Curated OER
Researching Another country's Holiday: Organizing and Recording Information
Prior to this instructional activity, 5th graders will have collected notes from several sources. Students extend their note taking to include at least one example each of summarizing and paraphrasing. They record bibliographic...
Curated OER
Novel Tee
Third graders illustrate a fiction novel by painting a depiction of the book on a tee shirt and then sharing it with the class.
Curated OER
Understanding Genres
Young scholars identify genres of literature. In this literature instructional activity, young scholars read definitions of the various genres. Young scholars choose books and list clues in the texts that help them identify the...
Read Works
Read Works: Fourth Grade: Three Lesson Unit: Author's Purpose
[Free Registration/Login Required] A three-lesson unit on author's purpose where students learn to identify author's purpose, categorize texts according to author's purpose, and change author's purpose by rewriting a text. With free...
Other
City College: Skills for Life: Reading for a Purpose
This resource offers 11 exercises with variety of everyday reading passages such as letters, recipes, classified ads, etc. Students read the passage and answer multiple choice questions about its purpose.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Unit: The Author's Point Is
Students will focus on Main Idea, Author's Purpose, Identifying supporting details and Organizing details. Students will read a variety of Informational Text (non-fiction) to understand how stated and implied main idea effect the...
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: Don't Buy a Ford Ever Again, Ca. 1960
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read an advertisement and some background information and answer questions about comprehension, persuasive techniques, vocabulary, author's purpose, and more. Links to a paired text and paired...
Quia
Quia: Author's Purpose Battleship
A game of battleship where each time the player hits the enemy's ship, he or she reads a short passage and then chooses the author's purpose for writing it. Answer enough questions correctly, and sink the enemy's battleship.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Primary Purpose Quick Guide
Primary purpose questions ask us to identify why the author may have written the passage. As you read through the passage the first time, it's a good idea to always be asking yourself: "So what?" "What's the point?"
Scholastic
Scholastic: Test Skill Builders for Reading: Making Judgments [Pdf]
Standardized test practice for students in grades 5 and 6. Students read a practice passage and answer questions that require them to make judgments about such things as fact or opinion and the author's purpose. Answers to the practice...
University of South Florida
Fcat Reading Grade 4: Teaching Strategies
This is a great resource that concentrates strategies and student activities in one place in an easy to use format, and can be navigated easily. Find great examples of probable passage, selective underlining, and semantic feature...
Read Works
Read Works: The American Revolution, 1763 1783 [Excerpt]
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read an excerpt from an essay on the American Revolution and answer questions on comprehension, main idea, author's purpose, and more. Links to a paired text and paired text questions are...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Changes [Pdf]
"Prairie Changes" is a one page, nonfiction passage about the changes in the prairie over time and the effect it has on plants, animals, and habitats. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [Pdf]
"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." is a one page, biographical passage about Martin Luther King, Jr. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it includes determining the author's...
Read Works
Read Works: Goodbye to Lice
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction, informational text passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and establishes scaffolding for vocabulary learning. It contains...
Read Works
Read Works: The Heat Is On
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage gives information about global warming and its threat to the polar bears in the Arctic. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and...
Read Works
Read Works: The Ivory Billed Woodpecker Returns
[Free Registration/Login Required] This informational text passage shares information about the ivory-billed woodpecker, a bird that was once perceived to be extinct due to excessive logging. This passage is a stand-alone curricular...
Read Works
Read Works: Casey Saves the Play
[Free Registration/Login Required] This short literary text passage shares the story of a character who is able to particiapate . This passage is intended for guided practice and is designed to reinforce essential reading comprehension...
Read Works
Read Works: Hispanic Population Soars
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage discusses the soaring Hispanic population in the United States. This passage is intended for guided practice and is designed to reinforce essential reading comprehension skills.
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Note Taking for Social Studies
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart covers how to read a historical text and convert information into visual representations by taking notes. This strategy helps students to read a passage and determine the author's purpose.