+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Chicago's First Leader [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
"Chicago's First Leader" is a one page, biographical passage about Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, the first non-native American to settle in Chicago. He started a trading post around which the city grew. It is followed by an open-ended...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Grant Park [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
"Grant Park" is a one page, nonfiction passage about Chicago creating a landfill by putting the trash from the Chicago fire in 1971 into the lake, on which they built Grant Park. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
"Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet" is a one page, biographical passage about Gwendolyn Brooks, an African-American poet from Chicago. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it includes...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Pilsen, a Community Changes [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Pilsen, A Community Changes" is a one page, nonfiction passage about the Chicago community of Pilsen which was settled by Bohemian immigrants but later became a Mexican-American community. The two groups of people worked together to...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Gwendolyn Brooks, Poet [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 7th
"An African American Poet" is a one page, biographical passage about Gwendolyn Brooks, a famous African American poet. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it includes...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
"Chicago Legacy: Burnham's Plan" is a one page, nonfiction passage about Daniel Burnham, an architect and city planner for Chicago. He planned the layout of the city including Navy Pier, railroads, streets, and public buildings. It is...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: George Washington Carver [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
"George Washington Carver" is a one page, biographical passage about George Washington Carver, a famous African American, who taught farmers better farming methods including planting peanuts to improve the soil. It is followed by an...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Ecology [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
"Prairie Ecology" is a one page, nonfiction passage about the tallgrass prairie ecosystem and how it works using three animals: the skipper butterfly, ground squirrel, and the bison It is followed by an open-ended question which requires...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: New Leadership [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
"New Leadership" is Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech as Mayor of Chicago on April 12, 1983. It is followed by an assignment which requires students to provide evidence from the text; it includes comparing Washington's election as...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: My Sister, the Soldier [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"My Sister, the Soldier" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a boy and his mother who are worried about his sister who was a soldier in Iraq. [Contains some mechanical errors; students could find and correct.] It is followed...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Our Streets [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd
"Our Streets" is a one page, nonfiction passage about how streets are designed, built, signed, and maintained. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it includes underlining...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Traveling West [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
"Traveling West" is a one page, nonfiction passage about pioneers traveling west in wagon trains. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes underlining the most important...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: What Is a Fable? [Pdf]

For Teachers 1st - 4th Standards
"What is a Fable?" is a one page, nonfiction passage about what a fable is including animals that talk and a lesson learned. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it includes...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Working at the Hospital [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
"Working at the Hospital" is a one page, nonfiction passage about the various jobs of people who work in a hospital. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes underlining the most...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: Chicago Changer, Jane Addams[pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Chicago Changer, Jane Addams" is a one page, biographical passage about Jane Addams, Chicago's first changer. She helped poor people and immigrants to find homes and learn English. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires...
+
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 4th
"Chicago High Schools" is a one page, nonfiction passage about Chicago high schools, including a variety of specialty high schools and the basic requirments met by all of their high schools. It is followed by an open-ended question which...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Plants and Places [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Plants and Places" is a one page, nonfiction passage about how plants fit the types of environment they live in such as cactus like hot, dry weather and live in Arizona. The state flowers fit the climate of the states. It is followed by...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Changes [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"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...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Space Food [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Space Food" is a one page, nonfiction passage about how astronauts prepare and eat food and clean up afterward to stay healthy. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Transportation Workers [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Transportation Workers" is a one page, nonfiction passage about the various jobs of transportation workers. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes determining the main...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Working at the Television Station [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Working at the Television Station" is a one page, nonfiction passage about the various jobs of workers at a television station. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Economic Connections [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
"Economic Connections" is a one-page nonfiction passage about the economics of importing and exporting goods among countries to get what people need. It is followed by an open-ended question that requires students to provide evidence...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Public Transportation [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th
"Public Transportation" is a one page, nonfiction passage about public transportation in Chicago helps people get where they want to go and provides jobs for many people. It is followed by questions which requires students to provide...
+
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Read to Learn About City Systems [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th
"Read to Learn about City Systems" is a one page, nonfiction passage about government systems and workers that keep people safe including police officers, food inspectors, and water and sewer system workers. It is followed by an...