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Brave Writer®

Language Arts Book-Based Lesson Plans by Lexile® Level

Looking for a language arts program that uses quality literature at your child’s Lexile® level?

Brave Writer Arrows are lesson plans geared to ages 8–11 that help you teach language arts as you read high-quality children’s literature with your kids.

Each Arrow includes copywork/dictation passages, notes to enhance the study of the passage (grammar, spelling, punctuation, and literary device, and a featured literary element! Click on a link below for more information about the specific title that interests you.

Each Arrow is designed to last about a month. Ten Arrows would be a full year of language arts.

How to use your MAP® Growth™ results to select Brave Writer Arrows:

Using the list below as an example, select books with Lexile levels within or slightly below your child’s Lexile range. Then, choose titles based on your child’s interests and the learning goals you’ve set (guided by their subscores and learning statements).

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click the link and make a purchase, we will receive a commission at no additional cost to you.

TitleLexileArrowFocus
How to Train Your Dragon420LBrave Writer Arrow for How to Train Your DragonPunctuation
The Earth Dragon Awakes510LBrave Writer Arrow for The Earth Dragon AwakesAnalogies
Flora and Ulysses520LBrave Writer Arrow for Flora and UlyssesFree Verse
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine560LBrave Writer Arrow for Galen and the Gateway to MedicineUpdating History
How to Eat Fried Worms560LBrave Writer Arrow for How to Eat Fried WormsSurprise
Carry On, Mr. Bowditch570LBrave Writer Arrow for Carry On, Mr. BowditchWriter’s Voice
The One and Only Ivan570LBrave Writer Arrow for The One and Only IvanParallelism
Poppy580LBrave Writer Arrow for PoppyMusical Language
Rascal600LBrave Writer Arrow for RascalConsonance
Homesick610LBrave Writer Arrow for HomesickAutobiographical Narrative
Turtle in Paradise610LBrave Writer Arrow for Turtle in ParadiseHook and Return
Love, Ruby Lavender630LBrave Writer Arrow for Love, Ruby LavenderLetter Writing
The Lemonade War630LBrave Writer Arrow for The Lemonade WarNarrative Writing
The Girl Who Drank the Moon640LBrave Writer Arrow for The Girl Who Drank the MoonAnaphora
The Dreamer650LBrave Writer Arrow for The DreamerPoetry
Sarah, Plain and Tall660LBrave Writer Arrow for Sarah, Plain and TallConfusing Word Pairs
Because of Winn-Dixie670LBrave Writer Arrow for Because of Winn-DixieCollage
Henry Huggins670LBrave Writer Arrow for Henry HugginsNames
The Tale of Despereaux670LBrave Writer Arrow for The Tale of DespereauxPersonification
*Free Quiver Sample: Charlotte’s Web680LBrave Writer Arrow for “Charlotte’s Web”Alliteration
Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes690LBrave Writer Arrow for Sadako and the Thousand Paper CranesFictionalizing History
Detectives in Togas700LBrave Writer Arrow for Detectives in TogasClichés
From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler700LBrave Writer Arrow for From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. FrankweilerMusical Language
Out of My Mind700LBrave Writer Arrow for Out of My MindSynesthesia
The Great Turkey Walk700LBrave Writer Arrow for The Great Turkey WalkSetting and Journey
Where the Red Fern Grows700LBrave Writer Arrow for Where the Red Fern GrowsRhyme
Secret of the Andes710LBrave Writer Arrow for Secret of the AndesDialog
Shadow Spinner710LBrave Writer Arrow for Shadow SpinnerStory
The Secret Garden*710LBrave Writer Arrow for The Secret Garden*Surprise
Wheel on the School710LBrave Writer Arrow for Wheel on the SchoolAssonance
A Long Walk to Water720LBrave Writer Arrow for A Long Walk to WaterMultiple Narrators
On the Banks of Plum Creek720LBrave Writer Arrow for On the Banks of Plum CreekMood
By the Great Horn Spoon!730LBrave Writer Arrow for By the Great Horn Spoon!Dialect
Cracker! The Best Dog in Vietnam730LBrave Writer Arrow for Cracker! The Best Dog in VietnamVarieties of Languages
Free Baseball730LBrave Writer Arrow for Free BaseballDiamante
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson730LBrave Writer Arrow for In the Year of the Boar and Jackie RobinsonPersonification
The Green Ember730LBrave Writer Arrow for The Green EmberThe Cliffhanger
Freedom Train740LBrave Writer Arrow for Freedom TrainClichés
Soup740LBrave Writer Arrow for SoupMetaphor
The Ghost in the Tokaido Inn740LBrave Writer Arrow for The Ghost in the Tokaido InnPersonification
A Long Way from Chicago750LBrave Writer Arrow for A Long Way from ChicagoHistorical Context
All-of-a-Kind Family750LBrave Writer Arrow for All-of-a-Kind FamilyReligious Traditions
Esperanza Rising750LBrave Writer Arrow for Esperanza RisingForeign Language
One Crazy Summer750LBrave Writer Arrow for One Crazy SummerNaming
Trumpet of the Swan750LBrave Writer Arrow for Trumpet of the SwanAppeal to Known Experience
Harriet the Spy760LBrave Writer Arrow for Harriet the SpyHyperbole
Hoot760LBrave Writer Arrow for HootOne Sentence
Journey to Jo’burg760LBrave Writer Arrow for Journey to Jo’burgCinquain
Little House on the Prairie760LBrave Writer Arrow for Little House on the PrairieConfusing Word Pairs
Om-Kas-Toe of the Blackfeet760LBrave Writer Arrow for Om-Kas-Toe of the BlackfeetAmplification
Danny, the Champion of the World770LBrave Writer Arrow for Danny, the Champion of the WorldCharacter Interview
Keeping Score770LBrave Writer Arrow for Keeping ScoreMetaphor
The Sign of the Beaver770LBrave Writer Arrow for The Sign of the BeaverDescriptive Detail
Mossflower780LBrave Writer Arrow for MossflowerOnomatopoeia
The Borrowers780LBrave Writer Arrow for The BorrowersTopics
The Cricket in Times Square780LBrave Writer Arrow for The Cricket in Times SquareRhyme
The Liberation of Gabriel King780LBrave Writer Arrow for The Liberation of Gabriel KingJournaling
Navigating Early790LBrave Writer Arrow for Navigating EarlyStory within a Story
The Big Wave790LBrave Writer Arrow for The Big WaveTheme
The Long Winter790LBrave Writer Arrow for The Long WinterAmplification
Wonder790LBrave Writer Arrow for WonderPrecepts
How Tia Lola Came to Stay800LBrave Writer Arrow for How Tia Lola Came to StayApostrophe
Inside Out and Back Again800LBrave Writer Arrow for Inside Out and Back AgainFree Verse
Redwall800LBrave Writer Arrow for RedwallOnomatopoeia
The Penderwicks800LBrave Writer Arrow for The PenderwicksDialog
My Side of the Mountain810LBrave Writer Arrow for My Side of the MountainSetting
Thimble Summer810LBrave Writer Arrow for Thimble SummerSimile
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon810LBrave Writer Arrow for Where the Mountain Meets the MoonJourney
By the Shores of Silver Lake820LBrave Writer Arrow for By the Shores of Silver LakeAntonyms
Farmer Boy820LBrave Writer Arrow for Farmer BoyDescriptive Detail
Call It Courage830LBrave Writer Arrow for Call It CourageImagery
Frindle830LBrave Writer Arrow for FrindleCompound Words
Half Magic830LBrave Writer Arrow for Half MagicDialog
Mary Poppins830LBrave Writer Arrow for Mary PoppinsRhyme
The House at Pooh Corner830LBrave Writer Arrow for The House at Pooh CornerSynonyms
Turn Homeward, Hannalee830LBrave Writer Arrow for Turn Homeward, HannaleeWriting Letters
Johnny Tremain840LBrave Writer Arrow for Johnny TremainOnomatopoeia
These Happy Golden Years840LBrave Writer Arrow for These Happy Golden YearsMood
Little Town on the Prairie850LBrave Writer Arrow for Little Town on the PrairieRecitation, Narration, Oral Exams, Free Writing
The Cabin Faced West860LBrave Writer Arrow for The Cabin Faced WestConsonance
The Mouse and the Motorcycle860LBrave Writer Arrow for The Mouse and the MotorcycleViewpoint
*Free Sample: James and the Giant Peach870LBrave Writer Arrow for “James and the Giant Peach”Stylish Synonyms
In the Beginning870LBrave Writer Arrow for In the BeginningRepetition of Key Terms
Pippi Longstocking870LBrave Writer Arrow for Pippi LongstockingOnomatopoeia
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone880LBrave Writer Arrow for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s StoneNames
The Prairie Thief880LBrave Writer Arrow for The Prairie ThiefSimile
Caddie Woodlawn890LBrave Writer Arrow for Caddie WoodlawnConclusions
Same Sun Here890LBrave Writer Arrow for Same Sun HereIllustrations
The Mysterious Benedict Society890LBrave Writer Arrow for The Mysterious Benedict SocietySimile/Metaphor
Young Fu of the Upper Yangtze890LBrave Writer Arrow for Young Fu of the Upper YangtzeViewpoint
Ida B900LBrave Writer Arrow for Ida BGrammar Games
Mr. Popper’s Penguins910LBrave Writer Arrow for Mr. Popper’s PenguinsFeeling Words
A Single Shard920LBrave Writer Arrow for A Single ShardHistorical Fiction
Stuart Little920LBrave Writer Arrow for Stuart LittleDescriptive Detail
The Door in the Wall920LBrave Writer Arrow for The Door in the WallBiography
A Tugging String930LBrave Writer Arrow for A Tugging StringNarrator
Little House in the Big Woods930LBrave Writer Arrow for Little House in the Big WoodsProtagonist
Nim’s Island930LBrave Writer Arrow for Nim’s IslandSimiles and Metaphors
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe940LBrave Writer Arrow for The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobePowerful Verbs
Bud, Not Buddy950LBrave Writer Arrow for Bud, Not BuddyOnomatopoeia
Moccasin Trail960LBrave Writer Arrow for Moccasin TrailAlliteration
The Birchbark House970LBrave Writer Arrow for The Birchbark HouseSensory Similes
The Horse and His Boy970LBrave Writer Arrow for The Horse and His BoyWriting Projects
Elijah of Buxton980LBrave Writer Arrow for Elijah of BuxtonHyperbole
Ginger Pye990LBrave Writer Arrow for Ginger PyePersonification
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious Howling1000LBrave Writer Arrow for The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place: The Mysterious HowlingTeaser
The Phantom Tollbooth1000LBrave Writer Arrow for The Phantom TollboothLiteral Meaning
Understood Betsy1000LBrave Writer Arrow for Understood BetsyCharacterization
Ben and Me1010LBrave Writer Arrow for Ben and MeHistorical Setting
Love That Dog1010LBrave Writer Arrow for Love That DogDictation Passages
The Bad Beginning1010LBrave Writer Arrow for The Bad BeginningIdioms
Hatchet1020LBrave Writer Arrow for HatchetPersonification
The Hero and the Crown1050LBrave Writer Arrow for The Hero and the CrownHomonym/Homophone
The Wind in the Willows1070LBrave Writer Arrow for The Wind in the WillowsImagery
Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple Nickles1090LBrave Writer Arrow for Courage Has No Color: The True Story of the Triple NicklesNon-fiction
The Midwife’s Apprentice1150LBrave Writer Arrow for The Midwife’s ApprenticeGritty Realism
Math Curse and Science Verse560/NPLBrave Writer Arrow for Math Curse and Science VerseWord Problems and Science Poetry
Little BritchesAD600LBrave Writer Arrow for Little BritchesFigurative Language
Finn Family MoomintrollAD770LBrave Writer Arrow for Finn Family MoomintrollCast of Characters
Hereville: How Mirka Got Her SwordGN380LBrave Writer Arrow for Hereville: How Mirka Got Her SwordGraphic Novel
Blood and GutsIG910LBrave Writer Arrow for Blood and GutsTitles
Just So StoriesNC1060LBrave Writer Arrow for Just So StoriesInvented Language
Chitty Chitty Bang BangNC1370LBrave Writer Arrow for Chitty Chitty Bang BangParenthetical Aside
Encyclopedia Brown Brave Writer Arrow for Encyclopedia BrownAnalogies
Star of Light Brave Writer Arrow for Star of LightMetaphor
The People at Pineapple Place Brave Writer Arrow for The People at Pineapple PlaceFantasy

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