ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Lesson Plan: Reading Fluency Through Oral Interpretation
An online lesson plan for middle school students concerning learning reading fluency through oral interpretation. Students read poetry aloud in presentation-form and work together at interpreting the poem, increasing understanding of...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Journey North: Reading Strategies: Compare and Contrast Ideas
This reading resource discusses the strategy of comparing and contrasting ideas. Students will learn definitions and explanations for similes, metaphors, and analogies. A list of guiding questions is provided to help students as they...
International Reading Association
Reading Online: "A Horizon of Possibilities": Multiethnic Literature Instruction
Research and ideas to improve understanding of multiethnic literature as a means of raising cultural awareness and acceptance.
University of Victoria (Canada)
The U Vic Writer's Guide: Writing Essays: The Structure of the Outline
Lists the proper way to develop an outline before writing a paper or an essay.
International Reading Association
Reading Online Articles: Comprehension Instruction
An article on improving reading comprehension through time-tested strategies as well as a summary of new hypotheses about effective comprehension instruction.
Other
Live Binders: Acre:snorkeling to Deep Sea Diving: Breaking Beyond Surface Reading
This unit from North Carolina Public Schools focuses on Common Core Standards for Reading including close reading strategies, questions teachers should ask themselves, and reading activities.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Guided Comprehension: Self Questioning
Online lesson introduces students to the concept of self-questioning, assisting them in an understanding of question-answer relationships that should improve their reading comprehension skills. In-depth study will lead to improved...
Michigan State University
Michigan State University: Intervention for Reading: Paraphrasing
Improve understanding of expository materials by getting the main ideas through paraphrasing. The paraphrasing strategy helps students recall the main ideas and specific facts of materials they read. There are three steps for teaching...
University of Washington
University of Washington: Introductory Paragraphs
This writing center tutorial explains why the opening paragraph is so important. It also addresses six common problems to avoid.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Introducing Each Other: Interviews, Memoirs, Photos, Internet
This lesson plan is designed to teach various methods students can use when researching background information on one another in order to introduce each other in written and oral form.
Education Development Center
Tune in to Learning: Summarizing
Series of interactive activities for practicing skills in summarizing information, in identifying main points and ideas, and in sorting lists into meaningful categories.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Reading Reflections
An exercise consisting of three reflective questions that students respond to after completing an assigned reading in any curriculum area. The task promotes skills in critical thinking and self-assessment.
Grammarly
Grammarly Blog: How to Write Better Essays: 5 Concepts You Must Master
This blog article discusses essay writing including thesis development, strong form, style, conventions, and support and references.
BBC
Bbc Skillswise: Building Paragraphs
As part of the BBC's Skillswise unit, this site focuses on the development of good paragraphs. As learning tools, the site includes a fact sheet, a worksheet, and a game. Be sure to click on the quizzes to check your understanding.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: What's the Big Idea? Integrating Young Adult Literature
Drawing on New York City teachers' experiences, this article examines three ways to effectively integrate young adult literature into the curriculum: use core texts (usually novels, but also other genres as well) that the entire class...
James Madison University
James Madison University: Reflective Listening Exercise
This exercise in reflective listening is designed to be done with a partner. Instructions are tailored to classroom use, complete with assessment sheets. There is also quite a bit of background material for those doing the exercise....
Other
How to Analyze a Speech
An interesting approach to how to analyze a speech. Presents a rhetorical pentangle as well as a rhetorical triangle, where each of the vertices represents an item to analyze. There is also an outline of the different areas to examine in...
Education Development Center
Tv411: Strategies for Better Reading: Activities 3 of 3
Use these eight multiple choice passages to practice summarizing the main idea of a paragraph.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Cognitive Strategies Toolkit
This article describes eight cognitive strategies - including monitoring, tapping prior knowledge, and making predictions - to help readers develop their comprehension skills.
Indiana University
Indiana University: Writing Services: Incorporating Evidence Into Your Essay
This handout explores how to effectively incorporate evidence to support your claims into your paper. It provides weak and strong examples to show effective ways to incorporate evidence clearly and cohesively. W.9-10.1c...
Other
Canadaone.com: Sailing the Seven Cs of Effective Writing
Interesting article from Canadaone.com that outlines the author's seven C's of effective writing. Each of the concepts (all beginning with the letter "C") includes an explanation that demonstrates why the concept is important to the...
Sam Houston State University
Texas Center for Academic Excellence: Summarizing Pre Test
Check students' prior knowledge and understanding of how to summarize passages and identify main ideas.
University of Sydney (Australia)
University of Sydney: Module 3 Unit 1: Planning Your Essay
This unit index contains links with to guide students through the process of planning a multi-paragraph argumentative essay. Students will learn how to interpret the essay question, develop a writing plan, thesis, writing the argument,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Analyzing Literary Devices With a Written Discussion
Students will be able to analyze literary devices by participating in a written discussion. This activity is called "Pass the Paper". Students pass a sheet of paper around the room, with each student adding on. It's just a different way...