Read Works
Biography
Familiarize your class with the genre of biography. After some direct instruction about biography, work together to discuss historical facts and significant events from A Picture Book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler. In order...
Curated OER
The Peanut Wizard
Peanuts inspire this lesson about George Washington Carver, called The Peanut Wizard in the included informational text. Class members read about peanuts and George Washington Carver and create a timeline of his life. In addition, pupils...
Curated OER
Just Lookin' For a Home
What is a boll weevil? Your class can find out that and more by following the activities included here. Pupils read an article, sing a boll weevil song, add to the song with their own original lyrics, illustrate the song, study the...
Curated OER
Back to the Farm
Read up on farming and ranching and connect this information to your learners' lives. After reading, send class members home to fill out a family tree and trace their family history, focusing on farming and ranching backgrounds. Once...
Read Works
Read Works: Fourth Grade: Three Lesson Unit: Cause and Effect
[Free Registration/Login Required] A three-lesson unit on cause and effect where learners learn signal words to identify cause and effect relationships and then examine those relationships in historical fiction with Pink and Say by...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Plot & Conflict Resolution
Strategies to help students understand the elements of a story provided by a standardized test preparation site intended for fourth grade. Includes strategies such as DLTA/DRTA, Plot Diagrams, Story Clock, Story Mapping, Summary...
Other
Curriculum Associates: Determining Theme or Central Idea [Pdf]
In this reading comprehension activity unit, students are guided in learning how to find the main theme or idea of a text and understanding how details in the text convey that. Includes lots of exercises and examples, as well as...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Comics in the Classroom: Introduction to Narrative Structure
Contains plans for four lessons that teach students about narrative plot structures by using "The Three Little Pigs" fairy tale or a similar story. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites...
Other
Reading Quest: Strategies for Reading Comp.: History Frames: Story Maps
This activity will help you teach students chronological order as well as identifying key people and events. Printable worksheets.
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Chronological Order
Strategies to help students recognize the order of events in a selection provided by a standardized test preparation site intended for fourth grade. Includes strategies such as plot diagrams, probable passages, story mapping, summary...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Cause and Effect
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section helps students identify cause and effect in literature.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Metamorphosis Stories of Change
The goal of this activity is for students to learn how to tell a story in order to make a complex topic (such as global warming or ozone holes) easier for a reader to grasp. Students realize that the narrative impulse underlies even...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Pingus Penguins: Writing Good Instructions
Students use the free computer game Pingus to learn how engineers, specifically environmental engineers, use their technical writing skills to give instructions and follow the instructions of others. Students learn to write instructions...
Teachers.net
Teachers.net: The Gingerbread Man
Introduce your primary students to retelling and sequencing skills. Will also help move your students to higher-level thinking which deals with characters, setting, and plot. Site offers one week's worth of lessons.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Cool Tools for Finding Information (Grade 3 4)
Identify text structures in various informational sources.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: A Storm of Ideas
The first step in writing an informational text on the topic of students' choice is helping the student choose a topic of interest. Students will brainstorm ideas that will be possible final topics.
Other
Smekens Educational Solutions: Expose K 2 Readers to Annotation Strategies
This article discusses how to begin teaching students in K-2 to record their ideas about text using highlighters, colored pens, large graphic organizers, and sticky notes. Students can retell a story with a storyboard, use a web to find...
Scholastic
Scholastic: So That's the Reason! [Pdf]
Simple, one-page printable worksheet to introduce your learners to cause and effect. Gives one set example, and has space at the bottom to apply to any story you read.
Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: Part 2 Reading: Informational Text: Cause and Effect Text Structure
Cause and Effect is a text organization structure and knowing this structure can help you in comprehending a text. Learn about these strategies on this site.
Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: Part 2 Reading: Determine Main Ideas and Supporting Details
See how to pick out the main ideas and supporting details on this site. Click on Model at the bottom right.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Narrative Pyramid
A printable narrative pyramid where students can record information about a story including the character, setting, problem, main events, and solution. Directions on how to use this type of graphic organize as well as lists of teaching...
Quia
Quia: Polygon Quiz
In this game, students are to number the steps for making cookies in chronological order to reveal a hidden picture.
Quia
Quia: Doing the Dishes
In this game, students are to read all nine steps to making homemade pizza and then number them in chronological order to reveal a hidden picture. Java is required.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Sequencing a Strategy to Succeed at Reading Comprehension
Contains plans for lessons that use the story of Paul Bunyan to teach about sequencing and order of events. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as...