Harbor-Me-Sample-Lesson

Sep 22, 2026

A literacy curriculum built around a compelling novel to strengthen students’ reading skills while supporting social and emotional development. Lessons emphasize connecting text to personal experiences through discussion, journaling, and extension activities. The teacher’s guide includes facilitation tips, a standards map aligned to Common Core, 10 lesson plans with vocabulary and handouts, progress assessments, regular ELA checkpoints, a culminating essay unit, and an appendix for further resources. Sample content highlights immigration themes, story setup, and guided reading strategies.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Today’s Theme

Story Setup

During Reading

How do you feel about school and learning?

This literacy curriculum is constructed around an authenticallyengaging novel that builds students'literacy skills and supports theirsocial and emotional development.Students are motivated to readbecause they relate to the strong,diverse,and resilient charactersfeatured in our selected novels and because each session gives themthe opportunity to connect what they've read to their own lives. Developed,field-tested,and refined in our own tutoring andmentoring programs,this standards-aligned curriculum has inspiredpersistently low-performing students to engage with literature,makemeaning in their lives,and improve their English language arts skills.Now,Reading with Relevance is available to help you dig deep intothe social,emotional,and academic needs ofyour students,whetherin your classroom,after-school program,or youth developmentagency! This teacher's guide includes: ·A facilitator's guide with tips andresources for implementing thecurriculum ·Amap of Common Core Standardsaddressed through this program ·10 individual lesson plans,includingvocabulary,discussion questions,journal prompts,extensionactivities,and all handouts Meet Haley,Holly,Esteban,Tiago,Amari,andAshton—six students who are given a space totalk each week without adults in the room.Listenin as these young people open up about theirexperiences of hardship,marginalization,andidentity,developing greater compassion for andunderstanding of each other,and themselves,through their storytelling.We chose this book for itsthoughtful attention to some powerful social andemotional themes:empathy and friendship,griefand loss,immigration and deportation,and racialidentity and privilege.Students will find themselvesrelating to and being inspired by the stories of thesestudents;this curriculum will help students buildconnections between the six students'experiencesand their own. ·Two assessments to monitor studentprogress throughout the program ·Regular checkpoints to helpteachers assess their students'progress on ELA standards ·A cuiminating essay-writing unit ·An appendix with additionalteaching resources and activities tocontinue exploring this novel 3 pages 1-21 # Todays Theme The book begins with the story of Esteban,whose fatherhas been taken,most likely by immgiration;now,Estebanand his family are worried about their father's safety,andthat immigrationmay come to take them,too.immigrationand deportation are highly politicized topics in the UnitedStates,and yet also have a very personal effect of manypeople's lives and experiences.Encourage your studentsto taik about issues of immigration and deportation withcompassion and empathy.You may have students whohave undocumented family members—some of whommay have been taken and deported by immigration.Some of your students may be undocumented.Beginthe session by asking students what they aiready knowabout immigration and deportation in the United States.What have they heard,and how do they feel,about thesetopics?Help your students think about immigration anddeportation by viewing these experiences from Esteban'sperspective:How would they feel if they lost a familymember without warning?What must it be like to fearyou also might have to leave the only home you've everknown?Please refer to the Social and Emotional Topicssection of this guide's introduction for more instructionalguidance and support. # Story Setup Harbor Me explores the story of six fifth-and sixth-grade students who are brought together,each with a story to tell.While these students come from diverse backgrounds and strugglewith different issues,they learn through their storytelling that they actually share many of thesame feelings,values,hopes,and fears. 024 # Durůng Reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (pg.2):a novel written in 1943 byBetty Smith that follows the life of 11-year-old Francie,who lives with herfamily in Brooklyn.New York,in cheap immigrant housing during the early1890s metaphor (pg.2)and simile (pg.3):Two fi

FAQs

How does the curriculum use the selected novel to improve students’ literacy skills?

It motivates students to read by connecting them with diverse, resilient characters and by giving each session chances to link what they read to their own lives.

What teacher resources are included in the guide?

The guide provides a facilitator’s guide, a Common Core Standards map, 10 individual lesson plans with vocabulary, discussion questions, journal prompts, extension activities, and all handouts.

How should students discuss immigration and deportation during the opening session?

Students begin by sharing what they already know and how they feel, then consider Esteban’s perspective with compassion and empathy, including the impact on family safety and belonging.

Sep 22, 2026

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