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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Two or More Nonfiction Texts

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
How does recognizing the author's purpose help you draw conclusions about a topic? Using two articles (both are attached), learners brainstorm why each author wrote each article. Are their purposes similar or different? Learners use a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

During Reading Strategies

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
"How important is freedom to you and your family?" The guiding question becomes much more powerful after your class reads and responds to a passage from a historical novel. While reading the passage, they complete a graphic organizer...
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Questions: Alex Haley's "My Furthest Back Person: The African"

For Students 8th - 12th
Based on Alex Haley's moving essay "My Furthest Back Person: The African," these 11 questions support comprehension and prepare readers for discussion of the text. Use this tool, and the essay, as a nonfiction addition to units on...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Best Main Idea

For Teachers K - 4th Standards
What is the main idea? Interest your young readers with this fun introductory instructional activity! After selecting several items from a paper bag, the teacher leads learners to determine the big idea for those items. This concept is...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Apply Post-Reading Skills and Discuss Persuasive Text

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students put their reading comprehension skills to practice. In this interpreting text instructional activity, students read "Chief Red Jacket's Reply," and then respond to questions that require them to reason, infer, and analyze the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fiction vs. Nonfiction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars explore fiction and nonfiction writing. They identify the elements of fiction in a short story and identify the criteria necessary in a nonfiction piece. Students distinguish the author's purpose in an expository text,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

KWL Chart

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students create a KWL chart on a selected nonfiction topic using a variety of strategies. They infer the answers to four questions, identify a purpose for reading, list four or more things about the topic, and list four or more answers...
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Research a Poet and Explicate a Poem by that Poet

For Teachers 7th
Using your school's media center, internet research, and a SMART board, 7th graders research a chosen poet and write a research report. Additionally, 7th graders explicate one poem by the poet within their report. Several resource links...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Research a Poet and Explicate a Poem by that Poet

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders choose a poet to research and find a poem by that author to explicate/analyze using a variety of sources for their research that will include their textbooks, the school library, and the internet. After conducting...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Call It a Hunch

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Give young scholars a chance to practice making inferences after reading the book Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. They confirm whether or not their conclusions are true, have a class discussion, and then independently complete an...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

For Teachers 7th
In this unit, students examine the many different themes in Anne Frank's diary. They connect the themes to their own life and keep a journal to explore the triumphs and challenges in their own life.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

George Washington's Revolutionary Journeys

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students take a closer look at historical maps. In this American Revolution lesson, students examine the provided historical maps and documents to determine the assignments that George Washington assigned to subordinates during the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Adapting a Fairy Tale

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students read and prepare a new oral version of a selected fairy tale. They read and compare/contrast two fairy tales and identify the main story elements. In small groups they create a new oral version of one they fairy tales and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

911 As History

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students recognize persuasive techniques, think criticaly about the messages contained in various media, and discuss controversial issues in constructive ways. They analyze the deeper messages contained in children's literature, and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heroic Images: Visualization and Media Messages

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine media messages. In this media awareness lesson, students analyze online messages about heroism as they complete a jigsaw reading activity.
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Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Comprehensive Questions: Nonfiction [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Questions are provided to help students determine the main idea, topic, and fact versus opinion of a nonfiction piece. Students are prompted to write a summary of an informational text.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Can Classify and Infer When I Read [Pdf]

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
This site contains links to two graphic organizers to guide and assess the understanding of nonfiction text in science and social studies.
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Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Can Infer Meaning of a Word in Context [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This activity contains two graphic organizers that will help students infer the meaning of words in context. Students can use these graphic organizers as they read nonfiction texts, particularly while reading in the content area.
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Interactive
Quizlet

Quizlet: Making Inferences (Nonfiction)

For Students 7th Standards
Match five words and definitions about making inferences in nonfiction texts by racing against the clock in this learning game.
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Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Identify/infer Character Traits [Pdf]

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
This page contains links for three graphic organizers. Students will use graphic organizers to identify character traits, infer character traits, and support inferences with text evidence.
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Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Chicago High Schools [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th - 9th
"Chicago High Schools" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about high schools in Chicago including specialty high schools and the basic requirements for all high schools. It is followed by constructed-response questions which...