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Arizona ELA Standard: 5.RL.9

Compare and contrast stories in the same genre (e.g., mysteries and adventure stories) on their approaches to similar themes and topics.

Tournament of Mythological Creatures
Tournament of Mythological Creatures
Who will win the tournament of mythological creatures!?
Gr 1-8
Change A Story’s Genre
Change A Story’s Genre
What if we rewrote a story’s climax into a totally different genre?
Gr 1-8
Stories with the Same Problems and Solutions
Stories with the Same Problems and Solutions
Have you ever noticed that some stories have awfully similar problems? What if we looked for the most unusual way of solving a repeating problem?
Gr 1-6
Introducing Universal Theme of Conflict
Introducing Universal Theme of Conflict
So what could you do with a Universal Theme of Conflict? Well, here’s an introduction that will get your students’ brains sweating.
Gr 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Plant Adaptation Tournament
Plant Adaptation Tournament
Who will win in a tournament of eight plants with Interesting adaptations!?
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8
Analyze Characters Using Philosophy
Analyze Characters Using Philosophy
What is the Brick Pig’s philosophy? How would he apply it to the characters in Harry Potter?
Gr 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 8
Remixing A Holiday Poem
Remixing A Holiday Poem
Let’s take a classic Christmas poem and remix it to work with another holiday!
Gr 1-8
Characters Dressed as Other Characters for Halloween
Characters Dressed as Other Characters for Halloween
What if one character dressed up as another for Halloween? Would the Cat in the Hat pick Captain Jack Sparrow, because they’re both chaotic yet good-natured people? Would Elsa dress up as The Ice King since they are both lonely?
Gr 1-8
Not Like The Others: Charlotte’s Web
Not Like The Others: Charlotte’s Web
Four Charlotte’s Web characters. One doesn’t belong. But which one? That depends on your argument.
Gr 1-5
Writing Sample: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
Writing Sample: Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
A passage from “Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.
Gr 1-8
Building Creative Analogies
Building Creative Analogies
We’ll take two seemingly unrelated pieces of content (say volcanoes and the human body) and then build analogies to connect the two ideas. In the end, students can create a skit, comic, or story relating the two concepts.
Gr 1-8
Content Imperatives: Convergence
Content Imperatives: Convergence
Add complexity by considering how multiple factors 🔄 Converge within one topic.
Gr 2, 5, 6, 7, 8
Content Imperatives: Parallel
Content Imperatives: Parallel
Get students thinking broadly by exploring similarities across multiple topics. Combine with Depth and Complexity for bonus points!
Gr 1-8
Elements of The Fantasy Genre
Elements of The Fantasy Genre
Every fantasy story has patterns hiding underneath the magic. Once your students see the elements, they’ll spot them everywhere — and use them in their own writing.
Gr 1-8
Characters’ Talents and Multiple Intelligences
Characters’ Talents and Multiple Intelligences
How do characters from novels line up with Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences?
Gr 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8
Literary Technique: Juxtaposition
Literary Technique: Juxtaposition
Put a grumpy character next to a joyful one and they make each other stand out even more. Opposites are powerful!
Gr 1-8
Motivation and Moral Development
Motivation and Moral Development
Can someone do the right thing, but for the wrong reason?
Gr 2-8
Better Stories Part 3: Literary Themes
Better Stories Part 3: Literary Themes
A typical student narrative includes plot and characters but lacks a larger idea to hold it all together. This is where a lesson on themes comes in…
Gr 1-8