Article
Gary Hanna
The Lazy Editor,

Ship of Ghosts

This short nonfiction article about the mystery of the Mary Celeste is packed with mentor sentences modeling the correct use of capitalization.

By Maggie Pierce
From the April 2018 Issue

Learning Objective: to analyze the use of capitalization

Featured Skill: Conventions of standard English
Other Key Skills: capitalization
Topic: History,
Common Core Standards
  • Anchor Standards
    L.1, L.2, L.3
  • Grade 6
    L.6.1, L.6.2, L.6.3
  • Grade 7
    L.7.1, L.7.2, L.7.3
  • Grade 8
    L.8.1, L.8.2, L.8.3
TEKS Standards
  • Grade 6
    6.14d; 6.20
  • Grade 7
    7.14d; 7. 20
  • Grade 8
    8.14d; 8.20

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Activities (2)
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Activities (2) Download All Activities
Skills Activities
Answer Key (1)
Dig Deeper!
Video

As a class, watch this Smithsonian video (2:00) to learn more about the mystery of the Mary Celeste.

Step-by-Step Lesson Plan

Close Reading, Critical Thinking, Skill Building

1. PREPARING TO READ

Set a purpose for reading by calling attention to the featured skill printed in the upper left corner of the first page.

2. READING THE ARTICLE

Read the article once through as a shared, guided, or independent reading.

3. SKILL BUILDING: HELP THE LAZY EDITOR

  • Reconvene as a class to go over the edits. (Answers can be found in the Scope answer key.)
  • Invite students to explain their edits. 
  • If students are struggling with a particular skill, project the activity sheet for that skill and go over the grammar rules or writing guidelines that appear at the beginning of the activity. 
  • If students have not yet completed the activity sheets, assign them for homework as needed. 

4. ADDITIONAL PRACTICE (Optional)

  • Use the Scavenger Hunt activity. In this activity, students mine articles throughout the magazine for more mentor sentences that highlight the featured skill.
  • Use the additional skill reinforcement activity provided.
Text-to-Speech