Week 2 Learning Center For Grades 5–8: Daily ELA Learning Activities

Day 1: Expanding vocabulary

Looking for more?

• Have you seen our Week 1 activities for middle school students?
• We’ve also released Week 3 for more daily activities. Take a look!

Self-guided activity:

1. Create a vocab square (printable option).

Use a vocab square with Dictionary.com’s Word of the Day. Then at the end of each week, use all of the words of the day in a short story or paragraph.

• Use the Thesaurus Writing Tool to write your story.

Family fun activity:

1. Quiz your family on the new vocabulary words you’ve learned from the Word of the Day.

Think of rewards and consequences for your family if they get the word meanings right or wrong.

Day 2: Taking notes

Self-guided activity:

1. Take notes while watching a video.

WATCH: Types Of Hooks

While watching the “Types of Hooks” video, use these guided notes to take notes about it. If you don’t have a printer, copy down some of the prompts from the guided notes onto a piece of paper or computer document.

2. Now take notes about the information in this video (using some of the guided notes prompts from above).

• Where Did The Days Of The Week Get Their Names?

Family time activity:

1. Ask a family member about their favorite “hooks” in songs.

Although a hook in a song may not come at the beginning, this is still what “hooks” the listener in and makes them want more. Listen to a couple of songs together, and see if you all can identify the hook together.

Day 3: Writing

Self-guided activity:

1. Write an intro paragraph for an argumentative essay. 

• Watch this video about argumentative essays.

WATCH: Learn More About Writing Argumentative Essays

• Then print this graphic organizer and practice writing your own intro paragraph.
  • You can also copy the graphic organizer onto a piece of paper if you don’t have a printer or type it out in Thesaurus.com’s Writing Tool.
• Use this topic for your paragraph: students should (or should not) be out of school while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Family time activity:

1. Discuss times of uncertainty that your parents or grandparents have experienced.

How did they deal with this event or time period? Write an essay together about their experiences in the Thesaurus.com Writing Tool. What is the argument in this essay?

Day 4: Finding the main idea

Self-guided activity:

1. Find the main idea (or the author’s purpose) in some informational texts. 

Read these informational texts and answer the close reading questions.

• Then, complete the graphic organizers (in the link with the informational texts) on the main idea, author’s purpose, and compare/contrast that follow.

2. Read this article: “Introvert” vs. “Extrovert”.

Answer the following close reading questions in the Thesaurus.com Writing Tool.

• What is the origin of the word introvert?
• What does the word extrovert mean?
• Are these two words similar in meaning?
• What do these words typically describe?
• Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

Family fun activity:

1. Have a family movie night.

After the movie, discuss what you think the main idea and the author’s purpose of the movie was.

2. Think about your family members and classify them as introverts or extroverts.

Then tell them what you think they are and see if they agree.

Day 5: Learning about the news

Self-guided activity:

1. Read the following coronavirus informational texts. 

• What does COVID-19 mean?
• Coronavirus: The Words You Need To Understand The News
• “Epidemic” vs. “Pandemic”

2. Then answer these close-reading questions in the Thesaurus.com Writing Tool. 

• What is the coronavirus, and how is it abbreviated?
• What are 3 possible symptoms of the coronavirus?
• How can you ensure you’re washing your hands long enough to get rid of germs?
• What are other ways you can help prevent other people from getting sick?
• Where can you go for accurate information on the coronavirus?
• What is an epidemic?
• What is a pandemic?
• What are 3 other terms related to the coronavirus that have been in the news?

Family time activity:

1. As a family, discuss what each of you can do to avoid contracting COVID-19 or any other illness in the future.

What changes have you and your family made that you plan to continue doing after the pandemic is over?

Write down these changes on a piece of paper and display them in your house. Explain why they are beneficial, even after the COVID-19 scare is over.

Day 6: Short stories

Self-guided activities:

1. Choose a short story to read. 

Here is a list of free short stories to choose from.

Then choose 2 reading response questions to answer for each color of task card (pink, green, blue) here.

2. Watch this short story in video form.

WATCH: This Is Why You Should Not Judge A Word By How It Sounds

Then, answer a question from each color task card above. (It can be the same or different questions.)

Family time activity:

1. Ask your parents or grandparents what their favorite short story was when they were your age.

Read that story together.