ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (6) 10 :

10 ) By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the Grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. [RL.6.10]

[ELA2015] (6) 29 :

29 ) Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. [W.6.9]

a. Apply Grade 6 Reading standards to literature (e.g., "Compare and contrast texts in different forms or genres [e.g., stories and poems; historical novels and fantasy stories] in terms of their approaches to similar themes and topics"). [W.6.9a]

b. Apply Grade 6 Reading standards to literary nonfiction (e.g., "Trace and evaluate the argument and specific claims in a text, distinguishing claims that are supported by reasons and evidence from claims that are not"). [W.6.9b]

[ELA2015] (6) 34 :

34 ) Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. [SL.6.4]

[ELA2015] (6) 35 :

35 ) Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, images, music, sound) and visual displays in presentations to clarify information. [SL.6.5]

[ELA2015] (7) 2 :

2 ) Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; provide an objective summary of the text. [RL.7.2]

[ELA2015] (7) 9 :

9 ) By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, in the Grades 6-8 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. [RL.7.10]

[ELA2015] (7) 34 :

34 ) Include multimedia components and visual displays in presentations to clarify claims and findings and emphasize salient points. [SL.7.5]

[ELA2015] (8) 1 :

1 ) Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text. [RL.8.1]

[ELA2015] (8) 9 :

9 ) By the end of the year, read and comprehend literature, including stories, dramas, and poems, at the high end of Grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently. [RL.8.10]

[ARTS] MUS (6) 15 :

15) Select music to listen to and explain the connections to interests or experiences for a specific purpose.

No matter where you teach, students are likely to listen to music. Their tastes may vary widely—pop, rap, country, classical, jazz, R & B. Regardless of their preferences, they each bring a rich knowledge of musical tunes and lyrics to the classroom. This lesson takes advantage of that interest by asking students to create a soundtrack for a novel that they have read. Students begin by analyzing how specific songs might fit with a familiar story. Students then create their own soundtracks for the movie version of a novel they have read. They select songs that match the text and fit specific events in the story. Finally, students share their projects with the class and assess their work using a rubric. Examples in this lesson focus on The Beast by Walter Dean Myers, but any piece of literature can be used as the basis of students' soundtracks.