ELA Essentials

We all know that independent reading is essential in developing critical literacy skills in our students. In my first few years of teaching, I struggled with portioning out time for students to read independently even though I knew its importance. I tried a handful of ways to provide more accountability so that it wouldn't feel like I was using time unwisely, but nothing really stuck. The items featured in this bundle have helped me a great deal in not only keeping my students accountable for

Students review major events from Homer's The Odyssey by arranging events in chronological order and creating a visual timeline in which they describe each event and provide relevant illustrations. This has worked particularly well for my tactile learners who need to get their hands on something in order to fully comprehend it. Great for test review or formative assessment.

This weekly reading log is way for students to not only keep track of what they are reading but also use reading comprehension strategies that are necessary to develop competent readers. This is a 3-page document that includes a place to record title, author, pages, and key information for each reading session. It also includes a space for self-selected vocabulary, summary along with reminders regarding what information to include in a summary. The most important piece of this reading log is a

Hey, y'all! Looking for a way to implement student-driven, self-selected vocabulary in your classroom? Maybe you're looking to add a word study component to your students' independent reading, or you might just need a way to differentiate your vocabulary instruction while you work through a whole class text. In this assignment, students go beyond the standard "word and definition vocab. lists" to select words that are unfamiliar to them and create an illustrated dictionary that forces them to

This test is a combination of matching, short answer, and free response questions. It is aligned with McDougal Littell's grade 9 literature textbook. It covers background information and context, characters, plot, characteristics of epics, epic heroes, and archetypes. A detailed answer key is also included.

Add a dose of relevance to your students' reading projects! This project walks students through the process of choosing quotes from their novels that are personally meaningful and teach valuable life lessons. File includes the following: -assignment sheet with written instructions for students -printable planning template for student use -printable scoring guide for easy grading Project is aligned to 9-12 CCSS but can easily be adapted to younger grades.

Checklist-style form students can fill out to get them thinking about themselves as readers. Paste into a reader's notebook or use as a springboard for discussions and goal setting.

This is a graphic organizer that focuses on the aspects of Shakespearean Tragedy including the tragic hero, fatal flaw, catastrophic event(s), dramatic irony, and theme. It also shows the relationship among each of these aspects. This organizer is especially great for the purposes of reviewing a piece of lit. and identifying each dramatic element of tragedy.

For this project, students will be able to apply their knowledge of the Old English epic by creating their own versions of Beowulf through creative presentations. Students work in groups to create performances of certain sections of the epic using a combination of props, illustrations, and written scripts. Item includes assignment background, description, and grading requirements.