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

"Traveling West" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the difficult journey west for pioneers traveling in wagon trains and how the railroad made traveling west much easier and faster. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes: determining main idea and underlining supporting text. This passage aligns with Common Core Anchor Reading Standards 1 and 2 requiring close reading, textual evidence, main idea, and summarizing.