Mr. Nussbaum
Blue Whale
An interactive tests scholars' reading comprehension skills. After reading or listening to a brief informational text, learners answer five fill-in-the-blank questions. Results appear instantly.
Colorado State University
Colorado State Writing Center: Critical Reading
In-depth instructions on critical reading with lots of links to more reading guides and activities. A good site to help improve reading skills to become a better writer.
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts: The Big Read: Bless Me, Ultima
Guide to Rudolfo Anaya's Bless Me, Ultima, including historical information, author biography, discussion questions, and a ten-lesson unit of study with activities, homework assignments, project ideas, and essay topics. A radio show,...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts: The Big Read: The Call for the Wild
Guide to Jack London's, The Call of the Wild, with historical information, author biography, discussion questions, and a ten-lesson unit of study including activities, homework assignments, project ideas, and essay topics. A radio show...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment of the Arts: The Big Read: The Death of Ivan Ilyich
Guide to Leo Tolstoy's Death of Ivan Ilyich, with historical information, author biographies, discussion questions, and a ten-lesson unit of study including activities, homework assignments, project ideas, and essay topics.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Reading Discussion Guide: Milkweed by Jerry Spinelli
Young Misha Pilsudski lives on the streets of Warsaw, Poland and struggles with his identity. When he enters the Jewish ghetto and sees firsthand the evil acts of Hitler's Nazi soldiers, he realizes it's safest of all to be nobody.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Reading Discussion Guide: Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
One glance and students know that the new girl at Mica High School is not your ordinary high school student. Stargirl Caraway is a free spirit. She has a pet rat named Cinnamon, plays the ukulele in the cafeteria, and refuses to wear the...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Reading Discussion Guide: Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
Set in 1943 when the Nazis occupied Denmark, ten-year-old Annemarie Johansen is asked to carry out a heroic deed and aid her uncle in his efforts to smuggle Danish Jews across the sea to Sweden, where they will be safe. She has already...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Discussion Guide: The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School
Candace Fleming writes contemporary stories built around Aesop's fables in The Fabled Fourth Graders of Aesop Elementary School. No one wants to teach the fourth graders until the amazing Mr. Jupiter comes along. He undertakes the task...
Capital Community College Foundation
Guide to Grammar and Writing: Recognizing Prepositions
This preposition practice activity provides a paragraph from a Hemingway short story. Students click on all of the prepositions used in prepositional phrases in the story. These words will appear in a box below. When finished they can...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts: The Big Read: Ozick: The Shawl
Readers guide to Cynthia Ozick's The Shawl, including historical context, author biography and discussion questions. Included teachers guide contains a ten-lesson unit with discussion activities, homework assignments, essay topics, and...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts: The Big Read: A Lesson Before Dying
Guide to Ernest J. Gaines' novel, A Lesson Before Dying, with historical information, author biography, discussion questions, and ten lesson plans with activities, homework assignments, project ideas and essay topics. A radio show, with...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts: The Big Read: Jeffers: Poetry
Guide to the poetry of Robinson Jeffers, including historical information, biographies, discussion questions, and lesson plans. Each one of ten lesson plans has discussion activities, writing exercises, vocabulary, and homework...
National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts: The Big Read: The Maltese Falcon
Guide to Dashiell Hammett's The Maltese Falcon, with historical information, author biography, discussion questions, and a ten-lesson unit of study including activities, homework assignments, project ideas, and essay topics. A radio...
HotChalk
Hot Chalk: Lesson Plans Page: Big Book Activities: What Will the Weather Be Like Today?
In this K-2 lesson, the teacher uses guided reading strategies and creative activities to make a big book come alive to her students.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Books: Zathura by Chris Van Allsburg
This comprehensive teacher's guide for the book "Zathura" by Chris Van Allsburg provides us with an opportunity to examine how writers blend scientific information with a fictional story.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Reading Discussion Guide: Tweak by Nic Sheff
Nic Sheff was drunk for the first time at age 11. In the years that followed, he would regularly smoke pot, do cocaine and Ecstasy, and develop addictions to crystal meth and heroin. Even so, he felt like he would always be able to quit...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Reading Discussion Guide: The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
Matt is a clone of El Patron, a powerful drug lord of the land of Opium, located between the United States and Mexico. For six years, he has lived in a tiny cottage in the poppy fields with Celia, a kind and deeply religious servant...
CPALMS
Cpalms: Five Little Monkeys: Comparing and Contrasting
[Free Registration/Login Required] Five little monkeys sitting on a bed or sitting in a tree? In this close reading lesson, students will compare and contrast the actions of the characters in two of Eileen Christelow's beloved books,...
Other
Nancy Polette: "The Best School Year Ever" Literature Guide
This is a good site for someone who has read "The Best School Year Ever" by Barbara Robinson. It has a brief description of the story. Then, it lists several activities to do to better understand the book.
CPALMS
Help Pick Your Class Pet
[Free Registration/Login Required] During this MEA simulation, kindergarten students will be given the power of slelecting a classroom pet. Students, working in collaborative groups, must collect data about different potential classroom...
Other
Global School Net: How to Design a Successful Project
Before you begin a keypal exchange, read this article about project design.These guidelines, along with the template for writing you own "Call for Collaboration," will help guide you through a successful online learning experience with...
Trinity University
Trinity University: Inherited Traits Versus Learned Behaviors [4Th Grade]
In this extremely detailed unit, learners will learn the about innate and learned characteristics in animals and humans through a series of teacher and student-led discussions, readings, reflections, learning activities, and...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Topo Map Mania!
Maps are designed to allow people to travel to a new location without a guide to show the way. They tell us information about areas to which we may or may not have ever been. There are many types of maps available for both recreational...