Other
The Critical Thinking Community: Tactical and Structural Recommendations
16 brilliant suggestions for creating critical thought in the classroom.
Other
Critical Thinking Community: Teaching Tactics That Encourage Active Learning
Eleven great ideas for teachers to engage their students in active learning and listening.
![Media Awareness Network: Lesson Plan: How to Analyze the News [Pdf] Lesson Plan](https://d15y2dacu3jp90.cloudfront.net/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "Media Awareness Network: Lesson Plan: How to Analyze the News [Pdf] Lesson Plan")
Media Smarts
Media Awareness Network: Lesson Plan: How to Analyze the News [Pdf]
Lesson plan focusing on the importance of understanding how the news is a product with a specific scope, structure, slant and style at the forefront of its production.
Education Development Center
Tv411: Reading: Parts of a Newspaper: Activity 2 of 3
This newspaper activity requires students to read eight headlines and then select what each would be about from the options given. When answers are submitted, an explanation is also given.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Where Did I Come From
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
NBC
Nbc Learn
NBC Learn, the educational arm of NBC News, is dedicated to making historic stories, images, and primary source documents available on-demand to teachers, students, and parents.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Reading Basics: Informal Assessment
Administering informal assessments on a regular basis throughout the school year provides useful information that can help teachers to identify the individual strengths and weaknesses of each student and guide the next steps in...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Building Background Knowledge
The importance of background knowledge is especially salient in the age of Common Core. This article offers practical classroom strategies to build background knowledge such as using contrasts and comparisons and encouraging...
Library of Congress
Loc: Teachers: Using Primary Sources
The Library of Congress provides teachers with a framework that will help integrate primary sources into all areas of the curriculum. Sections include "Why to Use Primary Sources," "Citing Primary Sources," and "Finding Primary Sources."
FNO Press
Fno.org: Inspired Investigations
An article at From Now On about how to help students do better research by changing the focus of research assignments and teaching students to ask essential questions. Some suggestions include using mind mapping, and using Inspiration to...
Scholastic
Scholastic History Mystery
Students will choose from a variety of concepts and can play a game to enhance their learning.
Yale University
Detective Fiction: Focus on Critical Thinking
Through the use of reading crime fiction, this lesson plan helps to refine critical thinking skills and problem solving strategies which are important for the development of 21st century skills.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Develop Fluency Using Content Based Texts
Fluency is the missing piece of the reading puzzle for many older students. They can decode, but they cannot do it automatically and accurately enough to comprehend text. Here are some fluency-building activities to complement content...
University of Richmond
University of Richmond: Putting Voice Into a Paper
This site provides tips and activities to help students develop voice in their writing. The tips are brief and direct and, if followed, should help a writer improve both voice and confidence.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Problem Solving [Pdf]
A graphic organizer students can use to think about or solve a problem from three different points of view. A blank copy and a completed sample are both provided.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Imitating a Newspaper's Voice With a Funny and Original Idea
In this creative instructional activity, students will create a voice for a tabloid feature within a fairy-tale world.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: K Plus [Pdf]
Students can use this information to collect facts about a topic. Students will collect information but record the "gold standard" of facts only.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Can Locate and Classify Information [Pdf]
A blank T-Chart is provided for students to use as they sort facts into two categories. Students will classify science information with this aid.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Expand Story or History Text Based Dialog[pdf]
Students will use graphic organizers to help them make inferences about historical figures' feeings and motives. Students will summarize the information during an extension activity.
Other
Cable News Network, Inc.: Learning Resources: Story Archives
Links to various new stories sorted alphabetically by title and by category. Each story is available in full story, abridged story, or story outline format.
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Author's Purpose
Learn about author's purpose and then answer some self-assessment questions after the lesson. Continue clicking the next button to get to more information.
Grammarly
Grammarly Handbook: Where to Find Information
This page focuses on where to find information needed for writing papers: the library or the internet. It offers tips for using search engines and key words.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: K W L S Chart
A printable K-W-L-S sheet to help students activate prior knowledge, ask questions, record new learning, and then ask additional questions to extend inquiry beyond the text . Directions on how to use this type of graphic organize as well...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Technical Reading and Writing Using Board Games
Contains plans for a game that helps teach technical reading and writing while reviewing a novel that students have read. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as...