We use cookies to make your experience better. To comply with the new e-Privacy directive, we need to ask for your consent to set the cookies. Learn more.
Connections: English Language Arts
Grades 6–12
Develop students' critical reading, analysis, and writing skills
Reading success begins with great literature!
High-interest themes and thought-provoking essential questions build engagement as students become immersed in outstanding literary and nonfiction selections.
The step-by-step lesson design focuses students on a key learning objective as they read a selection; annotate the text; apply the targeted skill; and respond through discussion, writing, and collaborative activities.
Powerful classroom management tools including assessments, differentiation support, performance reports, PowerPoint lessons, extension activities, and integration into your existing LMS.
Interactive Editions feature a range of learning tools to improve comprehension, close reading and text analysis, discussion and collaboration, and much more.
Titles in This Program
Connections: English Language Arts—Middle School
Connections: English Language Arts—High School
Program Features & Resources
Features
Literature Based Learning
- Reading success begins with great literature—an outstanding selection paired with a thought-provoking essential question sets the context.
- Each reading of a selection has a purpose and employs a targeted reading or analysis skill.
- Using textual evidence, students apply the skill through discussion, collaborative activities, and writing.
Outstanding Literature
High-interest themes and thought-provoking essential questions in areas such as
- Current events—diversity in society; equality and justice; knowing right from wrong; trusting what you hear, see, and read; the impact of technology on jobs; the costs of innovation.
- Themes—family, decisions, story-telling, horror, journey, freedom, identity and the forces that shape us, physical appearance, crime and punishment.
- Culture and History—the Native American experience, how history shapes us, how ideas bring about change, the impact of war, the role of women over time.
Research-Based Instructional Design
The step-by-step lesson design is focused on a single learning objective and carefully scaffolded to maximize student success.
- Text-based questions focus students' reading attention.
- Easy-to-use tools allow students to collect textual evidence as they read.
- Graphic organizers help students analyze evidence.
- Small group, large group, and online discussion activities encourage a collaborative, inclusive learning experience.
- Real-time progress monitoring checks understanding and pinpoints learning gaps.
Flexible Implementation
Comprehensive standards coverage and a modular design permits easy integration into your curriculum; select exactly what you need for your students.
Teacher Materials
Teacher Print and Interactive Editions include digital access to PowerPoints and an ELL Resource.
All the Support You Need
- Print, interactive, or blended solutions—you choose.
- Provides powerful classroom management with performance reports, class participation statistics, and exception reporting.
- Online quizzes and assessment.
- PowerPoint slides.
- ELL and differentiation support.
- Project-based assessment and extension activities.
- Teaching support available in print and online.
Additional Resources for Your Review
Instructional Road Maps
Grade-Level Skills Charts
Pacing Guides
Interactive Editions
Reimagine your classroom, where all students can...
Engage in Close Reading
Break down comprehension barriers—ALL students have the power to
- adapt the reading selection based on their own abilities and learning differences with built-in IEP and 504 accommodations support.
- translate and listen to the text in their native language—dozens of languages available.
- enhance word knowledge through a picture dictionary, add line focus (1, 3, or 5 lines of text), or identify parts of speech and syllables.
- customize font type, size, and background colors for readability.
Move students from skimming and scanning to extracting meaning with Annotation and Note Tools.
Students can quickly
- identify, label, and comment on textual evidence.
- collect evidence automatically in a digital notebook.
- transfer ideas and evidence into discussion and writing tasks.
Encourage Dynamic and Exclusive Discussions
- share ideas and perspectives based on meaningful text-based questions.
- participate in dynamic discussion both online and in small groups.
- track and grade participation in real time.
"Focus On" a Targeted Learning Objective
Each lesson contains a set of Focus On activities to build understanding and proficiency with a standards-based skill or strategy.
- organize and reference textual evidence.
- collaborate through an online discussion.
- synthesize evidence, ideas, and analyses in a writing task.
Check Understanding Through Multiple Assessment Options
A range of built-in assessments and teacher support tools saves time and reduces the complexities of grading.
- Formative Check Quizzes provide feedback on student progress.
- Project-Based Assessments include writing, research, debate, and presentations.
- Connect to Testing prepares students for state and national tests.
- Practice Performance Tasks synthesize unit texts and themes.
- Summative and End-of-Course Assessments measure mastery of reading comprehension and literary analysis.
Real-Time Classroom Management: In-Class and Remote Learning
- Select and share individual, group, and whole class responses.
- Track progress using embedded formative assessments.
- Move seamlessly between online and in-person discussions.
- Access all student work and teacher support at point of use.
Pinpoint Learning Gaps
Save time with a range of built-in assessment and reporting tools.
- Access automated and rubric-driven scoring for activities, discussions, and formative assessment—ALL within the lesson.
- Tailor instructional planning, intervention, and enrichment based on actionable data from standards-based proficiency dashboards, reports, and item analysis.
- Improve writing, speaking, and listening skills through customizable writing rubrics, discussion expectations, and automated participation tracking.
- Customize reporting with drop-down menus and drill-down capabilities; export data to a wide range of learning platforms.
Look Inside
Connections English Language Arts-Interactive Edition
Connections English Language Arts-Print Edition Sample Pages
Grade 6
Student Edition | Teacher Edition
Grade 7
Student Edition | Teacher Edition
Grade 8
Student Edition | Teacher Edition
Grade 9
Student Edition | Teacher Edition
Grade 10
Student Edition | Teacher Edition
Grade 11
Student Edition | Teacher Edition
Grade 12
Research/Correlations
Connections: English Language Arts delivers research-based best practices for English Language Arts instruction.
Correlations
English Language Arts Standards
Florida (LAFS)
Florida (BEST)
Indiana
Maryland
Mississippi
Texas (TEKS)