lesson Plan 28: Let's Figure Out Figurative Language
Lesson Plan 29: It's Not All Black and White: Understanding Shades of Meaning in Words
Lesson Plan 30: Which Punctuation Mark Are You?
Lesson Plan 31: Choppy No More: Writing Compound Sentences to Link Ideas
Lesson Plan 32: Switch It Up! Adding Complex Sentences to Your Writing
Lesson Plan 33: Keeping the Action Straight: Understanding Verbals
Lesson Plan 34: Should You Pass on Passive Writing? Considering Voice
Lesson Plan 35: What's Missing? Using an Ellipsis to Indicate an Omission

Reading Handouts:
Answering a Text-Based Question Step-by-Step
Narrative Point of View Activity Sheet
Text Structures and Signal Words
Let's Talk About Argumentative Texts! A Glossary of Academic Vocabulary
Evaluating an Argument

Writing Handouts:
Story Planning Sheet
Research Activity Sheet
Analyzing a Website Activity Sheet
Ways to Incorporate Sources
Argument Map

Speaking and Listening Handouts:
What's My Discussion Style?
Audience Index Cards
PowerPoint/Prezi Activity Sheet
Presentation Activity Sheet
Different Forms of Media

Language Handouts:
Pronoun Activity Sheet
Common Types of Context Clues
Personification Activity Sheet
Simile and Metaphor Activity Sheet
Connotation Graphic Organizer
How Punctuation Affects Tone
Using Compound Sentences to Link Ideas
Using Complex Sentences to Link Ideas

Appendix:
Blank Lesson Plan Template
Sources of Literary and Nonfiction Texts
Sample Topics for Argument Essays

References