Teaching Grammar In Context Grammar and Mentor Texts for Middle Grades

Common Core Standards The Conventions of Standard English from p. 52 of the CCS Main Focus for each middle grade: 6th: Pronouns- intensive, agreement, vagueness, and regional variation 7th: Sentences- simple, compound, and complex 8th: Voice- active and passive

6th-8th Grade CCS Exemplars Stories Alcott, Louisa May. Little Women Twain, Mark. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer L’Engle, Madeleine. A Wrinkle in Time Cooper, Susan. The Dark Is Rising Yep, Laurence. Dragonwings Taylor, Mildred D. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry Hamilton, Virginia. “The People Could Fly.” Paterson, Katherine. The Tale of the Mandarin Ducks Cisneros, Sandra. “Eleven.” Sutcliff, Rosemary. Black Ships Before Troy: The Story of the Iliad

6th-8th Grade CCS Exemplars Poetry Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. “Paul Revere’s Ride” Whitman, Walt. “O Captain! My Captain!” Carroll, Lewis. “Jabberwocky Navajo tradition. “Twelfth Song of Thunder.” Dickinson, Emily. “The Railway Train” Yeats, William Butler. “The Song of Wandering Aengus” Frost, Robert. “The Road Not Taken.” Sandburg, Carl. “Chicago.” Hughes, Langston. “I, Too, Sing America.” Neruda, Pablo. “The Book of Questions.” Soto, Gary. “Oranges.” Giovanni, Nikki. “A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long.” Sample Performance Tasks for Stories, Drama, and Poetry Informational Texts: English Language Arts Adams, John. “Letter on Thomas Jefferson.” Douglass, Frederick. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass an American Slave, Written by Himself.

6th-8th Grade CCS Exemplars Drama Fletcher, Louise. Sorry, Wrong Number Goodrich, Frances and Albert Hackett. The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play

Alternative Mentor Texts Newspapers Magazines Lyrics Advertisements Billboards Menus Brochures …many more!

Why use different mentor texts? Shorter More frequent use Can be more relevant to students’ lives Gives variation between CCS exemplars/curriculum reading

6th Grade - Pronouns Newspaper Article Instructions to students: Pick out an article and replace all of the pronouns, putting yourself in the article. Product: -Copy of original article -Copy of re-written article

7th Grade - Simple, Complex, & Compound Sentences Instructions to students: Pick out multiple simple sentences that you like from different articles. Then, combine your simple sentences, making compound and complex sentences from words cut out from the magazines. Organize your compound and complex sentences to form a story. If you need to add a few simple sentences to make the story flow, feel free! Product: Poster with story written out with cut-out words.

8th Grade - Active & Passive Voice Instructions to students: Pick a voice and write a narrative of what you see. When you finish, write it in the opposite voice. Product: One active voice narrative and once passive voice narrative.

Alternative Mentor Text Activity Grade Convention Possible CCS Exemplar Alternative Mentor Text Activity 6th Pronouns Jabberwocky Newspaper Article -Pick out an article and replace all of the pronouns, putting yourself in the article. 7th Simple, Complex, & Compound Sentences Eleven Magazine -Pick out multiple simple sentences from different articles. Then, combine them making compound and complex sentences, with cut outs from magazines. 8th Passive & Active Voice Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry Pictures/ Picture Books -Write a narrative of what you see and then write it in the opposite voice.