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CommonLit - CommonLit
Grades
4 to 12
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Access commonly taught themes for classic literature and discussion questions for that theme. Plus, Text Sets are perfect for social studies teachers! Choose a Lexile''''''''® grade...more
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Access commonly taught themes for classic literature and discussion questions for that theme. Plus, Text Sets are perfect for social studies teachers! Choose a Lexile''''''''® grade level for reading and download the text in PDF format or read online. Each text has a menu across the top offering Paired Texts, Related Media, a Teacher's Guide, and a Parent Guide. The text includes critical thinking questions, an Assessment, and, in some cases, Guided Reading Mode. Choose the font size, listen to the Read Aloud (and pause it), translate to Spanish, and Highlight. Track student progress. You can search by Book, Genre, Grade Level, Literary Device, Text Set, Theme, and Spanish Texts. All of this for free! What else could one want? You can also request a text, and they will negotiate with the copyright holders to add it to their site. Check out their blog, too! You'll find lots of suggestions and thoughtful reflections for using nonfiction texts with your students.
tag(s): critical thinking (188), differentiation (103), literature (214), reading comprehension (146), spanish (113), substitutes (33), Teacher Utilities (233), themes (16)
In the Classroom
CommonLit is an excellent resource for literature, speech and debate, and history teachers. Share the site with students on an interactive whiteboard or projector, and ask the class which themes they want to investigate. Under each theme are two questions. Divide the class into small groups, each investigating one question from one theme and reading the accompanying text. Differentiate by having students read the same theme at their reading level. Challenge individuals, pairs, or small groups to create a graphic organizer for the story they read, replacing paper and pencil and using a tool like Holt Interactive Graphic Organizers, reviewed here. You could take this a step further by having two groups read different selections on the same theme, use a graphic organizer to compare how the theme is presented, and then challenge the groups to present their findings to the class via video. Use a simple video creator like Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here. This site also works when you need to make substitute plans unexpectedly. Just include the link in your plans and tell the sub which theme you want students to read about, or, better yet, let the sub choose!
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