Middle School English Language Arts Instructional Guide

Last Updated June 2nd, 2026 Secondary ELA, Page 1

Select the image below for the most up-to-date version of this instructional guide.

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Table of Contents

Updated Instructional Guide Features Beyond the Bell Best Practices in ELA

Canyons Secondary Writing Framework Tips for Teaching a Whole-Class Novel Standards for Classroom Novel Use w/ District Policy and State Law Book Approval Process State ELA Resources AI Essentials for ELA Educators Digital Tools to Support Secondary ELA Best Practices For Mls In Secondary Content Area Classes Special Education Supports Do and Don’ts for Supporting Advanced Learners Implementing Common Formative Assessments (CFAs) District-Wide Standards Based Assessment (Middle School) ACT Connections (High School) Year at a Glance Units 1-4 Approved Commonly Taught Novels for Grade 6 Year at a Glance Units 1-4 Approved Commonly Taught Novels for Grades 7-8 Year at a Glance Units 1-4 Approved, Commonly Taught Novels for Grades 7-8 Vertically Aligned Standards Grade 6, Unpacked Standards with Aligned CFAs Grades 7-8, Unpacked Standards with Aligned CFA’s Middle School Assessment Calendar for 2026-27 High School Assessment Calendar for 2026-2027 UTAH RISE Quick Reference Guide USBE RISE Reading Strand Standards Breakdown NWEA MAP Reading FAQ and Resources

ELA Resources

Assessments

ELA 6

ELA 7

ELA 8

State Standards

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UPDATED INSTRUCTIONAL GUIDE FEATURES

Feature

Description

This feature outlines five evidence-based best practices that help secondary ELA teachers design whole-class novel units around purposeful reading, meaningful discussion, and regular writing. These Honors unit plans were developed during the November 2025 and February 2026 collaboration sessions and include annotated peer feedback notes. They are intended to serve as a starting point for continued refinement and collaboration within site-based PLCs during the 2026–2027 school year. This page includes benchmark administration windows, PLC expectations, and instructional resources needed to administer the District-Wide RISE Writing Benchmark with students. The RISE ELA Instructional Quick-Reference Guide summarizes what the assessment measures, how the test is structured, and where teachers can find official RISE resources. A quick-reference resource with practical strategies for supporting multilingual learners in secondary content classes through interaction, chunking, scaffolding, and thoughtful use of home language.

Tips for Teaching a Whole-Class Novel

Links to Honors Unit Plans

District-Wide Standards Based Assessment: RISE Writing Benchmark (DWSBA)

UTAH RISE Quick Reference Guide

Best Practices For Mls In Secondary Content Area Classes

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BEYOND THE BELL

Professional Practice

Description

Kick off the school year with purpose at District Day: a dynamic half-day gathering for all secondary (6–12) ELA teachers to connect, collaborate, and align. Come build meaningful vertical connections, share powerful practices, and set the tone for a unified, impactful year of teaching and learning. District-wide collaboration brings educators in common subject areas together to share ideas, solve problems, and improve instruction. By using data, shared strategies, and cross-school PLCs, teachers enhance both professional practice and student learning. The dates can be located here. Join fellow 6–12 ELA teachers across Canyons School District for a collaborative book study focused on practical strategies to support our core focus areas in Secondary ELA. While the text is still TBD, it will be selected based on district and school needs. Sign up at the link below. Get a stipend for participating in a PLC Lesson Study cycle with your full PLC team. Work together to design, test, revise, and share a lesson focused on deeper inquiry, meaningful collaboration, or greater curriculum depth. This opportunity is limited to the first 10 PLCs to apply. Apply using the link below. Help stir up the district’s approved novel list in the best way possible. Secondary ELA teachers and librarians will get free books, read and review potential titles, debate classroom fit and grade-level placement, and help pave the path to bring stronger, more relevant novels into secondary classrooms across the district. This is a team worthy of Rosie the Riveter! Join via the link below. Kick off the New Year with A 30-Day Writing Habit, a no-pressure, email-based experience starting the first week of January, designed to help teachers build a consistent writing practice and model the writing process for students. Enroll using the link below.

DISTRICT DAY

DISTRICT-WIDE COLLABORATION DATES

ANNUAL BOOK STUDY

PLC LESSON STUDY

THE NOVEL VANGUARD

30-DAY WRITING COMMUNITY

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Best Practices in ELA

READING

Utilize Diverse Texts

Plan instruction around texts that are at grade level, developmentally appropriate, and are culturally relevant in a broader context. ●​ Encourage students to analyze texts from different angles. Discuss how characters’ backgrounds, experiences, and cultural contexts shape their viewpoints. ●​ Provide daily opportunities to read from a variety of sources. ●​ Provide daily opportunities to read texts of a variety of lengths.

Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors by Rudine Sims Bishop

Culturally Responsive Teaching Rubric, Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education

Resource: Accessing Complex Texts Resource: Text Complexity

Student Choice Create an environment to encourage students’ intrinsic motivation in reading, there are two keys. Students are more motivated when they value what they are doing and when they believe they have a chance for success. Use text sets and literature circles to increase student choice.

Motivating Students with Book Choice from Edutopia

Student Choice is the Key to Turning Students Into Readers, by Jenni Aberli, International Literacy Association “Literature Circles: How Educators Can Make this Small Group Exercise Work Better in Classrooms” from Harvard Graduate School of Education Improving Adolescent Literacy: Effective Classroom and Intervention Practices from What Works Clearinghouse (see recommendation #2) “Does Your Comprehension Strategy Instruction Have this Key Element?” by Tim Shanahan “The Skill, Will, and Thrill of Reading Comprehension” by Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey Teaching High School Students Active Reading Skills by Sunaina Sharma, Edutopia

Explicit Reading Instruction

Instruct students on specific reading strategies, such as predicting, summarizing, visualizing, questioning, and making inferences. Model these strategies, provide guided practice, and offer opportunities for independent application across different genres and types of texts.

Active Reading Techniques

●​ Pre-Reading: Activate prior knowledge and set purpose for reading through activities like predicting and discussing key concepts. ●​ Guided Reading and Think-Alouds: Model fluent reading and comprehension strategies, pausing to ask questions and clarify misunderstandings. ●​ Active Reading Strategies: Encourage students to annotate, ask questions, and make

Active Reading Strategies, Or Reading for Writing, Vanderbilt University

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Active Reading Techniques (cont’d)

connections while reading to deepen understanding. ●​ Discussion and Collaborative Learning: Foster discussion and critical thinking through small group and whole class discussions. ●​ Post-Reading Reflection and Extension Activities: Synthesize understanding and extend learning through writing responses and engaging in projects. ​ ​ The Close Reading Routine helps teachers guide students through multiple readings of a complex text so they can annotate, discuss, analyze, and write with evidence.

The Skill, Will, and Thrill of Reading Comprehension, Doug Fisher and Nancy Frey, ASCD

Resource: Writing Text Dependent Questions

Close Reading Routine

Resource: Close Reading Routine

WRITING

A Culture of Writers

Foster a dynamic writing environment that sustains a positive writing culture and empowers students as writers.

See the CSD Writing Framework, linked image below, to learn more and to see strategies for each pillar of the Writing Framework.

The Writing Habit Write daily in a variety of formats, and for a variety of purposes. Writing to Learn Use low stakes writing to write about content to navigate ideas, build upon learning and comprehension, and to communicate thinking. Writing Feedback Provide frequent during-writing feedback and targeted instruction based on formative data.

Writing as Process

Specific strategy instruction on the characteristics and components of good writing via modeling, explanation, and guided practice. Use technology and emerging technologies to support writing processes, practices, and products. Select writing that exemplifies specific literary techniques, genres, or styles, providing students with models to analyze and emulate in their own writing. By studying mentor texts, students can gain insight into effective writing strategies, deepen their understanding of literary conventions, and improve their skills through guided practice and reflection. Teachers will provide students with opportunities to discuss in order to express learning, gain knowledge, engage with text, demonstrate growth, and communicate with the world around them. Teachers will develop opportunities for all students ●​ to speak daily, ●​ for a range of purposes,

Writing Modes

Mentor Texts

SPEAKING AND LISTENING Structured Academic Discussion

Structured Academic Discussion

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●​ Audiences, ●​ and lengths of time.

Active Listening Explicitly teach and practice active listening skills. This can involve activities such as listening to podcasts, TED Talks, or audio recordings of speeches, and then discussing the main points, arguments, and techniques used by the speakers. Provide student strategies for active listening, such as making eye contact, nodding, summarizing key points, and asking relevant questions.

“Practices that Support Listening” by Katie Alford, excerpt from English Journal

Reflective Listening, University of New South Wales, Sydney

Explicitly Teaching Listening in the ELA Curriculum: Why and How by Katie Alford, McKendree University Strategies for Supporting Students’ Speaking and Listening Skills by Lisa Schultz, Edutopia

Authentic Communication

Provide opportunities for students to engage in authentic, real-world communication tasks both inside and outside the classroom. This could involve interacting with guest speakers, conducting interviews, participating in community service projects, or communicating with peers from different cultural backgrounds through pen-pal exchanges or virtual collaborations. These tasks help students apply their speaking and listening skills in meaningful contexts and develop intercultural competence.

The Profound Effects of Language in Both ELA and Math, Timothy Shanahan and Jeff Zwiers, UnboundED

Speaking of Speaking by John Larmer, ASCD

Assessment

Authentic Assessment

Incorporate performance tasks that assess students' ability to apply skills in authentic performance contexts.

Authentic Assessment: Where to Start by Joanna Dolgin, Kim Kelly, and Sarvenaz Zelkha, NCTE

Create varied assessment types that measure different aspects of student learning. This could include formative assessments such as quizzes, exit tickets, and writing prompts for ongoing feedback and adjustment of instruction. Summative assessments like essays, projects, and presentations allow students to demonstrate their understanding over longer periods and in more comprehensive ways. Incorporate reflective assessment practices where students critically evaluate their own work and learning process.

Assessing Applied Skills by Joe DiMartino and Andrea Castaneda, ASCD

The Case for Reflective Assessment by Lauryn H. Evans

GENERAL DISTRICT-WIDE RESOURCES CSD INSTRUCTIONAL PLAYBOOK

Explore a curated collection of evidence-based strategies and practical instructional tools to strengthen classroom instruction and support meaningful student learning.

CSD Instructional Playbook

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Canyons School District Secondary Writing Framework

Writing Pillars 1. Create and maintain a supportive writing environment

Description

Supporting Research

Foster a dynamic writing environment that sustains a positive writing culture and empowers students as writers.

What Works Clearinghouse: Teaching Secondary Students to Write Effectively NCTE Statement Principles 2.2, 3.1 Habits of Mind A Path to Better Writing: Evidence-Based Practices in The Classroom, 361-362

NCTE Statement Principles 2.1, 2.3, 2.4, 3.4 Utah State Standards: Writing Strand Grade Bands 6, 7-8, 9-10, 11-12 A Path to Better Writing: Evidence-Based Practices in The Classroom, 360-361

2. Write extensively 3. Engage students in

Write daily in a variety of formats, and for a variety of purposes.

Write about content to navigate ideas, build upon learning and comprehension, and to communicate thinking.

NCTE Statement Principle 3.4 A Path to Better Writing: Evidence-Based Practices in The Classroom, 361 Hattie, J. (2023). Writing Programs. In Visible Learning: The sequel (pp. 271–274).

writing to learn and low-stakes writing 4. Facilitate as students compose 5. Teach critical skills, processes, and knowledge

NCTE Statement Principle 3.1, 3.3 A Path to Better Writing: Evidence-Based Practices in The Classroom, 362-363 Hattie, J. (2023). Writing Programs. In Visible Learning: The sequel (pp. 271–274). NCTE Statement Principle 3.1 Framework for Success “Developing Flexible Writing Processes” (pages 7-8) Implementing the Writing Process Framework for Success "Developing Knowledge of Conventions" (page 9) Framework for Success "Developing Critical Thinking" (page 11) A Path to Better Writing: Evidence-Based Practices in The Classroom, 363 Hattie, J. (2023). Writing Programs. In Visible Learning: The sequel (pp. 271–274).

Provide frequent during-writing feedback and targeted instruction based on formative data.

Specific strategy instruction on the characteristics and components of good writing via modeling, explanation, and guided practice.

Use technology and emerging technologies to support writing processes, practices, and products.

NCTE Statement Principle 1.1, 2.3 Framework for Success "Developing Knowledge of Conventions" (page 9) A Path to Better Writing: Evidence-Based Practices in The Classroom, 364

6. Utilize next generation writing modes

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1. Create and Maintain a Supportive Writing Environment

Foster a dynamic writing environment that sustains a positive writing culture and empowers students as writers. Students need a supportive writing environment in order to take risks and improve as writers.

Description:

Rationale:

Resources:

Middle School ELA Resource Hub

​

Best Practices

Critical Components

●​ Focus on amplifying the effective moves. ●​ Re-establish student writing identity and momentum. Begin to see themselves as writers again. (Gallagher) ●​ Honor student voice in writing. ●​ Accentuate the positive. Eliminate the negative. ●​ Collaborate in writing with students ●​ Allow students to see your writing process in all variations versus only the best draft ●​ Use think-alouds with students while writing so they can your decision-making process ●​ Stop frequently and make explicit the choices writers make to create an effect for an intended audience. ●​ Focus on how diction, tone, and punctuation can change meaning. ●​ Ask the following: What am I trying to say? Have I said it?

Create and maintain an asset-based approach to student writing.

Write alongside students and allow yourself to be vulnerable in modeling the writing process and decisions writers make.

Approach writing as problem-solving.

Notes/Ideas:

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2. Write Extensively

Description:

Write daily in a variety of formats and for a variety of purposes.

To build consistency in student writing, increase writing fluency, and expose students to a variety of purposes and audiences.

Rationale:

Resources:

Middle School ELA Resource Hub

​

Best Practices

Critical Components

Journals - Composition Notebook 1. ​ Part of the daily classroom routine 2. ​ Generative writing is the focus 3. ​ Gradual release - be explicit at first with structure 4.​ Multiple ways to use the journal: starter, free writes, notes, prewriting, drafting, revision, interactive 5. ​ Add in scaffolding for SPED and ML to lighten the writing load for students who need the support, but still maintain value in the notebook 6. ​ Use to help students reflect on their learning and writing 7. ​ Ungraded or minimal grading

Focus on consistency instead of intensity Engage real world writing for a variety of purposes

Students write more than can be read, or graded

Notes/Ideas:

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3. Engage Students in Writing to Learn and Low-stakes Writing

Write about content to navigate ideas, build upon learning and comprehension, and to communicate thinking. Writing to learn encourages students to develop critical thinking skills by exploring ideas rather than focusing on a structure or product.

Description:

Rationale:

Resources:

Middle School ELA Resource Hub

​

Best Practices

Critical Components

Integrate writing in conjunction with:

●​ Activating background knowledge ●​ Honoring funds of knowledge ●​ Building vocabulary ●​ Exploring Ideas and Concepts ●​ Annotating for a purpose ●​ Analysis and evaluation

pre-reading

during reading

●​ Reflection ●​ Metacognitive practices ●​ Synthesizing learning

after reading

Notes/Ideas:

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4. Facilitate as Students Compose

Provide frequent during-writing feedback and targeted instruction based on formative data. Writing is a process and students should get feedback in order to improve throughout the process. “The work of a writing teacher is response and encouragement.” Kelly Gallagher

Description:

Rationale:

Resources:

Middle School ELA Resource Hub

​

Best Practices

Critical Components

●​ Student’s asking for feedback for a specific purpose ●​ Peer writing groups ●​ Students who receive feedback through classroom discussion improve their outcomes (Hattie .82 effect size) ●​ Review student work while they are engaged in the writing process to gather formative data ●​ Allow time for students to practice during class and to engage in a feedback cycle about their writing decisions ●​ Best drafts are for grading; feedback needs to be given before grading. ●​ Limit comments to one or two suggestions that might help the student make the writing better.

Regularly engage in student writing conferences

Ensure students receive feedback in the midst of drafting

Feedback on a best draft is limited.

Notes/Ideas:

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5. Teach Critical Skills, Processes, and Knowledge

Specific strategy instruction on the characteristics and components of good writing via modeling, explanation, and guided practice.

Description:

Rationale: Resources:

Writers learn a process in one genre that is largely transferable to other genres.

Middle School ELA Resource Hub

​

Best Practices

Critical Components

●​ Tap into prior knowledge ●​ Provide students with a step-by-step structure for engaging the writing process ●​ Use collaborative writing strategies with students ●​ Model by writing with students ●​ “Read, Analyze, Imitate. If students can identify strategies, they can begin to use them.” Kelly Gallagher ○​ Read the mentor text ○​ Analyze the writing moves ○​ Try the moves in your own writing

Scaffold writing using learning progressions

Provide mentor texts for students to model their writing after

Notes/Ideas:

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6. Utilize Next Generation Writing Modes

Use technology and emerging technologies to support writing processes, practices, and products. To address inequalities in digital technologies and competencies, continuing curricular innovation in the ELA curriculum at all levels of K–12 education is needed. - NCTE Position Statement: Media Education in English Language Arts.

Description:

Rationale:

Resources:

Middle School ELA Resource Hub

​

Best Practices

Critical Components

●​ Be explicit in teaching and studying the writing modality based on mentor texts ●​ Focus on writing for a real audience and authentic purpose ●​ Show how writers are transferring a similar structure from one writing skill to a new genre or format ●​ Engage the writing process through to production ●​ Look for ways to use modes of writing that go beyond substitution, but instead allow for augmentation, modification, and/or redefinition.

Experiment with different modes of writing, beyond traditional writing formats, for real audiences and purposes.

Notes/Ideas:

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TIPS FOR TEACHING A WHOLE-CLASS NOVEL Note: Effective novel units prioritize active reading, targeted discussion, and regular writing over recall questions or heavy end-of-book tests. Instruction should move students beyond simply finishing the book and toward reading with purpose, discussing with evidence, and writing to build understanding.

Best Practice

Description & Key Moves

1. Start with the Standards

Base unit planning on standards first, choosing scenes that support specific skills.

• Teacher Move: Map out grade-level standards before selecting focal chapters or passages.

• Student Move: Focus reading and analysis on the specific skills targeted by the standard. Focus deeply on brief, pivotal excerpts rather than trying to close-read the entire novel. • Teacher Move: Use text-dependent questions to move students from "What happened?" to "What does this mean?". • Student Move: Reread short passages to uncover theme, conflict, or author's craft.

2. Close Read Short Passages

3. Annotate Outside the Book

Keep school copies clean by tracking key details externally.

• Teacher Move: Guide students to track page numbers, key quotes, and character changes outside the book.

• Student Move: Use sticky notes, evidence logs, or journals to capture text evidence and observations.

4. Require Text Evidence

Ensure daily discussions are structured, frequent, and text-dependent.

• Teacher Move: Frame discussions around prompts like: "What evidence supports your thinking?" and "Where do you see that in the text?" • Student Move: Ground every single discussion point and claim in direct textual evidence. Use frequent, brief quick writes to build continuous understanding throughout the unit. • Teacher Move: Assign short, regular writing (predictions, one-sentence claims, exit tickets) instead of waiting for one final assessment. • Student Move: Write briefly before, during, and after reading to process developing ideas.

5. Embed Low-Stakes Writing

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Standards for Classroom Novel Use

Purpose of novels in classroom instruction

To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must read widely and deeply from a broad range of high-quality, increasingly challenging literary and informational texts. Through extensive reading of stories, dramas, poems, and myths from diverse cultures and time periods, students gain literary and cultural knowledge as well as familiarity with various text structures and elements. Novels act a mirrors, window, and sliding-glass doors where students can “celebrate both our differences and our similarities, because together they are what makes us all human” (Bishop, 2015) As stated in District Policy 600.02 - Instructional Materials, any book taught in its entirety will need to be approved through the Fiction and Nonfiction Book Approval Process (Exhibit 5) and listed in the Book Approval Database. All instructional materials (including teacher-selected materials) need to follow the Instructional Materials Selection Criteria. If your novel will address controversial topics, follow Policy 600.16—Study of Controversial Issues. Instructional materials that have sensitive materials are not not allowed to be taught in Utah Schools per state law (House Bill 29 and related codes cited in the bill). 1. ​ What standards am I teaching? How does this novel support those standards? 2. ​ What are the needs of the students in my class? How will I scaffold this novel to meet those needs? 3. ​ What background knowledge do students need in order to access this novel? 4. ​ What will students be doing to show their thinking during the reading of this novel?

District Policy and State Law

Guiding questions

Implementation and Alignment to Scope and Sequence

Meets Standard

Does Not Meet Standard

A variety of text types and complexities are used in class with appropriate tasks. Actively reading using strategies, e.g., ●​ Annotating the text ●​ Citing textual evidence ●​ Note-taking (Cornell notes, guided notes, etc.)

Difficult texts not appropriately scaffolded

Low-level texts not matched to difficult task

Students follow along as teacher reads without accompanying active task Students listening to tape without accompanying active task Students reading silently without accompanying active task Understanding of the novel demonstrated through an end of novel test focusing on recall Discussions and writing focus on the events of the novel, not pulling evidence to support larger ideas. No close readings of novel performed

Use of text is focused on standards. Short sections selected for close reading.

Students demonstrate their thinking through academic discussion and writing. Teachers require students to use textual evidence to support academic discussion and writing, demonstrating a varying degree of depth of knowledge. Class time used to actively read sections for whole-class activities. Other sections assigned as outside reading. Limited sections of audio used to support active reading (eg., a few minutes of listening followed by independent reading, followed by partner discussion).

Depth of knowledge only includes 1 or 2

Considerable class time spent to read or listen to the novel in order to read the entire novel in class.

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Book Approval Process

Tools and Resources

As stated in District Policy 600.02 - Instructional Materials, any book taught in its entirety will need to be approved by the district committee (600.03-3.4 Supplemental Instructional Materials).

Criteria for novel approval: ●​ Text Complextiy

○​ Quantitative text complexity ○​ Qualitative text complexity ○​ Task and reader complexity ●​ Curriculum map and standards alignment ●​ Community appropriateness

Process for novel approval: 1. ​ Teacher submits rationale ensuring that the novel meets the requirements for approval based on text complexity rubrics (qualitative, quantitative, task and reader), map alignment, support of the standards, and community appropriateness. 2. ​ The district Book Selection Committee will review the book and application for approval. The committee consists of district personnel, teachers, administrators, and parents/guardians from each feeder system. 3. ​ The committee will either approve or deny the application and rationale will be written on the application. The book will be added to the database.* A novel may be re-submitted after consideration of use and change to the original submission. To add a novel that has been approved for another grade or system, parts of previously approved novel rationales may be used. ●​ Concerns about materials should be communicated to the school’s administrator. ●​ Questions about the approval process should be directed to the Instructional Supports Department.

*The database was first created in 2017.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

Link

QR Code

Book Database

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ELA Resources from Utah State Department of Education

Utah Administrative Rule R277-728 defines the requirements for honors courses in public schools, emphasizing increased academic rigor, student engagement, and depth of content. The rule requires that honors courses be accessible to all interested students (without prerequisites) and that schools promote these opportunities equitably to students and families. The core guides provide correlation and connections between standards horizontally and vertically. They give academic language and activity suggestions, as well as learning progressions. Utah’s New English Language Arts Standards Overview is the slidedeck from the summer 2023 training on the new state standards. These best practices support implementation of the Utah English Language Arts Standards with the goal that students read, write, speak, and listen in every class session using grade-level texts and content. Includes additional articles for further reading. UEN is curating a hub for secondary ELA resources. Phase 1 is now live. You can find lesson plans and resources aligned to the state standards. *Please evaluate any resources you find before using in your classrooms. Linked to the right are USBE sponsored webinars on topics for secondary ELA classes. The links will take you to a folder with the recording, presentation, and any other additional materials shared by the presenters. Linked are the official state standards and supplemental standards.

R277-728. Honors Courses

USBE RULE R277-728-3. Honors Course Objectives

Utah State ELA Standards

Utah State Supplemental Standards for ELA

Standards & Core Guides

State of Utah ELA Core Guides: Grades 9-10 Grades 11-12 Utah's New English Language Arts Standards Overview

USBE’s Best Practices in ELA

Best Practices in ELA

UEN Secondary ELA Media Hub

UEN Secondary ELA Media Hub

●​ Why You Should Teach

Listening Explicitly - Katie Alford ●​ Besting the Grammar Beast - Deborah Dean ●​ Multimodal Writing & Research - Amber Jensen ●​ Reading with Purpose - Lauren Aimonette Liang ●​ Restoring Humanity to Striving Readers - Panel Discussion ●​ Indigenous America through Literature - Donna Sabis-Burns

Secondary ELA Webinars

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DIGITAL TOOLS TO SUPPORT SECONDARY ELA Note : Be sure to vet the content from these resources to ensure they are age-appropriate before incorporating them into your classroom instruction. Digital Tool Brief Description Resources Middle School ELA Resource Hub On this Canvas site, you can find grade level specific resources; archived thematic units; professional learning screencasts, newsletters, and podcasts; a place to collaborate and solicit ideas from other grade level teachers in the district; and more.

Select the button below to learn more about how you can use the resources on this page.

High School ELA Sandbox

MagicSchool is a powerful AI platform designed specifically for educators, offering over 100 tools that streamline lesson planning, resource creation, and student support—helping teachers save time and enhance learning outcomes effortlessly. Google Gemini is Google’s AI tool that can help with a wide range of thinking, planning, writing, and productivity tasks. NotebookLM is an AI research and note-taking tool that uses the sources you upload to help summarize, organize, and generate ideas from those materials. CommonLit is a comprehensive literacy program with thousands of reading lessons, full-year ELA curriculum, benchmark assessments, and standards-based data for teachers. TeachingBooks is an ever-expanding database of digital resources about children's and young adult books and their authors and illustrators. The resource collection includes author and illustrator interviews, video book trailers, audio book readings, book discussion guides, and much more. Scrible (https://www.scrible.com/) is a research and writing platform that can be used to bookmark, annotate, organize, and share articles and webpages. The Utah State Board of Education has secured a statewide contract to provide Scrible Edu Pro to all Utah K-12 educators and students. Beanstack is a web and mobile app used to track independent reading time, and help build a culture of reading in school and at home. Beanstack makes it easier for you to help kids track reading, keep kids motivated to read, and provide feedback and insights into the reading habits at your school. Each Mini Moves for Writers video focuses on how to use one professional writing move that will enhance writing style, argumentation, voice, grammar, or organization. Check out just one to master a specific move, or watch multiple videos to support your students’ writing practice.

MagicSchool AI

Google Gemini

Notebook LM

CommonLit

Teaching Books

Scrible

Beanstack

Mini Moves for Writers

​

​

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BEST PRACTICES FOR MLS IN SECONDARY CONTENT AREA CLASSES

The purpose of this document is to serve as a quick reference of supports. For more information, contact the Content Specialists in ISD and/or refer to the Implementation Resources .

CREATE QUALITY INTERACTIONS Incorporate opportunities to process & articulate thinking -​ MLs thrive when they write, inquire, listen, and speak about what they read. -​ Engage in low-stakes peer interaction - co-constructing knowledge using sustained dialog. -​ Pair/group MLs heterogeneously for more English exposure and practice.

-​ Silent MLs can still learn from peers - productive struggle is okay! -​ Newcomers can work in groups of 3 to balance language use.

CHUNK INSTRUCTION Break up a lesson into smaller, digestible tasks -​ Preview content or text with images, video clips, key vocabulary , etc. -​ Read only a section of text -​ Stop to allow students time to process, discuss, and write so everyone has an opportunity to participate and apprentice into a concept or skill. SCAFFOLD BY REDUCING BARRIERS Provide structured supports that minimize cognitive and linguistic load. -​ Identify essential skills and only assess those questions or skills. -​ WIDA Can Do Descriptors inform opportunities to respond, assignments or assessments. -​ Structure supports using guided notes, outlines, sentence frames , word banks, engineered text. -​ Focus on essential vocabulary (limit to 5-7 words if possible) -​ Use Explicit Instruction: I Do - Model skills students should do ; We Do - Practice with the whole class ; Y’all Do - Collaborate in small groups ; You Do - Work independently LEVERAGE THE HOME LANGUAGE Use translation as a scaffold not a replacement -​ Translate definitions instead of key terms -​ Provide both the translation & English version if using translated tests or quizzes or during instruction and discussion to ensure the MLs engage with the same material as their peers -​ Use independent work time for students to review translations -​ When reading whole-class novels, provide translated summaries of text WHY NOT TRANSLATE ALL VERSIONS OF TEXTS ALL THE TIME? Translations can be helpful, but exposure to English text supports language development. -​ Some students may be experiencing text-based learning for the first time . -​ Overusing translations can delay English acquisition .

-​ Switching between languages during instruction can be confusing . -​ Some terms do not have a direct translation in the home language. Last Updated June 2nd, 2026 Secondary ELA, Page 23

Secondary ELA & Special Education Implementation Tools & Resources

Special Education is used to support students through Individualized Education Plans in order to access the General Education Core Standards. ELA: THe Utah Core Standards for ELA Practice : are included to provide a reference of your grade-level standards in Reading Literature and Information texts, Language Conventions, Writing, and Speaking and Listening. These standards are included in grade-level bands (6, 7-8,9-10, 11-12 ) and offer a focus for instruction to help ensure that students gain adequate mastery of a range of skills and applications. Utah Core Standards Alignment and IEP goals . Standards based IEP goals are written with the use of the core standards. Case managers align students' current abilities on the continuum of standards and address the needs required to close the educational gap. Reasonable individual gains are considered when writing a one year IEP goal. Special Education teachers may use off-grade level core standards in order to close identified educational gaps. Within each strand are standards. A standard represents a fundamental element of learning that is expected. While some standards within a strand may be more comprehensive than others, all standards are necessary for mastery. Essential Elements The Essential Elements (EEs) are “specific statements and skills linked to the grade-level expectations identified in college-and-career-readiness standards” (Dynamic Learning Maps [DLM] DLM ). They are the “big rocks” of the Utah Core Standards. Each Essential Element has a respective learning map with linkage levels that identify basic skills within the standard to set an appropriate challenge for students with significant cognitive disabilities, no matter their ability level. General education teachers, in conjunction with special education teachers, must consider which scaffolds are needed to differentiate, accommodate, or modify the learning for all students in order to master core standards. Differentiation of Instruction Typically, differentiation of instruction is the process of teaching in a way to meet the needs of students with differing abilities in the same class. One way to do this is by providing several different avenues by which all students can learn the same material. In differentiating instruction, teachers plan out and implement a variety of approaches to content, process, and product. Differentiated instruction is used to meet the needs of student differences in readiness, interests, and learning needs. Differentiation is something you do for ALL STUDENTS, and something you

Critical Actions for Educators .………………………... ●​ Determine that your IEP is aligned to Utah Core Standards: Present Levels, Goals, Services

●​ Use Reading Inventory to determine possible

placement in Read 180/System 44

●​ Collaborate to best support students

●​ Connect with your Instructional Coach for support.

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build into your lesson in your planning. Differentiation is good teaching. Accommodations

Accommodations are intended to reduce or eliminate the effects of a student's disability. Accommodations do not decrease learning expectations and are noted on a student's Individualized Educational Plan (IEP). Examples of accommodations include reading words out loud, extra time for completion of standardized tests, etc.

(gmueduc514holincheck/differentiation) Accommodations are required by law. Modifications

Modifications are adaptations that change what students learn and are used with students who require more support or adjustments than accommodations can provide. Whereas accommodations level the playing field, modifications change the playing field. Modification DO change the expectations for learning. Modifications DO reduce the requirements of the task. Students would be expected to learn priority standards vs all standards. (Iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu) Modifications are required by law. In summary, differentiation is planned curriculum that takes into consideration the individual needs or interests of the child, or as Carol Ann Tomlinson puts it, “Differentiation means tailoring instruction to meet individual needs.”[3] Where accommodation is about how instruction is delivered and modification is about what a child will learn , differentiation focus on how a child will demonstrate learning . Supported Programs for Special Education

Resource/ABS

ABS/ACC

Essential Elements

ELA: Accommodated General Ed. program

ELA: Accommodated General Ed. program Reading: Read 180/System 44

Teaching to Standards: English Language Arts (MS Only)

Reading: Read 180/System 44

News2You

Unique Learning System (HS Only)

Accommodations vs. Modifications

Accommodation

Modification

●​ Visual cues ●​ Audio books

●​ Alternate assignment ●​ Lower-level text

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●​ Close-captions on videos ●​ Access to exemplars ●​ Peer modeling ●​ Precision partnering ●​ Books and materials with large print ●​ Pre-teaching skills ●​ Speech-to-text software ●​ Orally dictate responses (scribe or digital recorder) ●​ Sentence frames for paragraph writing ●​ Oral response in lieu of written ●​ Preferential seating ●​ Testing in a separate location ●​ Extended time to complete a task ●​ Frequent breaks ●​ Shorter testing sessions ●​ Chunking task/assignments ●​ Reduction of options on multiple choice problems (out of two rather than four)

●​ Fewer homework questions ●​ Shorter Report ●​ Accountable to alternate academic language (class discussion v collegial discussion) ●​ Complete an alternate homework assignment ●​ Different test questions ●​ Different material ●​ Allowing outlining instead of writing essays ●​ Modified grades based on the goals

For more information on Accommodations and Modifications click here.

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Middle School Assessment Calendar 2026-27*​​​​​​ As of May 4th 2026

Aug 18 Start of School Year Aug 18 – Ongoing WIDA Screener Testing of new ML Students on Chromebooks.

NWEA MAP Test – Math: All Students Grades 6, 7, 8. N ote: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided! NWEA MAP Test – Reading: All Students Grades 6, 7, 8. N ote: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided! NWEA MAP Test – Math: All Students Grades 6, 7, 8. Finish before end of 2nd quarter. Note: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided! NWEA MAP Test - Reading: All Students Grades 6, 7, 8. Finish before end of 2nd quarter. N ote: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided! WIDA ACCESS Testing – ALL ML Students Grades 6 – 8 NWEA MAP Test – Math: All Students Grades 6, 7, 8 N ote: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided! NWEA MAP Test - Reading: All Students Grades 6, 7, 8 N ote: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided! World Language Testing (Not DLI); Level 2 & 3 WL, 1 section only per teacher. RISE End-of-Year Summative Assessment – Grades 6, 7, 8. Spring Recess

Aug 19 – Sept 25

AUGUST

Aug 19 – Sept 25

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER

Oct 21 – Dec 4 STAMP testing for DUAL Immersion (DLI) classes ONLY.

Dec 3 – Jan 15

DECEMBER

Dec 3 – Jan 15

JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH

Jan 6 – Mar 6

Mar 9 – May 22 Dynamic Learning Maps – DLM (for select students with an IEP)

Apr 1 – May 8

Apr 1 – May 8

APRIL

April 6 – 10

Apr 13 – May 7

Apr 13 – May 22

MAY

May 29

End of School Year

* Note: It is expected that district wide assessments are taken on student Chromebooks.​ For questions on District-Wide Assessments, reach out to Hal Sanderson or Cindy Perry in our Assessment Department at hal.sanderson@canyonsdistrict.org or cindy.perry@canyonsdistrict.org.

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High School Assessment Calendar 2026-27 As of May 4, 2026 Start of School Year Aug 17 – Ongoing WIDA Screener Testing of new ML Students on Chromebooks Aug 17

NWEA MAP Test** – Math: All Grade 9 and 10 Students. Note: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided! NWEA MAP Test** – Reading: All Grade 9 and 10 Students. Note: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided!

Aug 18 – Sept 24

AUGUST

Aug 18 – Sept 24

SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER

Oct 20 – Dec 4

STAMP testing for DUAL Immersion (DLI) classes ONLY.

NWEA MAP Test – Math: All Grade 9 and 10 Students Finish before end of 2nd quarter . N ote: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided! NWEA MAP Test – Reading: All Grade 9 and 10 Students Finish before end of 2nd quarter.

Dec 2 – Jan 14

DECEMBER

Dec 2 – Jan 14

Jan 5 – Mar 5

WIDA ACCESS Testing – All ML Students Grades 9-12.

JANUARY FEBRUARY

Mar 1 – 12 Seal of Biliteracy – Select Grade 11 and 12 Students. Finish make-ups by March 16th. Mar 8 – May 21 Dynamic Learning Maps – DLM (for select students with an IEP) Wed, Mar 10th ACT Testing – Grade 11 Students on Chromebooks. Mar 10, 11, 12 ACT Accommodated Testing for Grade 11 Students. Mar 16, 17, 18 Make-up ACT Testing – Grade 11 Students. Mar 29 - May 5 NWEA MAP Test – Math: All Grade 9 and 10 Students. Mar 29 - May 5 NWEA MAP Test – Reading: All Grade 9 and 10 Students. N ote: A student has 28 calendar days to start and finish MAP. If you test over 28 days the test has to be cancelled and retested. This must be avoided!

MARCH

Spring Recess

Apr 5 – 9

New RISE End-of-Year Summative Assessment in ELA, Math and Science – Courses: ELA 9, ELA 10, ***Secondary Math I, Secondary Math II, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Earth and Space Science World Language Testing (Not DLI); Level 2 & 3 WL, 1 section only per teacher.

Apr 12 – May 21

APRIL

Apr 12 – May 7

Apr 14 to End-of-Year

Canyons Senior Exit Survey

May 27

End of School Year!

MAY

** MAP TESTING @ Brighton High aims to balance district requirements, school tri logistics, and student needs. The Brighton testing windows are: Fall: Aug 18–Sep 24, Winter: Nov 18–Jan 29, and Spring: Mar 30–May 7. The goal is to administer two MAP tests (beginning and end-of-course) to measure student growth. ***NOTE: Secondary Math I and II RISE Tests are aligned to the current (2016) Utah Core Math Standards for the 2026-27 school year

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UTAH RISE ELA ASSESSMENT: INSTRUCTIONAL QUICK-REFERENCE GUIDE This reference sheet details the structure, mechanics, and design of the state-mandated Readiness, Improvement, Success, Empowerment (RISE) English Language Arts (ELA) summative test for grades 3–10. Core Assessment Focus and Blueprint Updates The Utah State Board of Education (USBE) has streamlined the RISE ELA summative test framework to focus exclusively on reading proficiency: ●​ Reading Core Standards Only : The test strictly measures text comprehension, structural critical analysis, and student reasoning across diverse literary and informational texts. ●​ Permanently Retired Tasks: Standalone Editing/Language Conventions tasks and Speaking & Listening modules are no longer included on the summative exam. ●​ Separate Writing Assessment: Writing is uncoupled from the standard ELA test and is administered as a separate standalone assessment exclusively for students in grades 5 and 8. Test Mechanics and Design ●​ Computer-Adaptive Algorithm: The digital testing interface adjusts dynamically. Correct responses prompt incrementally more challenging questions, while incorrect answers adjust the difficulty down to accurately pinpoint a student's precise proficiency level. ●​ Passage and Cluster Blueprint: Every student test blueprint consists of exactly three traditional reading passages paired with questions, plus one specialized "reading cluster." ●​ Understanding Clusters: Clusters are multipart, stimulus-based configurations. They require students to follow an integrated analytical path and select connected textual evidence to solve problems. ●​ Testing Footprint: The summative test is untimed. The state recommends an operational instructional window of 90 to 135 minutes for standard classroom completion. The Three-Tiered RISE System Framework To maximize student achievement, instructional teams can leverage all three components of the official state framework throughout the academic calendar: ●​ Benchmark Modules: Brief, targeted diagnostic checks focused on specific isolated skills. Teachers use immediate dashboard data to pivot daily lessons and address critical gaps. ●​ Interim Assessments: Optional progress-tracking tests administered up to twice per year. They use computer-adaptive scaling to monitor mid-year growth targets against state standards. ●​ Summative Assessments: The mandatory end-of-year testing module used for official student proficiency metrics and state accountability scoring. Official State Portals and Verification Resources ●​ System Portal: Review administration guidelines and operational manuals at the Utah RISE Assessment Portal (utahrise.org). ●​ Blueprint Specifications: View the exact question distributions on the Utah RISE ELA Public Blueprints (utahrise.org). ●​ System Training Engine: Guide students through interactive tools and sample question clusters using the Utah RISE Training Tests Portal (utahrise.org).

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