Dream of a Nation
Writing a Narrative Essay
Imagine using narrative essays to encourage change. This multi-week unit plan does just that. After reading a series of articles from Tyson Miller's Dream of a Nation: Inspiring Ideas for a Better America, class members examine the...
Curated OER
Strength in Summarizing
Third graders practice summarizing passages while creating a fishbone map of important details in non-fiction text. They examine how to tell the difference between important and less important details by highlighting them in reading...
Curated OER
Discovering Ourselves in Literature and Life
Students read literature and view other media to discover how print and non-print texts answer the thematic question: Who am I? students compare the ways ideas are presented, and create their own portfolios or personal Web pages...
Curated OER
Produce a Nonfiction Text
In this language arts instructional activity, students look for the facts and create several nonfiction texts while including useful information for the reader.
Curated OER
Keep It Short!
Students examine the process of summarizing text. They participate in a class discussion, and read an assigned passage from their textbook, highlighting the main points of the text. Students then write a short summary of their...
Curated OER
Read and Retain
Third graders practice strategies for aiding in their comprehension of material they read. Through guided practice, they read a selected piece of text and answer questions pertaining to what they have read. They practice looking back in...
Curated OER
Super Summarizers
Students practice summarizing passages which they read silently in order to remember what they read. They follow steps for summarizing by highlighting the important details, removing the less important ones, and retelling they highlights...
Curated OER
Introducing Working Animals
Students identify ways humans and animals work together. In this animal welfare lesson, students read the text Hanni and Beth: Safe and Sound and define the term "working animals." Students investigate working animals by visiting various...
Teacher Printables
My Questioning Tower
Good readers think about what they are reading. They ask questions and make predictions before beginning a text. While reading, they summarize what has happened and note what they have discovered. After finishing, they check to see if...
Pennsylvania Department of Education
Stories? Information? What's the Difference?
Students listen to a power point presentation to distinguish between fiction and nonfiction text. In this what's the difference lesson, students identify fact from opinion within a text. Students listen critically and respond to text.
Curated OER
Reading Multicultural Literature
Students read several fictional pieces which examine issues of urbanization and rural cultures. They discuss how the place a person lives affects the kind of person they become.
Curated OER
Comprehension Game for Guided Reading
Students play reading comprehension games. In this guided reading lesson plan, students play a comprehension game made by the teacher. Students may play the game before or after reading the story.
Curated OER
Using Non-Text Features
Second graders examine graphs and charts from their local newspaper. As a class, they discuss what the data means and how it relates to the article. In groups, they are shown two sets of graphs or charts and they practice explaining...
Curated OER
Comprehension Skills: Picture, Question and Summarize Using Fiction Stories
Students build a variety of comprehension skills through the nine lessons of this unit. Picturing events, monitoring understanding during reading, forming questions, and summarizing stories form the core of the lessons being taught in...
Curated OER
Representing Text in a Timeline
In this representing text in a timeline worksheet, students interactively answer 10 multiple choice questions about timelines then click to check their answers.
Curated OER
Descriptive Persuasive Texts
In this Language Arts worksheet, students read about persuasive writing. Students read an example and complete a chart that organizes the information into facts and opinions.
Curated OER
Why is Reading Important?
Ninth graders discuss why reading is an important skill for them to use in their lives. In groups, they examine the problems someone might have out in the world if they are illiterate. They practice reading in ways that it makes it fun...
Curated OER
I, Robot: Chapter One
Students discuss literature about technology in the 20th century. For this book study lesson, students read I, Robot by Isaac Asimov and compare the fiction to technology in the 20th century.
Curated OER
The Rest Cure: Gender in Medicine and Literature
Read and discuss "The Yellow Wall-Paper" and the gender issues that the story brings up. Use articles from the time period to analyze, complete with specific discussion questions. After two days, scholars write an essay based on topics...
Curated OER
All About Almanacs
Use almanacs to entice your learners to explore non-fiction texts in celebration of Read-An-Almanac Month!
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 6
Is a college education necessary for success in today's world? The class investigates the question, along with others at the end of the sixth workshop in a 15-part series. The lesson has four parts with multiple activities and...
Curated OER
Nonfiction Genre Mini-Unit: Persuasive Writing
Should primary graders have their own computers? Should animals be kept in captivity? Young writers learn how to develop and support a claim in this short unit on persuasive writing.
Curated OER
Chinese Minority Cultures
Seventh graders identify the elements that characterize culture in literature.
Students analyze the representation of Chinese minority peoples
through textbooks. Students identify and interpret the differences among the people of China.
Curated OER
The Beautiful Moon: Story and Comprehension
In this beautiful moon: story and comprehension instructional activity, 3rd graders read a one passage about moon facts, then answer 5 multiple choice questions, with answer key provided.