Middle School

In early adolescence, social development plays an especially crucial role in students’ academic growth. With the addition of packages for grades 7 and 8, the Making Meaning program integrates a complete reading comprehension curriculum with social development—from kindergarten through middle school.

What’s Different?

  • Longer, more challenging text selections: A novella gives seventh-graders a relevant application to their reading lives and a more involved opportunity to infer cause and effect. A novel provides eighth-graders with more sophisticated text, and more time, in which to examine character, setting, and plot.
  • Greater representation of nonfiction: The mix of reading material includes more articles in content areas such as science and social studies, giving students increased exposure to real life events.
  • A critical approach to expository text: A unit on expository text structures, using examples from textbooks and articles, helps students think more deeply about real life issues.

What’s Familiar?

  • Integration of academic and social development
  • Consistent strategies and patterns of instruction
  • Regular use of read-aloud books in all genres
  • Teacher facilitated conversations about the reading
  • Individualized Daily Reading (IDR)
  • Support for English Language Learners (ELL)

Info by Grade Level

To see the components for a particular grade level or download a sample lesson, click a grade level listed below.

Find Out More

Grade-level packages