Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: Part 2 Reading: Informational Text: Compare Text Structures
Compare the text structures in two nonfiction passages in this tutorial.
Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: Informational Text: Compare and Contrast Authors' Presentations
Learn how informational text can be written from different points of view. Includes model texts with practice exercises.
Other
Today in Literature: Today's Story
Each day, this site provides a different biography or interesting story about a great book or day in literary history. Many of the archived articles are available in full; others are available only in summary for free access. Authors run...
Penguin Publishing
Penguin Random House: Random House Kids
This comprehensive publisher site links to interesting activities, author biographies, synopsis of books, and links to other sites. Games, recommended reading levels, and writing activities provided for students. Teachers resources are...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Biography Writer's Workshop
This tutorial has students follow a step-by-step guide to write their very own biography using that of Frederick Douglass as a model.
Other
Do History: Using Primary Sources
This site explains the difference between a primary and secondary source. It also provides students with questions to ask when gathering evidence about a primary source document.
Library and Archives Canada
Nlc: Defining Primary and Secondary Sources
Libraries and archives hold documents and books that can be used for your research projects. Learn how to divide and identify them into primary and secondary sources in this tutorial.
TES Global
Blendspace: Toontastic Grate(ful) Biographies
This nine-part learning module provides support for Launchpad's Toontastic App. This blendspace shares videos, screen shots, and written resources that will help students write biographies via the Toontastic App.
Other
Advice for Young Writers: 10 Tips for Students in Writing Biographies
Children's author, Kathleen Krull, writer of many biographies, shares some tips for making biographies come alive. Perhaps her most interesting tips are to be nosy, and look for juicy details.
Tom Richey
Tom richey.net: Historical Writing: Writing Resources for Students
Resources for helping students to write historical essays. Includes a movie trailer to demonstrate the traits of a good introduction, tips for writing a paragraph, tips for formal writing, and guidelines for citing sources.
TES Global
Tes: Analyzing & Comparing Non Fiction
[Free Registration/Login Required] Resource notes to aid students as they analyze different types of nonfiction. The GAP (genre, audience, and purpose) acronym is provided to use when comparing nonfiction texts.
Caro Clarke
The Art of the Unspoken: Saying More by Describing Less
This is the thirteenth article in a series that was developed to help the new novel author. This article focuses on how good descriptions aren't necessarily connected with a lot of words, good descriptions are clean and to the point.
Read Works
Read Works: Intertwining Memories
[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about a girl named Debra who goes through her Nana's house and remembers her childhood. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Jumping Bodies
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a story about a boy named Charles who has the ability to switch bodies. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: Sister Act
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about sisters Tori and Taylor who have some things in common but many differences as well. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in comparing and contrasting.
Read Works
Read Works: Out With the Old
[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about a girl named Michaela who moved with her family to America from an unsafe country. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: About You How Music Affects Your Mood
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction piece discusses how music influences mood. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and establishes scaffolding for...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Autobiographies
This site is a writing workshop from Scholastic Inc. on writing autobiographies.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Comparing and Contrasting Texts
Two PowerPoint presentations and a video [2:57] on comparing and contrasting literary and informational texts as well as how to write a literary analysis. Includes links to external resources.
Other
New York State Library: Student Activity: Primary Versus Secondary Sources
Read about the Railroad Strike of 1877 using three excerpts from textbooks and three original newspaper articles. Compare and contrast the information in the primary and secondary sources.
University of Victoria (Canada)
The U Vic Writer's Guide: Literary Term: Narrator
Here's a definition of Narrator that includes distinctions "between the narrator, the author, and the implied author."
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Text Features: Non Fiction [Pdf]
Compare the printed page to an electronic web page and use this activity to discuss the similarities and differences. A cross-curricular tie-in with ecosystems. Could easily be adapted to another subject area.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Motivating Students to Read Nonfiction
This lesson plan deals with timelines in connection to nonfiction reading. Included in the lesson plan is an overview, practice, objectives, resources, preparation, and more.
Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: Part 1 Reading: Literature: Summarize
Summarizing is a key skill needed in reading comprehension. This page describes how to summarize main ideas in a text. Click on Model button for a model with explanation and then click on Practice (Bottom Right)