Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland in approximately 1818. After several unsuccessful attempts, Douglass escaped from slavery and eventually settled in Massachusetts. In 1845, he wrote his first autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave , which had a profound influence on the movement to abolish slavery. Harriet Jacobs was born in North Carolina in 1813. Like Douglass, Jacobs was born into slavery. She eventually escaped and settled in New York. Also like Douglass, she wrote an autobiography, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl , which revealed the horrors of life under slavery. Both Douglass and Jacobs went on to become vocal supporters of the anti-slavery movement.

Douglas and Jacobs both wrote important autobiographies about their experience as slaves.

Douglas and Jacobs both escaped from slavery in the 1800's

Carrots contain high amounts of vitamin A and are good for general eye health. However, carrots will not improve night vision. That myth goes back to British propaganda during World War II. In 1940, the German Luftwaffe, or air force, began bombing Britain at night. In response, the British government ordered people to turn off their lights; the government wanted to make it difficult for German pilots to hit their targets. A new technology, radar, allowed the British air force to track and shoot down the German planes without light. To keep the technology secret, the government told the media that their pilots could see the German planes because they consumed so many carrots. Consequently, people began to believe that eating carrots would help them see better in the dark.

Because of a British Campaign, people thought that eating carrots would improve their night vision.

During WWII, the British government told the media that eating carrots would improve their night vision.

The Outsiders By S. E. Hinton What is the main idea? When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home. I was wishing I looked like Paul Newman---he looks tough and I don't--- but I guess my own looks aren't so bad. I have light-brown, almost-red hair and greenish-gray eyes. I wish they were more gray, because I hate most guys that have green eyes, but I have to be content with what I have.My hair is longer than a lot of boys wear theirs,squared off in back and long at the front and sides, but I am a greaser and most of my neighborhood rarely bothers to get a haircut.Besides, I look better with long hair.

The narrator is content with his appearance.

The narrator wishes he was Paul Newman.

The narrator looks better with long hair.

In the Gold Rush of 1849, around one hundred thousand immigrants were lured to California by the promise of gold. Towns and businesses popped up to accommodate the growing population, but a problem remained: how to communicate across the vast reaches of the United States. Three businessmen thought they had an answer: faster mail delivery via the Pony Express, a relay system of horses and riders. The Pony Express made its first delivery on April 14, 1860. Mail from St. Joseph, Missouri reached San Francisco in just eleven days rather than a month or more, which was standard for mail delivery at the time. The Pony Express was a short-lived solution, however. After just eighteen months, it was replaced by a national telegraph wire.

The Pony Express allowed for faster communication in the rapidly growing United States.

The Pony express was a chain of horses and riders across the country, used to deliver mail.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory By Roald Dahl What is the main idea? Charlie Bucket stared around the gigantic room in which he now found himself. The place was like a witch’s kitchen! All about him black metal pots were boiling and bubbling on huge stoves, and kettles were hissing and pans were sizzling,and strange iron machines were clanking and spluttering, and there were pipes running all over the ceiling and walls, and the whole place was filled with smoke and steam and delicious rich smells. Mr. Wonka himself had suddenly become even more excited than usual, and anyone could see that this was the room he loved best of all. He was hopping about among the saucepans and the machines like a child among his Christmas presents, not knowing which thing to look at first. He lifted the lid from a huge pot and took a sniff; then he rushed over and dipped a finger into a barrel of sticky yellow stuff and had a taste; then he skipped across to one of the machine sand turned half a dozen knobs this way and that; then he peered anxiously through the glass door of a gigantic oven,rubbing his hands and cackling with delight at what he saw inside. Then he ran over to another machine, a small shiny affair that kept going phut-phut-phut-phut-phut, and every time it went phut, a large green marble dropped out of it into a basket on the floor.

to learn about the room through Mr.Wonka’s excitement and discoveries

Charlie’s discovery of the gigantic room

seeing the machine that makes green candy

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory By Roald Dahl Which of the following best supports the idea that Mr. Wonka’s was excited? Charlie Bucket stared around the gigantic room in which he now found himself. The place was like a witch’s kitchen! All about him black metal pots were boiling and bubbling on huge stoves, and kettles were hissing and pans were sizzling,and strange iron machines were clanking and spluttering, and there were pipes running all over the ceiling and walls, and the whole place was filled with smoke and steam and delicious rich smells. Mr. Wonka himself had suddenly become even more excited than usual, and anyone could see that this was the room he loved best of all. He was hopping about among the saucepans and the machines like a child among his Christmas presents, not knowing which thing to look at first. He lifted the lid from a huge pot and took a sniff; then he rushed over and dipped a finger into a barrel of sticky yellow stuff and had a taste; then he skipped across to one of the machine sand turned half a dozen knobs this way and that; then he peered anxiously through the glass door of a gigantic oven,rubbing his hands and cackling with delight at what he saw inside. Then he ran over to another machine, a small shiny affair that kept going phut-phut-phut-phut-phut, and every time it went phut, a large green marble dropped out of it into a basket on the floor.

“like a child among his Christmas presents”

“rubbing his hands and cackling with delight”

“he peered anxiously through the glass door”

In 2007, a boy in Nova Scotia, Canada wore a pink polo shirt on his first day of high school. According to students, bullies threatened the boy because of his shirt color. Two seniors, David Shepherd and Travis Price, were disturbed by the bullying and came up with a creative response. They emailed classmates, explaining the situation and suggesting that everyone wear pink the next day. They also bought fifty pink shirts to distribute at school. When the boy who had been threatened arrived for his second day of high school, he was met by hundreds of his fellow students wearing pink. The action served as a clear anti-bullying message. The news of the event quickly spread to other schools, many of which instituted their own "Pink Shirt Days."

After a class member was made fun of for wearing pink, two high school seniors organized a way to take a stand against bullying.

Bullying is a serious problem among high school students.

Sister Hood of the Traveling Pants By Ann Brashares What is the main idea? Once there were four girls who shared a pair of pants.The girls were all different sizes and shapes, and yet the pants fit each of them. You may think this is a suburban myth. But I know it's true, because I am one of them —one of the sisters of the Traveling Pants.We discovered their magic last summer, purely by accident. The four of us were splitting up for the first time in our lives. Carmen had gotten them from a secondhand place without even bothering to try them on. She was going to throw them away, but by chance,Tibby spotted them. First Tibby tried them; then me,Lena; then Bridget; then Carmen.By the time Carmen pulled them on, we knew something extraordinary was happening. If the same pants fit — and I mean really fit — the four of us, they aren't ordinary. They don't belong completely to the world of things you can see and touch. My sister, Effie,claims I don't believe in magic, and maybe I didn't then.But after the first summer of the Traveling Pants, I do.

Four friends were connected through a special pair of pants.

A pair of pants called the Traveling pants.

Carmen finds a pair of pants from a second-hand shop.

Sister Hood of the Traveling Pants By Ann Brashares Once there were four girls who shared a pair of pants.The girls were all different sizes and shapes, and yet the pants fit each of them. You may think this is a suburban myth. But I know it's true, because I am one of them —one of the sisters of the Traveling Pants.We discovered their magic last summer, purely by accident. The four of us were splitting up for the first time in our lives. Carmen had gotten them from a secondhand place without even bothering to try them on. She was going to throw them away, but by chance,Tibby spotted them. First Tibby tried them; then me,Lena; then Bridget; then Carmen.By the time Carmen pulled them on, we knew something extraordinary was happening. If the same pants fit — and I mean really fit — the four of us, they aren't ordinary. They don't belong completely to the world of things you can see and touch. My sister, Effie,claims I don't believe in magic, and maybe I didn't then.But after the first summer of the Traveling Pants, I do. The narrator included that the pants fit all of them to emphasize…

that the girls are difference sizes.

The Crimean War was fought in the 1850s between Russia on one side and Britain, France, and Turkey on the other. Although it was a major conflict, it is perhaps best remembered as the first war in which journalists were present on the battlefield. News dispatches from William Howard Russell, a reporter for the Times of London , exposed military blunders and revealed the filthy conditions that existed in military hospitals and camps. Photographers such as James Robertson and Roger Fenton made hundreds of photographs of soldiers on the battlefield. These news reports and photographs provided an uncensored look at life on the frontlines. The Crimean War marked the first time in history that people back home were exposed to the horrors of war.

The Crimean War was the first war to be documented for civilians.

The Crimean War was fought between the Russians, and the British, French, and Turkish

Pretty Little Liars By Sara Shepard What is the main idea of this excerpt? Imagine it's a couple of years ago, the summer between seventh and eighth grade. You're tan from lying out next to your rock-lined pool, you've got on your new Juicy sweats (remember when everybody wore those?), and your mind's on your crush, the boy who goes to that other prep school whose name we won't mention and who folds jeans at Abercrombie in the mall. You're eating your Cocoa Krispies just how you like 'em --- doused in skim milk --- and you see this girl's face on the side of the milk carton. Missing. She's cute --- probably cuter than you --- and has a feisty look in her eyes. You think, Hmm, maybe she likes soggy Cocoa Krispies too. And you bet she'd think Abercrombie boy was a hottie as well. You wonder how someone so . . . well, so much like you went missing. You thought only girls who entered beauty pageants ended up on the sides of milk cartons. Well,think again.

A middle school girl is wondering how an ordinary looking girl, like her, could go missing.

The narrator is enjoying her summer break by the pool.

The importance of a middle school crush.

The girl’s picture is on the side of a milk carton to announce she is missing.

Pretty Little Liars By Sara Shepard What is the importance of all the details about the narrator’s day by the pool? Imagine it's a couple of years ago, the summer between seventh and eighth grade. You're tan from lying out next to your rock-lined pool, you've got on your new Juicy sweats (remember when everybody wore those?), and your mind's on your crush, the boy who goes to that other prep school whose name we won't mention and who folds jeans at Abercrombie in the mall. You're eating your Cocoa Krispies just how you like 'em --- doused in skim milk --- and you see this girl's face on the side of the milk carton. Missing. She's cute --- probably cuter than you --- and has a feisty look in her eyes. You think, Hmm, maybe she likes soggy Cocoa Krispies too. And you bet she'd think Abercrombie boy was a hottie as well. You wonder how someone so . . . well, so much like you went missing. You thought only girls who entered beauty pageants ended up on the sides of milk cartons. Well,think again.

to show she is ordinary like the reader

to emphasize what she likes to do

to remind the reader they were once in middle school

to scare the reader about missing people

There are many good reasons to learn a second language. A second language can improve your understanding of your native language, open the door to new job opportunities, and help you learn about other cultures. Yet American students are less likely than European students to study foreign languages in school. To address this gap, several states have begun doing more to encourage biliteracy—the ability to read and write in two languages. California, New York, and Illinois are among the states that have passed laws establishing a state "Seal of Biliteracy." A Seal of Biliteracy shows that a student has achieved proficiency in a second language. Supporters of the seals say that they honor the importance of second-language learning. The seals also provide colleges and future employers with evidence of students' abilities.

Fewer American students than European students learn a second language, so some states are promoting the study of foreign languages.

Although second language learning is important, students in the US are less likely to learn a second language.

Sea of Monsters: Percy Jackson & the Olympians By Rick Riordan What is the main idea of the dream? My nightmare started like this. I was standing on a deserted street in some little beach town. It was the middle of the night. A storm was blowing.Wind and rain ripped at the palm trees along the sidewalk. Pink and yellow stucco buildings lined the street, their windows boarded up. A block away, past a line of hibiscus bushes, the ocean churned. Florida, I thought. Though I wasn’t sure how I knew that. I’d never been to Florida. Then I heard hooves clattering against the pavement. I turned and saw my friend Grover running for his life. Yeah, I said hooves.Grover is a satyr. From the waist up, he looks like a typical gangly teenager with a peach-fuzz goatee and a bad case of acne. He walks with a strange limp, but unless you happen to catch him without his pants on (which I don’t recommend), you’d never know there was anything unhuman about him. Baggy jeans and fake feet hide the fact that he’s got furry hindquarters and hooves. Grover had been my best friend in sixth grade. He’d gone on this adventure with me and a girl named Annabeth to save the world, but I hadn’t seen him since last July, when he set off alone on a dangerous quest—a quest no satyr had ever returned from.

The main character is in danger.

Florida is in the middle of a hurricane.

Sea of Monsters: Percy Jackson & the Olympians By Rick Riordan Why does the author most likely include this excerpt? My nightmare started like this.I was standing on a deserted street in some little beach town. It was the middle of the night. A storm was blowing.Wind and rain ripped at the palm trees along the sidewalk.Pink and yellow stucco buildings lined the street, their windows boarded up. A block away, past a line of hibiscus bushes, the ocean churned. Florida, I thought. Though I wasn’t sure how I knew that. I’d never been to Florida. Then I heard hooves clattering against the pavement. I turned and saw my friend Grover running for his life. Yeah, I said hooves.Grover is a satyr. From the waist up, he looks like a typical gangly teenager with a peach-fuzz goatee and a bad case of acne. He walks with a strange limp, but unless you happen to catch him without his pants on (which I don’t recommend), you’d never know there was anything unhuman about him. Baggy jeans and fake feet hide the fact that he’s got furry hindquarters and hooves. Grover had been my best friend in sixth grade. He’d gone on this adventure with me and a girl named Annabeth to save the world, but I hadn’t seen him since last July, when he set off alone on a dangerous quest—a quest no satyr had ever returned from.

to explain the background of his friend Grover

to show what is happening during the storm

to imply the main character is in danger

to express his interest in visiting Florida

Bison and buffalo belong to the Bovidae, or cattle, family, but they are different species and have distinct characteristics. Though many people refer to the creatures that once roamed the American West as buffalo, these animals are actually American bison, and they are only found in North America. On the other hand, two species of buffalo—the cape buffalo and the water buffalo—are found in Africa and Asia, respectively. Unlike the American bison, which has short horns similar to those of cows, buffalo have broad, sweeping horns. In addition, the American bison has a broad head carried low and a massive hump at the shoulders. In contrast, buffalo don't have shoulder humps and their heads are smaller than the bison's.

American bison are often mistakenly called buffalo, but the two creatures are quite different.

Buffalo and American bison are both members of the Bovidae family.

A Series of Unfortunate Events: The Bad Beginning By Lemony Snicket What is the main idea of this excerpt? If you are interested in stories with happy endings,you would be better off reading some other book.In this book, not only is there no happy ending,there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle. This is because not very many happy things happened in the lives of the three Baudelaire youngsters. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire were intelligent children, and they were charming, and resourceful, and had pleasant facial features, but they were extremely unlucky, and most everything that happened to them was rife with misfortune, misery, and despair.I'm sorry to tell you this, but that is how the story goes.

A warning about the story and it's sad content.

A description about the story to come.

A declaration about the Baudelaire family.

A beginning for the end of the story.

A Series of Unfortunate Events:The Bad Beginning By Lemony Snicket If you are interested in stories with happy endings,you would be better off reading some other book.In this book, not only is there no happy ending,there is no happy beginning and very few happy things in the middle. This is because not very many happy things happened in the lives of the three Baudelaire youngsters. Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire were intelligent children, and they were charming, and resourceful, and had pleasant facial features, but they were extremely unlucky, and most everything that happened to them was rife with misfortune, misery, and despair.I'm sorry to tell you this, but that is how the story goes. The narrator believes the reader…

likes stories with happy endings.

William Shakespeare is widely credited with adding more than 1,700 new words to the English language in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. However, some scholars question that estimate, suggesting that some of the "new" words credited to Shakespeare may have already been in use when he used them into his plays. So if Shakespeare didn't change the English language, who did? According to some language experts, young women, rather than men, are actually responsible for inventing most new words. Two linguists at the University of Helsinki in Finland analyzed six thousand personal letters written between 1417 and 1681. They found that female letter writers changed the way they wrote more often than their male counterparts. One reason could be that women often have more social connections than men, and social connections allow people to introduce each other to new uses of words.

Recent research suggests that the language changes that occurred in the 15th and 16th century are owed a to female writers.

Shakespeare is often credited with adding many new words to the English language.

Main Idea and Theme

English

6th - 8th Grade

CCSS covered

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MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

20 sec • 1 pt

A young girl went to visit her grandma, and faced danger in her journey.

Theme

Main Idea

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

20 sec • 1 pt

Two young children went up a hill to get some water and they had an accident.

Theme

Main Idea

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RI.6.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

20 sec • 1 pt

Be happy with what you have and who you are.

Theme

Main Idea

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

20 sec • 1 pt

Money doesn't create happiness.

Theme

Main Idea

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

20 sec • 1 pt

A young boy planted some magic beans which lead him on an incredible journey.

Theme

Main Idea

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

20 sec • 1 pt

Hard work will always pay off in the end.

Theme

Main Idea

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

20 sec • 1 pt

Thinking about the outcome of any situation will help along the journey.

Theme

Main Idea

Tags

CCSS.RL.7.2

CCSS.RL.6.2

CCSS.RL.8.2

CCSS.RL.5.2

CCSS.RL.5.9

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Main Idea and Theme

A young girl went to visit her grandma, and faced danger in her journey.

Two young children went up a hill to get some water and they had an accident.

Be happy with what you have and who you are.

Money doesn't create happiness.

A young boy planted some magic beans which lead him on an incredible journey.

Hard work will always pay off in the end.

Thinking about the outcome of any situation will help along the journey.

Don't judge a person by how they look on the outside because it's what's on the inside that counts.

A maid has the opportunity to go to the King’s ball, and with a little magic, she makes it on time.

Always choose to be kind to others.

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