Olivia Franklin

A teacher helps a student with a CommonLit lesson.

7 Short Poems with Figurative Language For Middle and High School Students

Incorporate poems with figurative language into your upcoming poetry unit and boost student reading comprehension with assessment and discussion questions. Got an upcoming poetry unit? CommonLit offers dozens of poems...

Olivia Franklin

October 3, 2022 4 min read

Student and teacher smile at each other as they work on a CommonLit lesson.

7 Short Coming-of-Age Stories to Stir Thought-Provoking Classroom Discussions

Boost Your ELA curriculum with relatable coming-of-age short stories for middle school and high school students. Looking for short stories with a coming-of-age theme? We’ve...

Olivia Franklin

October 3, 2022 4 min read

Teacher and student smiling while doing a CommonLit lesson.

"Characters Who Change & Grow": A Short Story Unit from CommonLit 360 that will Get Students Excited About ELA in 6th Grade

This ELA Unit includes engaging short stories and a nonfiction text that will engage students and help them reflect on their own lives to discuss how people change overtime. What...

Olivia Franklin

September 19, 2022 6 min read

Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with 10 Inspiring Texts

Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with texts elementary students will love. To help pay tribute to amazing Hispanic authors, poets, and social activities, we put together a collection of texts...

Olivia Franklin

September 14, 2022 4 min read

Teacher and student smiling while they work on a CommonLit 360 Lesson.

“Following the Crowd:” A Short Story Unit from CommonLit 360’s ELA Curriculum That Will Pique Students’ Interest

This ELA Short Story Unit will get students excited about reading and spark incredible classroom discussions. What Is CommonLit 360? CommonLit 360 is a free English Language Arts curriculum for...

Olivia Franklin

September 9, 2022 4 min read

Students working on a CommonLit lesson with a teacher.

“Writing Your Story: Memoir and Application Essays”: CommonLit 360’s 12th Grade Unit Helps Students Craft their College Essays

This ELA Unit includes high-interest memoirs by contemporary authors like Trevor Noah and Michelle Zauner to serve as examples for students’ application essays. What Is CommonLit 360? CommonLit 360...

Olivia Franklin

September 2, 2022 4 min read

The Great Gatsby Novel Study is Ideal for Fostering Reading Comprehension Skills in 11th Grade

This unit includes riveting class discussions that will enthrall your students, including conversations about the American Dream as well as a literary analysis on what makes a novel truly “great....

Olivia Franklin

September 2, 2022 6 min read

“The Art of Suspense”: A Thematic Story Unit from CommonLit 360 that Will Spark Incredible Discussions In the Beginning of 8th Grade

This ELA Unit includes high-interest stories about moral dilemmas and distinguishing right from wrong from authors like Roald Dahl and Richard Matheson. What Is CommonLit 360? CommonLit 360 is...

Olivia Franklin

September 2, 2022 5 min read

Teacher writing on the board about a CommonLit lesson.

“Community and Belonging”: A Thematic Unit from CommonLit’s 360 Curriculum that will Set Students Up for Success in 7th Grade

This ELA Unit includes engaging stories that will help students spark discussions and learn about adolescents’ struggle to fit into their communities. What Is CommonLit 360? CommonLit 360 is a...

Olivia Franklin

August 29, 2022 5 min read

Student and teacher working on a "Coming of Age" short story.

"Coming of Age": A Short Story Unit from CommonLit's 360 Curriculum that is Perfect for the Beginning of 10th Grade

This ELA Unit includes high-interest short stories about growing up from contemporary authors like Jason Reynolds and Lucy Tan that’ll hook your students. What Is CommonLit 360? CommonLit...

Olivia Franklin

August 23, 2022 4 min read

A teacher and a student smiling as they work on a CommonLit lesson.

8 Texts Featuring Disabilities and Learning Differences to Build Classroom Empathy and Inclusion

The beginning of the year is a key time to form trusting, meaningful relationships in your classroom community. These texts feature historical figures or characters with disabilities and learning differences,...

Olivia Franklin

August 9, 2022 4 min read

Students work on CommonLit reading lesson.

10 Texts That Will Line Up Perfectly with the Next-Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

Elementary school teachers know the benefits of STEM education for kids. And, in 20 states and the District of Columbia, teachers must align science lessons to Next-Generation Science Standards...

Olivia Franklin

August 9, 2022 5 min read

Student sitting at a table and working on a computer.

An Overview of Argumentative Writing Units in CommonLit 360

CommonLit’s argumentative writing units engage students with interesting topics and activities that build argument skills and encourage student choice. Our comprehensive ELA curriculum, CommonLit360, has highly-engaging argumentative units...

Olivia Franklin

April 19, 2022 5 min read

Meaningful Texts to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month

Celebrating students’ heritage and opening doors to other cultures can provide some of the most meaningful lessons in the classroom. Hispanic Heritage Month spans from September 15 through October 15...

Allie Liotta

September 23, 2021 3 min read

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