Curated OER
The Impact of Disease on our Lives
Students explore infectious diseases. They analyze the effect of a disease on the community. Students develop a public health policy that addresses the containment of the epidemic. Students create a policy and present findings as part...
Curated OER
The Only Superstitious Person Is Huck Finn
Fourth graders interview people from three different age groups about superstition including what they believe and why they believe it. This lesson goes along with the classic book, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.
Curated OER
The Dot and Dashy Language
Young scholars examine and discuss the Morse Code. In small groups they develop messages using Morse code and take turns decipering the messages.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Teaching Reading: Classroom Strategies
A collection of effective, research-based classroom strategies to help build and strengthen literacy skills in print awareness, phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension, and writing.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Jigsaw
Jigsaw is a strategy that emphasizes cooperative learning by providing students an opportunity to actively help each other build comprehension. Use this technique to assign students to reading groups composed of varying skill levels....
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Building Reading Comprehension Through Think Alouds
The Think-Aloud method has be shown to improve information retention. The lesson plan contained within this site models for teachers how to model this strategy. There is a rubric included for assessment.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Building World Knowledge: Informational Text
Before, during, and after-reading ideas for introducing students to informational texts in the early-elementary grades in order to boost reading achievement through the upper-elementary grades.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Anticipation Guides
An Anticipation Guide is a strategy that is used before reading to activate students' prior knowledge and build curiosity about a new topic. Before reading a selection, students respond to several statements that challenge or support...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Frayer Model
The Frayer Model is a strategy that uses a graphic organizer for vocabulary building. This technique requires students to (1) define the target vocabulary words or concepts, and (2) apply this information by generating examples and...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Student Motivation and Engagement in Literacy Learning
Teachers can help students build confidence in their ability to comprehend content-area texts, by providing a supportive environment and offering information on how reading strategies can be modified to fit various tasks. Teachers should...
Read Works
Read Works: Is Big Tobacco Out to Hook Kids?
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the addictive nature of tobacco and the dangers teens face due to tobacco marketing strategies. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading...
Other
Teaching Struggling Adolescent Readers to Comprehend What They Read [Pdf]
This textbook chapter offers strategies for helping adolescent readers understand their reading and build skills to allow them to read to learn. PDF (requires Adobe Reader).
Lumen Learning
Lumen: Boundless Communications: Helping Your Audience Listen More
This lesson focuses on helping your audience listen better by offering strategies such as read feedback cues, employ strategies for maintaining audience focus, use strategies to maximize audience understanding, build credibility, and...
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School
Cambridge Rindge & Latin School: Basic Steps in the Research Process
A comprehensive list of the important steps in researching and writing a report or project. Includes links to tip sheets for each step.
Read Works
Read Works: An Engine Without Brakes
[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about a boy named Alex who learns strategies to help him deal with his hyperactivity. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: A Child in Hiding
[Free Registration/Login Required] A 5th grader interviews her grandfather about his experiences hiding from Nazis in a farmhouse after escaping his home in Paris. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading...
Read Works
Read Works: The Ride Stuff
[Free Registration/Login Required] An interview with the first female astronaut, Sally Ride. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Read Works
Read Works: The Winning Shot
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks module contains a pair of literary texts that narrate teamwork-themed stories about a children's soccer game and a children's running race. Pictures, photos, and question sets are...
Read Works
Read Works: Helping a Friend
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks module contains a pair of literary texts that narrate teamwork-themed stories about a children's running race and a children's soccer game . Pictures, photos, and question sets are...
Read Works
Read Works: Grandma's House
[Free Registration/Login Required] A literary text about twin sisters Hannah and Emily who end up having more fun with their grandma than they thought they would. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Multiple Texts: Multiple Opportunities for Teaching and Learning
Engaging all students in a themed study or unit is a challenge that teachers can resolve by using materials that match students' independent or instructional reading levels (Robb 1994, 2000). When students face textbooks that are above...