Penguin Books
Addressing Text Complexity - Making Independent Reading Meaningful
Many English teachers dream of a classroom full of readers silently enjoying their books. A useful guide helps make that dream become a reality by providing book recommendations for a range of readers. Each suggestion includes the...
Curated OER
Understanding Cause and Effect
Identify the author's organizational pattern for expressing ideas. After reading an article on the California Gold Rush, middle schoolers determine the author's purpose for writing a passage of informational text. A full list of...
National Council of Teachers of English
Timelines and Texts: Motivating Students to Read Nonfiction
With the emphasis on incorporating more nonfiction in language arts classes the question arises about how to design activities that motivate kids to engage with informational text. How about an assignment that asks class members to...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment: Analyzing Author’s Purpose in Speech and Text
Part one of a mid-unit assessment relating to The Omnivore’s Dilemma includes listening to and analyzing a speech by Birke Baehr. Part two involves analyzing an excerpt from the text. The assessment ends with short response questions.
EngageNY
Gathering Information about Water Management: Assessing and Reading Internet Sources, Day 3
Water is life! Using the informative resource, scholars first read two informational articles about water management in agriculture. Then, they use a Venn diagram to contrast the different types of evidence authors use to support a...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit 2 Assessment: Research Task: Comparing and Contrasting Texts
It's the half-way mark! Pupils demonstrate understanding of unit standards by completing a mid-unit assessment. After reading an informational article about water management strategies, scholars complete a graphic organizer to identify...
EngageNY
Comparing Two Main Ideas in an Informational Text: Meg Lowman’s Methods for Researching the Rainforest (Pages 35–36)
Alike or different? Scholars compare and contrast the research methods used by Meg in The Most Beautiful Roof in the World. They record information about her research in a three column note catcher before answering text-dependent...
EngageNY
End of Unit Assessment: Text-Dependent Questions and Draft Editorial: The Mary River Project on Baffin Island
Scholars complete an assessment, read an informational article, and answer text-based questions. Also, pupils use the Painted Essay technique to write a draft editorial about a topic they studied throughout the unit, the Mary River Mine...
New York State Education Department
English Language Arts Examination: January 2017
After reading literary and informational texts, scholars answer multiple-choice questions and write both a source-based argument and a text-analysis response.
Curated OER
Does Mother Nature Know Best?
Investigate herbal medicine in the science or health classroom with this lesson from the New York Times. After a discussion about class members beliefs about and experiences with herbal medicines, pupils read an article that might impact...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment: Analyzing an Author’s Argument and Text Structure
William Shakespeare: a writer, a poet, a fake? For their mid-unit assessments, scholars read an excerpt from the article "The Top Ten Reasons Shakespeare Did Not Write Shakespeare" by Keir Cutler. Next, they analyze the author's argument...
EngageNY
Finding Relevant Information and Asking Research Questions: The Big Thirst
Let's get to the gist. As scholars continue their study of Charles Fishman's The Big Thirst, they practice writing the gist of the text. Additionally, pupils add notes about the industrial uses of water to their researcher's notebooks.
EngageNY
Research: Close Read of Text 3 for Each Expert Group
How do athletes break barriers? Pupils consider the question as they continue looking for evidence to support their opinions about how their chosen athlete created a legacy. In small groups, they read an informative article about either...
EngageNY
Comparing Text to Multimedia: Understanding How the Brain Changes
Learners explore how the human brain changes over time, comparing an interactive web page about brain development to a text-only version. Additionally, pupils continue reading an article about teen decision making, analyzing the main...
EngageNY
Researching Information about Sustainable Fishing
Go fish! Scholars continue using their research skills to find factual information to use in their consumer brochures about overfishing. They work in triads to research information about sustainable fishing practices and share their...
EngageNY
Analyzing the Features of an Informative Consumer Guide
Analyze, strategize, synthesize! Scholars analyze informative consumer guides to determine what features to include in their own guides. Next, pupils select charts and images to use in their guides.
EngageNY
Planning Content of Informative Consumer Guide: Sustainable Fishing Methods
There's no such thing as over-planning. In preparation for their informative consumer guides, scholars complete a Quote Sandwich graphic organizer to compile their information about sustainable fishing methods. Next, volunteers share...
EngageNY
Planning Content of Informative Consumer Guide: The Issue of Overfishing and Fish Depletion
Let's get organized! Pupils organize the information they have gathered about overfishing into a Quote Sandwich graphic organizer in preparation for their informative consumer guides. Next, they engage in a pair share activity to discuss...
EngageNY
Performance Task: Final Informative Consumer Guide
Formative feedback should be kind, specific, and helpful. Pupils engage in a peer editing process, using a rubric to critique a partner's writing. Next, scholars use the feedback to create the final version of their informative consumer...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit 3 Assessment Part 1: Researching Information about Buying Fish Caught Using Sustainable Methods
Sustainable seafood is not an oxymoron. Pupils watch a video about how consumers purchase seafood responsibly. Then, using resources in their assessment research folders, they complete a graphic organizer to record factual information...
Polk Bros Foundation
I Can Identify a Nonfiction Writer's Main Idea and Supporting Examples
Use this page to quickly identify the central idea of a text and organize ideas for writing an informational or explanatory text. The learning exercise is split into two parts. In the first part, pupils note down the main idea and...
Curated OER
Formal and Informal Language Resources
Yo! Check it out. Here's a lesson on formal and informal language. And the packet includes a game. What fun!
EngageNY
Documenting Research: Sorting and Recording Information About the Wheelwright
Fourth graders practice using a graphic organizer to record their notes and answer text-dependent questions while supplying evidence of how they found their answer. They focus on a machine called the wheelright, which was commonly used...
Curated OER
American Studies
Entitled American Studies, this small unit covers various topics related to the study of the United States. Learners warm up by creating a dictionary of democracy, then dive into three different lessons focused on government, famous...
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