Poetry Verse Reading Unit with the The Crossover and Out of the Dust in Middle School

Description

This middle school poetry unit bundle uses the middle grade and young adult verse novels The Crossover and Out of the Dust as mentor texts to teach students poetry, poetry terms, and poetry analysis in a way that pushes them to read and write about verse novels during independent reading and verse novel book clubs and literature circles.

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POETRY AND VERS NOVEL UNIT DESCRIPTION:

The following resources can be purchased separately but ARE INCLUDED. You do not need to purchase them separately if you purchase this bundle:

1. Middle School Reading Literature and Poetry Graphic Organizers Reading Responses
2. Middle School Poetry Reference Pages Notebook Tabs for Interactive Notebooks
3. Middle School Mentor Texts to Teach Grammar-Verse Novel Sentences
4. Middle School Editable Reading Response Rubrics-Verse Novels/Poetry Analysis
5. Starbooks Book Club Selections and Book Tasting Activity

This unit is jam-packed with 19 different poetry lessons:

1. Pre-Lesson 1: Starbooks and Verse Novel Selection or Book Club Selections
2. Pre-Lesson 2: Figurative Language Lesson and Literature Terms Lesson
3. Pre-Lesson 3: Types of Poetry and Poetry Terms Lesson
4. Lesson One: Poetry/Verse Novel Structure Analysis
5. Lesson Two: Poetry/Verse Novel Themes Analysis
6. Lesson Three: Poetry/Verse Novel Mood and Tone Analysis
7. Lesson Four: Poetry/Verse Novel Figurative Language Analysis
8. Lesson Five: Poetry/Verse Novel Plot Impact Analysis
9. Lesson Six: Poetry/Verse Novel Author’s Purpose Analysis
10. Lesson Seven: Poetry/Verse Novel Point of View Impact Analysis
11. Lesson Eight: Poetry/Verse Novel Comparing Structure Impact Analysis
12. Lesson Nine: Poetry/Verse Novel Comparing Mood and Tone Analysis
13. Lesson Ten: Poetry/Verse Novel Plot/Author’s Purpose Impact Analysis
14. Lesson Eleven: Poetry/Verse Novel Figurative Language Impact Analysis
15. Lesson Twelve: Poetry/Verse Novel Writing Mentor Text Inspired Poems
16. Lesson Thirteen: Poetry/Verse Novel Writing Mentor Text Inspired Poems
17. Lesson Fourteen: Poetry/Verse Novel Writing Mentor Text Inspired Poems
18. Lesson Fifteen: Poetry/Verse Novel Writing Mentor Text Inspired Poems
19. Lesson Sixteen: Poetry/Verse Novel Writing Mentor Text Inspired Poems

Each Lesson Has Following Sections

1. CCSS Learning Standards for 6th, 7th, and 8th
2. Learning Target for Lesson
3. Guiding Questions for Reading Responses
4. Interpretive Question for Book Club Discussions
5. Vocabulary
6. Teacher Preparation (though all my examples can be used)
7. Mentor Texts Poems and Alternative Poems
8. Learning Period: Lesson, Read Aloud, and Modeling
9. Reading Response Break Down
10. Book Club Assignment

The Following Resources are Also Included for Implementation:

1. Two Different Examples for All Reading Responses
2. Reading Response Slides to Be Displayed While Students are Reading and Writing
3. Book Club Slides to Be Displayed During Book Club Meetings
4. Graphic Organizers for all Reading Responses
5. Poetry Terms and Types of Poetry Reference Pages (Interactive Notebook Options)
6. Figurative Language Reference Pages (Interactive Notebook Options)
7. Literature Circle Forms, Implementation Resources, and Group Grading and Forms.
8. Literature and Poetry/Verse Editable Reading Response Rubrics
9. Four Weeks of Verse Novel/ Poetry Grammar Mentor Sentences

READING UNITS DESCRIPTION: The Crossover and Out of the Dust

These The Crossover by Kwame Alexander and Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse reading units and novel studies is exactly what you need to teach your seventh or eighth grade middle school learners in an engaging Socratic Seminar, discussion-based, and reading response focused format with this realistic fiction verse novel.

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This resource is in the following bundles:

• Middle School Reading Units Growing Bundle (6th, 7th, and 8th)
• Middle School Reading Units Growing Bundle (7th and 8th)
• Middle School Reading Units Realistic Fiction Bundle (6th, 7th, and 8th)

This resource has gotten HUGE updates (August 2020) since creation in 2015:

• Update: Teacher suggested answers for comprehension questions
• Update: Teacher suggested vocabulary words
• Update: PowerPoint and PDF Display slides for all Guiding and Interpretive Questions (JPEG images included to upload to Google Slides as well)
• Update: Digital Student Reading Response Notebooks
• Update: Editable PowerPoint Reading Response Rubrics
• Update: Editable Google Slides Reading Response Rubrics
• Update: Small group and individual conference teacher forms
• Update: Lesson plans and the Common Core standard alignments are their own file now so teachers can easily and quickly access the novel lessons.

Now included in a separate file for teachers:

• The Socratic Seminar: research base and strategy in practice
• Using this resource in your classroom
• Different reading workshop set-ups
• Scripted lesson examples
• Reading response notebook examples from my classroom

What files are included:

1. The Crossover 14 Lesson Reading Unit (teacher suggested answers and vocabulary now included)
2. Out of the Dust 14 Lesson Reading Unit (teacher suggested answers and vocabulary now included)
3. 40+ page Implementation Teachers Guide: Socratic Seminar, Tips and Tricks, Pacing, Student Examples, FAQs, scripted lesson examples, etc.
4. PowerPoint and PDF Display slides for all Guiding and Interpretive Questions (JPEG images included to upload to Google Slides as well)
5. Digital Student Reading Response Notebooks
6. Editable PowerPoint Reading Response Rubrics
7. Editable Google Slides Reading Response Rubrics
8. Small group and individual conference teacher forms
9. BONUS: The Crossover Basketball Rules Ten Quote Posters

This unit is exactly what you need to teach your 7th and 8th grade learners in an engaging format with the award winning books, The Crossover and Out of the Dust.

How are these reading units different?

• This unit digs deep into EVERY SINGLE common core reading literature and main writing standard.
• The backbone of these units is The Socratic Seminar, which pushes students to have discussions with their peers, about the novels (by using the guiding and interpretive questions provided) while using text-based evidence and critical thinking.
• Their thinking and discussion build a strong foundation of understanding for their reading responses (which will blow you away because of how much they grow throughout the year).
• This was designed when I had no reading or writing curriculum: I didn’t want to just “hit” the standards. I wanted to dig deep into every single standard multiple times throughout the year.
• This unit teaches your students about every single seventh and eighth grade CCSS literature standard in an engaging, though-provoking, and fun unit and all the work is done for you.
• I still do guided reading, book clubs, literature circles, and Daily 5 in my classroom, so I know this can work with any type of reading program that you already have in place.
• In this unit, your students will get tons of support and conversations from their peers, will be exposed to literature and vocabulary at or above their grade level, and become part of a reading community. Yet it still gives you the flexibility to work with groups of students at their particular reading levels.