EngageNY
Main Ideas in Informational Text: Analyzing a Firsthand Human Rights Account for Connections to Specific Articles of the UDHR
Lesson 10 in a series of human rights lessons focuses on the skills of finding evidence and summarizing. Your young readers work to compare the two texts they have read in this unit: the Universal Declaration of Human Rights...
EngageNY
Organizing Evidence from Multiple Informational Texts to Prepare for Writing: What Makes an Earthquake a Natural Disaster?
Fifth graders prepare for their end of the unit essay assessment by continuing to look at what makes an earthquake a natural disaster. They complete a graphic organizer and write a topic sentence. To finish, they view a model essay and...
Great Schools
Different Types of Writing
What type of writing is this? Learners read a brief introduction to various types of text: instructions, explanations, poems, folk tales, novels, informative, and arguments. The introduction doesn't explain these, so...
Fluence Learning
Writing Informative Text: Did Shakespeare Write Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare penned some of the richest and most fascinating works of literature—or did he? Middle schoolers read three brief informative passages and conduct additional research to evaluate the claim that Shakespeare did not...
EngageNY
Determining Author’s Opinions, Reasons, and Evidence: Signs of Hope and Progress for African Americans in the 1920s (Promises to Keep, Pages 14–15)
Caption this. Readers look at the text features in Promises to Keep and pay special attention to the photographs and captions before adding to the Features of Informational Text anchor chart. Learners then answer questions about life in...
Curated OER
Water Cycle Reading and Writing
Here is a great way to get pupils to express a scientific concept in a fun way. After hearing the story of Walter the Water drop and learning facts about the water cycle, the class will write a creative expository piece describing what...
Curated OER
Intelligence in the Internet Age
Does technology affect our intelligence? Stefanie Olsen's article, "Intelligence in the Internet Age," and the thought provoking reading comprehension questions that follow, are sure to generate a lively discussion.
EngageNY
Gathering Textual Evidence for the Two-Voice Poem (Author’s Note)
Writers take a look at how to gather evidence from the information text in the unit that connects to Salva and Nya’s story. They complete a Gathering Evidence from Informational Texts sheet to guide their work. Pupils then use the...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension: Thunder and Lightning
Thunder and lightning are so exciting! Your class gets to read all about it. This informational reading passage provides them with a scientific explanation of thunder and lightning. They read the passage, answer comprehension questions,...
Curated OER
Beauty or the Beast
Does the FDA really intend to protect public health? Spark a debate in your chemistry or health class by using this article, titled "Beauty or the Beast." It questions the safety of cosmetics and toiletry products, govenment regulations,...
Curated OER
Taboo Table Talk
Create memories for your family that are enjoyable, as well as helping to enhance their ability to read and understand information.
National Museum of the American Indian
The A:Shiwi (Zuni) People: A Study in Environment, Adaptation, and Agricultural Practices
Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This lesson includes examining a poster's photographs, reading...
Curated OER
Where in the World is Mrs. Waffenschmidt? #11
Boats, gondolas, and narrow canals! Sounds like Mrs. Waffenschmidt is hanging out in Venice, Italy. Your class needs to read the informational paragraph and use what they know about geography and culture to determine this mysterious...
Curated OER
Where in the World in Mrs. Waffenschmidt? #3
Not only does the class need to find out where Mrs. Waffenschmidt is, they need to name the famous author from that country. They read the informational passage, use the clues given, and determine the author's name and the teacher's...
Curated OER
Where the Books Are
The news is full of interesting stories and ideas shared in an informational style. Readers use the provided who, what, when, where, and why questions as they explore an article about a man who is passionate about archiving physical...
Curated OER
New Rules for Sunscreens
What are UVB and UVB rays, and why isn't my sunscreen good enough? Kids find out all the newest information regarding sunscreen and skin cancer as they read this New York Times article. They read the article then answer eight related...
Curated OER
The 2012 Grammy Awards
Kids answer 11 who, what, when, where, and why questions after reading a New York Times article about the Grammy Awards. Boosting reading comprehension by reading about a topical event keeps pupils informed and interested. A related blog...
Curated OER
The Value of Facebook
Does Facebook actually have any value? Find out what the New York Times thinks by reading this informational article. Learners use the 10 guiding questions to aid them as the read the provided article regarding the value of Facebook. Two...
Curated OER
Reading about Recent Exhibits in the Art and Design Section
A large part of analyzing or understanding art is knowing how to read about it. The New York Times has put together these who, what, where, when, and how questions to aid learners in comprehending informational pieces related to art and...
Curated OER
Reacting to the Rapture
FamilyRadio.com publicized that the Rapture or Judgement Day would happen on May 21, 2011, it didn't. Informed students read a New York Times article on the topic, then answer nine related comprehension questions.
Curated OER
Hopeful Eyes on Southern Skies
The Times covered a drought in 2011, which affected producers, consumers, and sellers. The class gets informed about climate and the economics of agriculture as the read this article and answer each of the 11 comprehension questions. A...
Curated OER
America: The Story of Us Episode 6: The Heartland
I love handouts that include reading passages and discussion questions.Here you will find two pages. Page one provides an informational reading passage and six discussion questions. Page two provides a three paragraph primary-source...
Curated OER
The 'Question of Palestine'
New York Times covers hot topics and current events, now you may use those articles to help young people become more aware. Kids read an article regarding the Israeli-Palestinian agreement and the prospect of Palestine joining the UN....
Curated OER
Freedom for the Chilean Miners
Have your class read this seven paragraph article about Chilean miners who were trapped and freed from a mine. There are five comprehension questions, a verb-to-noun matching exercise, a role-play suggestion, and a creative writing task...