Curated OER
The Outsiders: Anticipation Guide
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is always a favorite for middle and high school readers because it addresses issues that hit home to them, decades after the book is set. Have learners fill out an anticipation guide that encourages them to...
Curated OER
Vowels, Reading Fluency
Third graders practice identifying words with the short o vowel sound. They use the strategy will reading a page from The Hare and the Tortoise. They read the passage while focusing on increasing their reading fluency and practice...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
It’s Greek to Me: Greek Mythology
It's no myth: this packet on Greek mythology is an excellent addition to your social studies curriculum. With writing activities, such as short answer responses and biopoems, and reading activities, which include creation stories and...
Curated OER
Family Vacation at the Beach
While a simple story, this reading comprehension and vocabulary activity could be used with younger learners to cement important skills. By answering the 10 questions in this activity, students could practice reading a passage and...
Curated OER
Cloze Passage: The Ten Dollar Note
In this cloze worksheet, students read a passage and fill in blanks with words from a word list. The passage is a short fictions story, "The Ten Dollar Note."
Reed Novel Studies
Holes: Novel Study
Nothing good comes from being under a curse. A study guide introduces the novel Holes by Louis Sachar and the curse the main character faces. Readers analyze key vocabulary words from book, as well as complete a series of short writing...
Big History Project
Human Migration Patterns II
While humans have always been on the move, the period between 1400 and 1800 saw vast migrations of people between the East and the West. These migrations—whether through slavery or a desire to colonize new lands—shaped the modern world....
Describing Egypt
Ptah-Hotep and Akhet-Hotep Mastaba
Did you know that mastaba means bench in Arabic? Learn why a mastaba was so important to ancient Egyptian architecture. Middle and high schoolers alike stay entertained while reading a passage that describes the virtual tour of...
Curated OER
The Pianist
Do you play any musical instruments? Consider using this question to interest readers in this short passage. Then, have them read the passage and answer the multiple-choice questions that follow.
Curated OER
Bronze Bow
Explore ancient Rome through reading The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare. Readers activate prior knowledge by examining objects that relate to the story and predict the significance of the items. Their curiosity is aroused through...
Curated OER
Regents High School Examination Comprehensive Examination in English Session Two (2006)
In this Regents High School Examination Comprehensive Examination worksheet, students read a short story and a poem and answer reading comprehension questions. Students then write a unified essay using ideas from both passages.
Curated OER
Regents High School Examination Comprehensive Examination in English Session Two (2006)
In this Regents High School Comprehensive Examination worksheet, students read a poem and an excerpt from a short story and answer reading comprehension questions. Students then write a unified essay in which they use ideas and examples...
Curated OER
Regents High School Examination Comprehensive Examination in English Session Two( 2005)
In this Regents High School Examination comprehensive Examination in English worksheet, students read an excerpt from a short story and a poem and answer reading comprehension questions. Students then compose an essay using evidence...
Curated OER
Literature: Isabel Allende
Students watch and respond to a Bill Moyers Now video on the Chilean author, Isabel Allende. They brainstorm a list of recent events that might inspire writers and choose one to write about in poetic, diary, or short story form.
Curated OER
The Tell - Tale Heart
Students read The Tell Tale Heart and practice critical analysis while reflecting on its underlying meanings. In this reading instructional activity, students make predictions, monitor their own comprehension and adjust their reading...
Curated OER
Personal or Social Tragedy? A Close Reading of Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome
Students complete close reading activities to analyze Edith Wharton's Ethan Frome. In this literary analysis lesson, students analyze key quotations from Ethan Frome and respond to contemporary reviews of the text. Students use textual...
Curated OER
Shizuko’s Daughter: Discussion Web
Is Yuki a selfish character? Analyze her motivation and behavior during a unit on Shizuko's Daughter by Kyoko Mori. Readers fill out two sides of a graphic organizer with reasons why or why not she is selfish, and then come up with a...
K5 Learning
Landforms
Valleys, mountains, and plateaus are just a few geographic landforms on our Earth. Read about these types and more in a brief landform passage. After reading, learners respond to six short answer comprehension questions.
PBS
Exploring First-Person Narrative
If you really want to know, this is a terrific instructional activity all about narratives, which is just a fancy way of saying telling stories. And you get to do it without being phony or anything. My favorite part is that you get to...
West Jefferson High School
The Novel — Honor
For classes tackling To Kill a Mockingbird, this lesson plan sets readers up for discussions or essay writing with questions and prompts. The prompts encourage individuals to explore beyond the novel itself, looking at photographs from...
Curated OER
Social Studies Strategies - Pick a Word
In this inference skills worksheet, students read a short passage, then pick two words that describe the passage. Next they explain why they chose that word. Students choose another word related to the passage and write it on a 3x5 note...
Curated OER
Multimedia Book Reports
Students read a chapter book of 100-200 pages in length. They create a story map and multimedia book report. Pupils review the elements of a story map such as: characters, setting, problem, important events, solution, etc.) Students...
Curated OER
Pigging Out on Reading Comprehension
Students summarize a piece of fiction text. After reviewing the correct way to read in order to summarize, students independently read the story "Pig in a Bag." They write a summary paragraph using the process outlined by the instructor...
Teach-nology
Author's Purpose
Challenge your class to find the three purposes for writing. After they read three short passages, kids note whether the author's purpose was to inform, persuade, or entertain.