Secondary

CommonLit Can Assist With ACT/SAT Test Prep

The testing season is here! No, not the end-of-year testing that schools across the country gear up for each spring. Instead, this is the annual “rite of fall” where thousands of students across the country are lining up to take their SAT’s, PSAT's or ACT’s. Many have spent

10 Myths and Folktale Stories With Moral Lessons from Around the World

Travel through stories with these ten exciting myths and folktales from around the world! In the past, myths and folktales were how people explained natural phenomena and dispensed wisdom from one generation to the next. Just as people in the past sought to explain the world around them using these

CommonLit’s Summer Reading Challenge 2023

CommonLit’s Summer Reading Challenge is back for 2023! Explore our reading lists full of engaging stories for all grade levels. CommonLit’s Summer Reading Challenge is back with new reading lists! These lists explore a wide range of topics for all ages, from “What’s behind your food” for

8 Poetry Lessons to Help Your Students Become Well Versed in Verse

This April, celebrate all forms of poetry in your classroom with curated lessons for grades 3-12. Poetry comes in many shapes and sizes. From Shakespearean sonnets to free verse works by modern poet laureates, students will be engaged in these 8 poetry lessons celebrating different poetic forms. “Dimples” by Chrystal

7 Texts to Celebrate Ramadan in Your Classroom

CommonLit is committed to providing students with a wide range of texts that showcase cultures from all over the world. In these seven texts, students will learn about the traditions and celebrations of Ramadan. These texts serve as a great opportunity for students to see themselves reflected in the literature

Find Women’s History Month Resources for Your Classroom with These Lessons by Powerful Women Authors

Celebrate Women’s History Month with our favorite texts by women authors for middle and high schoolers. Discover poetry lessons, biographical texts, and short stories by diverse women authors that will engage your students and increase reading comprehension. Find reading lessons by famous women authors like Zora Neale Hurston, Julia

4 Ways to Use CommonLit for Standardized Test Prep

CommonLit has thousands of practice lessons, a free reading assessment, and targeted skills-based lessons teachers can use for standardized test prep. We know that schools are always looking for ways to build student reading skills and prepare students for state testing. Fortunately, CommonLit has a wealth of resources for teachers

3 Exciting Ways to Celebrate Women’s History Month in Your Classroom

CommonLit’a online digital literacy program offers tons of resources to support teacher lesson planning and unit planning. In this blog, we’ll explore resources featured in our digital library that would be great for a lesson or mini-unit to celebrate Women’s History Month with your students. Whether you’

10 Stories of Black Women Who Shaped the United States

Celebrate the achievements, contributions, and excellence of Black women as we transition from Black History Month to Women’s History Month. CommonLit’s online digital literacy program provides teachers with access to thousands of compelling, free texts and comprehension questions. In this blog post, we will highlight ten biographies and

How CommonLit 360 Uses Research-Backed Practices to Improve Student Reading Comprehension

Learn how CommonLit 360 is aligned to the Science of Reading’s best practices for teaching reading comprehension to secondary students. Introduction The Science of Reading is a body of research incorporating psychology, cognitive science, and neuroscience to explain how students learn to read. The Simple View of Reading is

This Valentine’s Day, Teach Reading Lessons Your Whole Class Will Love Most Ardently

As they say in Romeo and Juliet, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea.” Check out our bounty of love stories on CommonLit. With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, bring the love to your classroom with these reading lessons about love that will get students’ hearts beating. Bolster student’

7 Texts to Celebrate the Harlem Renaissance

These engaging and diverse works help teachers showcase and explore the Harlem Renaissance with their students. The Harlem Renaissance was a cultural and intellectual movement in the 1920s and 1930s. Black Americans in Harlem celebrated self expression through music, fashion, theater, literature and more. Artists of the Harlem Renaissance, such

CommonLit Originals: Engaging, Diverse Stories only Available on CommonLit!

Check out dozens of high-interest and timely short stories, available only on our library. CommonLit’s library is home to over 3,000 digital lessons on a wide range of topics, complete with reading comprehension questions to sharpen standards-based skills and to prepare students for high-stakes tests. Now, teachers will

7 Texts by Contemporary Black Authors for Secondary Students

CommonLit’s digital literacy program will help enhance your reading curriculum with these lessons which include guiding questions, Paired Texts, Related Media, and other tools to boost student reading comprehension. The following poems, memoirs, and short stories by Black authors, will foster meaningful discussions around real world experiences such as

8 Inspiring Biographies Featuring Influential Black Americans for Secondary Students

These engaging and diverse biographies on CommonLit’s digital literary platform will inspire your students to dream big and achieve excellence while strengthening their reading comprehension skills. CommonLit’s online digital literacy program provides teachers with access to thousands of compelling, free texts and comprehension questions. In this blog post,

How CommonLit Español Can Help English Language Learners with Language Acquisition

CommonLit Español is our digital library of lessons in Spanish. With over 800 Spanish texts, it is an incredible resource for teachers with Spanish-speaking English Language Learners. Our library features a wide variety of literary and informational texts by influential authors and poets like Alma Flor Ada, Federico García Lorca,

Elevate Instruction in Spanish Immersion and World Language Classes with CommonLit Español

CommonLit Español has over 800 Spanish texts. The library features a variety of literary and informational texts by influential authors and poets like Alma Flor Ada, Federico García Lorca, and Gabriel García Márquez. We also have over 70 Lecciones Guiadas, interactive lessons that ask students to find evidence, write, and

Powerful Poems by Black Authors for Secondary Students

These engaging and diverse poems on CommonLit’s digital literary platform are all written by  Black authors and poets. Each poem will spark reading engagement from secondary students with powerful imagery and strong themes, spurring deep student discussions and supporting reading comprehension practice. “Harlem” by Langston Hughes (6th grade) An

8 Influential Black Authors with Lessons on CommonLit

CommonLit’s online digital literacy program is full of authentic texts by famous authors and poets. The following texts are a great resource for building meaningful and rigorous lessons for Black History Month, or for year-round learning. Each author or poet has multiple texts available on CommonLit, and each lesson

10 Texts to Celebrate The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Honor the achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in your classroom with historical biographies, primary source documents, speeches, and more. CommonLit’s online digital literacy program provides teachers with access to thousands of free texts and comprehension questions. In this blog post, we will highlight texts you can use

Explore 7 Engaging Secondary Texts by Famous Authors

Looking for compelling new lessons to add to your ELA curriculum? CommonLit’s digital library has hundreds of short stories by famous authors. Our guiding questions will help prepare students for reading assessments and foster engaging discussions about important themes such as identity, morality, free will, friendship, and family. “The

7 Texts Teachers Love to Pair With Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson

Teach key background knowledge and incorporate multi-genre analysis in a unit on Jacob Have I Loved [https://www.commonlit.org/en/book-pairings/jacob-have-i-loved] by Katherine Paterson with these engaging supplemental texts. CommonLit’s digital literacy program provides Book Pairing resources for over a hundred novels. These paired texts provide essential

6 Famous Acceptance Speeches to Celebrate Nobel Prize Day with Your Secondary Students

Each year on December 10th, The Norwegian Nobel Committee awards the Nobel Peace Prize to a person or organization for their significant contributions to improving society. At the award ceremony, the winner gives a speech that is connected to their work.. Boost your ELA curriculum by introducing these famous acceptance

Dig Into Louis Sachar’s Holes with CommonLit Reading Guides

CommonLit’s digital library offers over 3,000 lessons to support your reading curriculum. Our online reading program also offers over 100 Book Pairings, which are sets of texts that support high-quality novel instruction. These supplemental texts are a great way to increase rigor and boost reading comprehension skills as

7 Texts to Pair With The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros

Explore powerful themes of growth, community, and family in The House on Mango Street [https://www.commonlit.org/en/book-pairings/the-house-on-mango-street] by Sandra Cisneros with these related texts. CommonLit’s digital literacy program provides Book Pairing resources for over a hundred novels. These paired texts provide essential background information and