ACT has developed this list of activities to help middle-school students improve their reading ability. Parents and educators can use this information to help ensure that these students are on target for college and career readiness.

The importance of background knowledge is especially salient in the age of Common Core. This article offers practical classroom strategies to build background knowledge such as using contrasts and comparisons and encouraging...

Contains plans for seven lessons about working dogs that teach critical thinking skills and a vocabulary strategy called Word Storms. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the...

Anticipating is an effective reading strategy for readers of all ages. Utilize this template and graphic organizer to help your students become better readers.

Numerous activities, games, quizzes, lessons, and PowerPoint presentations are provided for the topic of "figurative language" in writing. Students will have numerous exposures to examples. Students will also be able to practice...

Determine the theme of a story with this reading activity. See the model and then practice identifying the theme.

Compare the printed page to an electronic web page and use this activity to discuss the similarities and differences. A cross-curricular tie-in with ecosystems. Could easily be adapted to another subject area.

Contains plans for two lessons that ask young scholars to apply Freytag's Pyramid (also known as Freytag's Triangle) to pieces of writing, oral storytelling, and television shows. In addition to objectives and standards, this...

Comprehension strategies are conscious plans - sets of steps that good readers use to make sense of text. Comprehension strategy instruction helps students become purposeful, active readers who are in control of their own reading...

Students need to develop an extensive vocabulary to read with fluency. In turn, fluency in reading leads to increased comprehension. Fluency also comes from the written language of the reader since the student writes words he or she...

Links to 36 lessons and activities that build student skills in standard SL.4.1a: Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to...

Links to 38 lessons and activities that build student skills in standard SL.4.2: Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of...

After listening to a reading of Dr. Seuss' Bartholomew and the Oobleck, students use graphic organizers and comic strips to practice sequencing. In a fun activity, small groups follow directions to make oobleck.

Students will be answering text-dependent questions in which they will have to describe the differences between the different characters, settings, and major events in our stories using complex contrasting sentences. The students will...

Young scholars will explore the value of personal stories and first-hand accounts when exploring history, in this case, the events of the early twentieth century, which included World War I and the Great Depression. Through this...

First graders will use text evidence to make inferences about word and word phrase meanings in a text. Word and picture clues will be used to help students form inferences.