Middle School Grades 6 to 8
Character Under Construction
TM
Mentorship The 20-Minute Lesson Set
Lesson Plan
8 scripted, literacy-based lessons for ELA and Advisory · Grades 6 to 8 English Language Arts · CASEL · Grades 6 to 8 OPEN
READ
TALK
WRITE
3 min
5 min
7 min
5 min
20 minutes a week · Near-zero prep · Word-for-word scripts · Built on CASEL and character education research. READ THIS FIRST
How to Use This Guide
One lesson a week. Twenty minutes. No prep beyond printing the lesson page. Every lesson uses the same four-part rhythm, shown by the same four labels, so you and your students learn it once and it runs itself. The short reading text is printed inside each lesson, so you need nothing else. If you have the Mentorship magazine, each lesson notes the matching page OPEN
READ
TALK
WRITE
3 min
5 min
7 min
5 min
IN ELA Use the reading and writing each lesson lists. Exit tickets ask students to cite evidence, build a claim, or write a quick narrative. Standards are named in every lesson.
IN ADVISORY Lean on Open, Talk, and Close. Keep the read-aloud, since the shared text makes discussion honest and specific. Students can answer out loud if time is tight.
Why this works. The design follows gradual release of responsibility: you model, students practice together, then try it alone. CASEL calls effective lessons SAFE: sequenced, active, focused, explicit. Think-pair-share gives every student a chance to talk before they write. Research on mentoring is clear: one consistent, caring relationship changes outcomes for both people, and trust is built through small, repeated actions, not one big gesture. These lessons rehearse the habit while the room is calm. Lesson Plan
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