1. Teaching Grammar In Context
Grammar and Mentor Texts for Middle Grades

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

5. 6th-8th Grade CCS Exemplars
Drama
Fletcher, Louise. Sorry, Wrong Number
Goodrich, Frances and Albert Hackett. The Diary of Anne Frank: A Play

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

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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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.