• Cathy Sligh,  Literacy Consultant at RESA,  designed these four lessons that can be used with current events to implement a literacy standard, especially in Science, Social Studies, and CTAE. 

Strategies for Reading NonFiction Texts 

Active Reading Behaviors Handout                              Statistics, Stories, and Star Statements Handout          

How Quotes Influence Thinking Handout                         

 

  • Val Allen is the  Instructional Specialist at Blue Ridge Elementary School. She created the following informational writing prompts.

Grade 3:

Opinion Prompt Practice - Teacher Model Lesson                                            Science Informational Prompt Practice Rock Cycle

Grade 4:

Changing the Conclusion Narrative Prompt                                                       Patriot Loyalist Opinion Prompt 

Science Informational Prompt Astronomy

Grade 5:

Science Informational Prompt Practice - Teacher Model

Informational Writing Prompt Lesson Plan for all three grades


  • Joan Vampatella,  a graduate of Augusta State University and an ELA Inclusion teacher at Harlem Middle School who specializes in working with students with disabilities, has submitted two graphic organizers that you will find very beneficial to your students. 

Narrative Response Graphic Organizer                                    Constructed Response Graphic Organizer 


  • Sarah Tapley,  Instructional Coach at Swainsboro Primary School,  created these engaging RACE lesson plans for K - 2nd grade. 

Ready for Cold Weather (K)                                                               Ready for Cold Weather (1st)                                Get Ready for Winter  (2nd) 


  • Lynn Murdock, Instructional Coach at Swainsboro Elementary School,  created these engaging RACE lesson plans for Grades 3rd - 5th. 

Grade 3:

How Did Pilgrim Children Live?                                                       Winning the Vote/Walking Tall 

How Did Pilgrim Live?/One Room Schoolhouses                         Building a Railroad to Cross the Country 

The First Thanksgiving - A Thanksgiving Dinner 

Grade 4:

"A Courtroom in the Classroom"                                                      "Autumn"                                                                      All Split Up? 

"American Government/Get out the Vote"                                      "A Colorful Man"                                                        How Did Pilgrim Children Live? 

Grade 5:

"A Date with Rachmanainov"                                                          A Dream Schedule  RACE Lesson Plan              Saving the Animals/Water Worries

All Split Up?  RACE  Lesson Plan                                                     What is an Ambassador?                                    The Giant PandaChina's Population

James Madison                                                                                     Haboob! / The Tornado Drill RACE


  • Kelly Flanders, ELA and Literacy RESA Consultant,  has contributed a plethora of resources from her Close Reading Workshop.  

Close Reading PPT                                                                                Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire                  Directions for Fall of Icarus

Close Read Task and Passage                                                            Triangle Text and Directions                        Lexile Stretch Bands

Close Read of Technology and Engineering Example              The Fall of Icarus


  • Mary Stout curated these invaluable websites on a variety of topics including lexiles, targeted text,  vocabulary,  current events,  lesson plans,  and much more!

Websites of Interest


  • Kelly Flanders,  ELA  and Literacy Consultant at CSRA RESA,  created multi-genre projects to demonstrate how to differentiate by engaging students in different activities. 

Middle School Multi-Genre Project Lesson                             High School Multi-Genre Project Lesson


  • These TIC-TAC-TOE lessons were created by Cathy Sligh,  Science and Literacy Consultant at CSRA RESA,  to model how to differentiate Choice Boards. 

Tic-Tac-Toe for Middle Grades Social Studies                    Tic-Tac-Toe for High School Biology


  • Mary Wilson,  Instructional Writing Coach with Columbia County School System,  has contributed  a Constructed Response Professional Development presentation. 

Constructed Response, "Answer and Back It Up!"


  • Mary Stout,  Director of Professional Learning at CSRA RESA,  submitted  Model Reading Lesson for "A Retrieved Reformation" by O. Henry. The purpose of this lesson is to explore how to teach reading with a challenging text. 

Model Reading Lesson                                          Text  Handout of  "A Retrieved Reformation" 


  • "Writing  with  Precision..."  Literacy lesson was submitted by Patty Bradshaw, a Literacy Consultant at CSRA RESA.

Writing with Precision for a Specific Audience and with a Specific Purpose               Sample Spreads for Concise Writing for an Audience

Template for Writing  with  Precision


  • Kelly Flanders,  a Literacy Consultant at CSRA RESA,  emphasizes theme,  point of view,  close reading  and  writing strategies in this unit entitled "What Makes Us Who We Are?"

 Daily Lesson Outline                                          Where I'm From Memory Organizer

Typed Example of Where I'm From                 I  Am From...Starter Sheet 

Close Reading Where I'm From                         Close Reading  Fish Cheeks


  • A Kindergarten List and Label Unit for introducing the writing process. 

List and Label Writing Unit


  • This First Grade Narrative Writing List and Label Unit  introduces the writing process. 

First Grade Narrative Writing Unit


  • Teachers from Blue Ridge Elementary,  Carver Elementary,  Lincoln County Elementary,  and South Columbia Elementary completed this 2nd Grade Fairy Tale Unit. 

Second Grade Fairy Tale Unit


  • This 3rd grade narrative writing unit is an excellent example of teaching the writing process using mentor texts.  It was developed collaboratively by Michele Alison from Brookwood Elementary,  Brittany Hershon from Evans Elementary,  and Teresa Sellars from Euchee Creek Elementary. 

Third Grade Narrative Unit              Third Grade Narrative Timeline                


  • Mysteries! We all love them! This Fourth Grade Unit uses mysteries in the Narrative Writing process.

Narrative Process Unit       


  • Julie Cox,  Glascock County teacher; Tiffany Eargle,  Euchee Creek Elementary teacher; and Kristen Smith from Cedar Ridge Elementary created this 5th Grade Narrative Unit about writing a memoir.

Memoir Narrative Unit


  • Patra Griffitt is a 6th grade ELA teacher at Harlem Middle School. Her lesson involves using fictional and nonfictional paired passages about Pompeii to complement a science unit.    

Pompeii Paired Passage Lesson


  • Patty Bradshaw, Literacy Consultant at RESA, created this 11th Grade ELA lesson using paired passages.

Using Complex Texts           Paired Passages Introduction

"Ode to the Midwest"             "What I Learned Driving Through the Heartland"


  •  Patty Bradshaw, Literacy Consultant at RESA, created this 9th Grade ELA lesson using paired passages.

Using Complex Texts            Paired Passages Introduction

"Children Need Free Play But Are 'Unschoolers'"          "The Properly Scholarly Attitude"


  • Patty Bradshaw, Kelly Flanders, and Mary Stout, RESA Consultants, created this lesson on Narrative Lessons and Feedback.

All Summer In a Day            Charles             Eleven            Effective Feedback           Example of Feedback


  • Tiffany Eargle teaches fifth grade students at Euchee Creek Elementary. Her lesson centers around helping students understand themes.

Theme Lesson Plan         Theme PowerPoint

Theme Poster                    Theme - An Acronym


  • Dawn Kozlowski, a fourth grade teacher at Cedar Ridge Elementary, created this Literacy Design Collaborative (LDC) lesson as a task near the end of a unit about animals.

LDC Task              LDC Rubric for Task             LDC Sample Chart             Student Sample       Sample        Sample       Sample       Sample


  • Kelly Flanders, a Literacy Consultant at CSRA RESA, emphasizes close reading and writing strategies in this lesson on the Birmingham church bombing.

Birmingham, Alabama


  • Cathy Sligh is a Literacy Consultant at CSRA RESA. Her high school science unit examines genetically modified foods.

Genetically Modified Foods: Do the Benefits Outweigh the Safety Concerns?


  • Kelly Flanders is a Literacy Consultant at CSRA RESA. This middle school ELA unit "Outbreak" uses the Ebola outbreak as the basis for extended writing activities.

Outbreak