The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 12th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

Throughout the 20th and early 21st centuries tribal nations and Indigenous communities have continued to assert their right to self-governance and sovereignty despite numerous efforts to force them to assimilate. By extension, the purposeful erasure of Indigenous peoples as a living and thriving presence in the current, modern-day world also remains a reality.  Tribal sovereignty predates the existence of the U.S. government and the state of Oregon. Tribalgovernments are separate and unique sovereign nations with the power to execute their self-governance to protect the health, safety, and welfare of their citizens and to govern their lands, air, and waters. One of the ways Indigenous communities have been embodying their right to sovereignty is through the establishment of an Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Indigenous Peoples’ Day serves as a reminder of the contributions, both past and present, of Indigenous communities and tribal nations. In this lesson, students will explore the concepts of tribal sovereignty and self-determination and learn about efforts by tribes and other entities to promote and support the celebration of Indigenous Peoples’ Day. This lesson is meant to be used with its companion lesson: Indigenous Peoples’ Day as an Act of Sovereignty Part II.

The Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts & Literacy in History/Social Studies, Science, and Technical Subjects (“the standards”) represent the next generation of K–12 standards designed to prepare all students for success in college, career, and life by the time they graduate from high school.

Vocabulary proficiency plays a crucial role in academic success and language development. Providing opportunities for students to use vocabulary in different contexts can lead to increased engagement, retention, and acquisition of new words.  This professional learning activity aims to provide teachers with strategies and resources to create an environment that encourages the use of vocabulary in various contexts. 

Students will read the provided complex text about erosion and use the outdoor space to verify or deny the content of the text in the real-world setting.

Students will read the provided complex text about erosion and use the outdoor space to verify or deny the content of the text in the real-world setting.

Students will read the provided complex text about erosion and use the outdoor space to verify or deny the content of the text in the real-world setting.

The Essay Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to organize and outline their ideas for an informational, definitional, or descriptive essay.

Pairs of students respond to literature alternately in shared journals. Mini-lessons are presented on responding to prompts, creating dialogue, adding drawings, and asking and answering questions.

Students explore the nature and structure of expository texts that focusing on cause and effect and apply what they learned using graphic organizers and writing paragraphs to outline cause-and-effect relationships.

This resource was created by  Cheyanne Jessen, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.

Students will understand that everybody is a writer, that writing is a tool for communication, and that it is an ongoing process. Students will create a beginning writing piece that could be made into a class book.

The activity includes a series of exercises, in which students view the literal representations of idioms and then examine the metaphorical meanings of the idioms.

Fact Fragment Frenzy provides elementary students with an online model for finding facts in nonfiction text, then invites students to find facts in five sample passages.

Using a student-generated paragraph about observations in their outdoor classroom, students will be able to distinguish facts and opinions.

Once upon a time are four words most children are familiar with when reading a fairy tales. They are a great way to learn the literary elements of reading and writing. In this lesson, students will create their own fairy tale character using materials they will collect around the outdoor learning lab. This lesson supports all types of fairy tales and can be used with a variety of learners and readers.

Once upon a time are four words most children are familiar with when reading a fairy tales. They are a great way to learn the literary elements of reading and writing. In this lesson, students will create their own fairy tale character using materials they will collect around the outdoor learning lab. This lesson supports all types of fairy tales and can be used with a variety of learners and readers.

This resource was created by Melissa Smith, in collaboration with Dawn DeTurk, Hannah Blomstedt, and Julie Albrecht, as part of ESU2's Integrating the Arts project. This project is a four year initiative focused on integrating arts into the core curriculum through teacher education, practice, and coaching.