Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning about Africville

For Teachers K - 12th
Students research the history of Africville in Canada and present their findings to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Charlotte's Web

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders focus on fluency by reading the book Charlotte's Web. In this reading strategies lesson, 4th graders partner read, do guided reading, and independent reading to increase fluency. Students use Venn Diagrams, discuss...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

KWL Chart and Background Article

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students discuss an ecosystem. In this coral reef lesson, students fill in their own KWL chart and contribute ideas to a whole class KWL chart. They read an article as a class to spark ideas for facts they can add to the "K" part of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's Time to Sum It Up!!!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students practice the reading strategy of summarization skills by picking out main events or ideas while reading a chapter in a book. They interact with the article, "SuperCroc," from National Geographic for Kids magazine to summarize...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Plot/Story Problem/Resolution

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students analyze the plot, problem, and resolution of a story. In this story analysis lesson, students read stories and fill out graphic organizers about the plot, story problems, and resolution.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Speak Up, Speak Out

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine, compare, and summarize the speeches of Sojourner Truth and Patrick Henry. They review the parts of a good speech and design and give their own speech that expresses an opinion and persuades the listener..
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Background Reading and Coral Dramas

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners create a dramatic play. In this coral instructional activity, students explore the anatomy of coral. Working in groups, learners research the form and function of coral and present a skit to represent their learning.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Citizenship

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students reflect on characteristics of good citizens, examine democratic symbolism, create an award and choose an individual to receive the award as part of this lesson on citizenship. Lesson ties together social studies, language arts,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Incredible Book

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the contributions made by famous Americans during the American Revolution. They conduct research using a variety of resources, and create an informational page in the form of "Incredible Books" to contribute to a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cotton Journey

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students use "Cotton Journey-A Field Trip In A Box" kit to relate the significance of cotton to the Civil War period and to study the cotton industry in general.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Uncle Jed's Barbershop

For Students 3rd - 12th
For this Uncle Jed's Barbershop worksheet, students read the book Uncle Jed's Barbershop and complete short answer questions about it. Students complete 10 questions total.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

United States Flag: Stars and Stripes

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study the symbols and history of the United States flag. In this United States flag lesson, students complete a KWL about the U.S. flag. Students then visit a website to learn about the American flag and discuss the topic....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Summing It All Up

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students explore reading comprehension and how to summarize an article using a web. They explore the six steps of summarization. Students read "The World's Smallest Bird". They review how to read a text silently and then they discuss the...
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...
Activity
Online Writing Lab at Purdue University

Purdue University Owl: Exercise: Basic Level Paraphrase and Summary Writing

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
Practice paraphrasing sentences and summarizing short paragraphs.
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Guided Comprehension: Summarizing

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Lesson that introduces young scholars to the comprehension technique of summarizing. Students learn using the QuIP (questions into paragraphs) method which involves organizing information and putting it in writing.
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

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: American Explorers [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
"American Explorers" is a one page, non-fiction, reading passage about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They traveled from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean with the help of Native Americans and made maps along the way. It is followed by...
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: 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: A Garden in Lawndale [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"A Garden in Lawndale" is a one page, non-fiction, reading passage about an eighth grade class who planted a garden in a vacant lot by their school and maintained it to improve their neighborhood. It is followed by constructed-response...