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Arizona ELA Standard: 7.RI.5

Analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the major sections contribute to the whole and to the development of the ideas.

Great Sloths – Mixed Up Paragraph
Great Sloths – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about great sloths back into the correct order?
Gr 1-8
The Moon – Mixed Up Paragraph
The Moon – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about The Moon back into the correct order?
Gr 1-8
The Great Sphinx – Mixed Up Paragraph
The Great Sphinx – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about The Great Sphinx back into the correct order?
Gr 2-8
Rainclouds – Mixed Up Paragraph
Rainclouds – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about rain clouds back into the correct order?
Gr 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Think Like An Author: Hemingway vs Dickens
Think Like An Author: Hemingway vs Dickens
What if your students rewrote Dickens in the style of Hemingway and vice versa?
Gr 1-8
Trains – Mixed Up Paragraph
Trains – Mixed Up Paragraph
Can you use the context clues to get these sentences about trains back into the correct order?
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Analyze Paragraphs: Tomatoes
Analyze Paragraphs: Tomatoes
Three paragraphs about tomatoes. They all cover the same topic — so what makes each one different? Now combine them into one super-paragraph.
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8
Generalization: Systems Are Made up of Other Systems
Generalization: Systems Are Made up of Other Systems
A clock is a system. So is a rainforest. So is your school. Once you see systems inside systems, you can’t unsee it.
Gr 1-8
Paragraphs: Systems of Sentences
Paragraphs: Systems of Sentences
Blow up a paragraph into individual sentences. Now reassemble it. The clues hiding in each sentence will surprise you.
Gr 1-8
Writing Sample: Moby Dick
Writing Sample: Moby Dick
A passage from Moby Dick to use as a mentor text, discussion starter, or writing prompt.
Gr 1-8
Content Imperatives: Contribuition
Content Imperatives: Contribuition
Pull on one thread and watch the whole topic move. Contribution asks: what single factor is quietly shaping everything else?
Gr 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Depth and Complexity: 📈 Trends
Depth and Complexity: 📈 Trends
Has something been changing recently? What might be causing that? What are the effects?
Gr 2-8
Depth and Complexity: 🚦 Rules
Depth and Complexity: 🚦 Rules
Is there a consequence for not doing something? You may have found a rule!
Gr 1-8
Depth and Complexity: Patterns
Depth and Complexity: Patterns
Can your students spot anything that repeats? Or that has stopped repeating?
Gr 2-8
Teach Non-Fiction Writing Structure With Fractals
Teach Non-Fiction Writing Structure With Fractals
Did you ever notice that the structure of an essay is very similar to the structure of a paragraph? Hmm…
Gr 1-8
Engineering: Build A Bridge
Engineering: Build A Bridge
Using real bridges as their starting point, students will construct bridges out of straws and paperclips.
Gr 1-8
Better Stories Part 1: The Big Idea
Better Stories Part 1: The Big Idea
We open our unit on narrative writing with a big idea: “structure increases creativity.” I show how this is true by bringing in examples from across all disciplines.
Gr 1-8