Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Can You Canoe?
A neat handout immerses learners in the history of canoe making. After reading, small groups of mini engineers work to craft a canoe that will not be immersed! This is an ideal exercise in engineering design for your STEM curriculum or...
Baylor College
Microbes and Disease
Discuss how diseases have impacted human history. Divide your class into groups and assign each group one of the following: tuberculosis, malaria, plague, cholera, smallpox, and AIDS. They read up on, complete a concept map, and present...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Can You Copperplate?
Introduce emerging engineers to the process of metal plating. This resource provides background reading on chemical engineering, plating, and corrosion. It concludes with a copper plating activity. The standards alignment list includes...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Fun with Speedboats!
After reading about marine engineers and naval architects, it's all hands on deck to design and test a speed boat. This lesson is designed for the Next Generation Science Standards in engineering and can be a centerpiece for a STEM...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Waterproof that Roof!
Stop the raindrops from getting into the house! Eager engineers learn about roofing history and waterproofing by nanotechnology. They get into groups and work on designing a waterproof roof for a small model house. The accompanying...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Power Systems & Efficiency
Are you looking for a reading resource about the efficiency of power systems? Here is one that introduces the output/input ratio, measurement of energy by joules or calories, and efficiency ratings. For STEM classes that are learning...
Compassion in World Farming Trust
Selective Breeding of Farm Animals
Biology learners read about selective breeding in chickens and how it has produced high-yield meat specimens and rapid egg-layers. The unpleasant effects of artificial selection are explored, as well as options to supporting this...
Curated OER
The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission (GPM) Lesson
Introduce your class to one of the ways that technology is benefiting humanity. The Global Precipitation Measurement Mission involves the data collected by nine satellites from different countries with a united focus on studying world...
McGraw Hill
Chapter 20: Arthropods and Echinoderms
Learn all about echinoderms and arthropods through the attached reading, complete with stunning photographs and review questions; keep track of the key concepts using the handout. For kids with a lower reading level, consider projecting...
Curated OER
Mollusks and Segmented Worms
Keep clam and read on! After reading the textbook selection about mollusks and worms in the additional materials section, your young zoologists check their comprehension by answering the questions on the handout found here. To...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Using Thieves to Preview Nonfiction Texts
Contains plans for three lessons that introduce a nonfiction prereading strategy with the acronym THIEVES, which stands for Title, Headings, Introduction, Every first sentence, Visuals and vocabulary, End Questions, and Summary. In...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Expository Escapade: Detective's Handbook
Working on higher-level thinking skills with your readers is made easier with this lesson. You will have your students connect with and analyze a mystery story at their grade-appropriate level. Lesson plan, printable worksheets, and...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: One Page Nonfiction Readings: Grade 6
This site contains 17 nonfiction articles that are appropriate for students with a 6th grade reading level, as measured by the Fry Formula. Questions for each passage are provided. Graphic organizers are available for these copyrighted...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: Guide Nonfiction Reading
This site contains 17 nonfiction articles that are appropriate for students with a 6th grade reading level, as measured by the Fry Formula. Questions for each passage are provided. These graphic organizers are copyrighted and may be used...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: Guide/assess Nonfiction Reading
This site contains 47 one-page guided writing and reading guides and assessments.The reproducibles are copyrighted materials but may be copied and used for educational purposes.
Google
Google for Education: Finding Patterns in Spelling Errors and History
In this lesson, students analyze spelling errors and large sets of data to find patterns, develop abstractions, and discover how large amounts of data can tell us much about our society.
TES Global
Blendspace: Questioning Nonfiction Text Oil Spills
An eight-part learning module with links to texts, videos, and websites to use while improving informational text skills through the topic of oil spills. The print materials have directed exercises for text analysis by students.
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: The Mountain
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a fiction text about an unexpected love and answer questions about comprehension, setting, vocabulary, transitions, and more. A paired text and questions are also available.
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: The Process of Acting
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a nonfiction text about what it takes to be an actor and answer questions about comprehension, main idea, supporting details, vocabulary, transitions, and more. Links to a paired text and...
Other
Center for Assessment: Tools for Examining Text Complexity [Pdf]
Learn how to use several tools to determine text complexity and readability of text for your students.
Colorado State University
Colorado State University: The Wac Clearinghouse
Although this site is primarily designed for instructors at the post-secondary level, the information and suggestions given can also be used, with only minor changes, at the high school or middle school levels as well. Learn ways for...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Financial Literacy
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...
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD)
Ascd: Building Literacy in Social Studies: Ch 1: Reading Social Studies Texts
Article provides excellent tips and strategies for building comprehension and critical thinking skills in Social Studies. It describes some of the challenges students have with reading and understanding their textbooks.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Analyzing Text Complexity of Non Fiction Sources
This lesson plan will help middle schoolers read and comprehend nonfiction, specifically biographies, through determining criteria for text complexity. Included is a PDF and Smart Notebook titled Determining Text Complexity, and an...