May We Recommend - Common Lit

CommonLit is a non-profit organization that provides free reading and writing resources to teachers and students. The curriculum is designed to help students develop critical reading and writing skills and is aligned with many State Standards. Ethos Logos references Common Lit resources in our digital platform as a way to supplement and enhance the novels and historical time periods we are covering. Common Lit is a perfect addition to many of our middle and high-school-level novels.

Here are some key features of the CommonLit curriculum:

  1. Diverse texts: The curriculum includes a wide variety of texts, including poems, short stories, novels, and non-fiction articles. The texts are selected for their quality and relevance to the students' lives and experiences.
  2. Differentiated instruction: The curriculum is designed to be accessible to students at different reading levels. The texts are available in multiple formats, including audio and translated versions, and teachers can assign different texts to different students based on their reading levels.
  3. Historical context: Many of the texts included in the CommonLit curriculum have historical significance or provide insight into important historical events or figures. For example, the curriculum includes texts on the Civil Rights Movement, the Holocaust, and the women's suffrage movement. Although Common Lit is not Classical in design, many of the novels and historical time periods the design team built along with many of the Ethos Logos English- selected novels.
  4. Close reading instruction: The curriculum provides instruction in close reading, which involves analyzing a text for its meaning and literary devices. The curriculum provides tools and strategies for students to analyze and interpret texts in depth.
  5. Writing instruction: The curriculum includes writing prompts and instruction on different types of writing, such as argumentative and narrative writing. Students are encouraged to use evidence from the texts to support their writing.

Overall, the CommonLit curriculum provides a comprehensive and engaging approach to teaching English language arts. The curriculum's focus on diverse and time-tested texts, differentiated instruction, historical context, close reading instruction, and writing instruction makes it a popular choice for American schools.