Curated OER
Shizuko's Daughter: Concept of Definition Word Map
Help your class use critical thinking when it comes to unfamiliar words. With vocabulary from Kyoko Mori's Shizuko's Daughter, kids write the word in the center of a graphic organizer, and find its category, comparisons, examples, and...
San Diego Unified School District
On-Demand Persuasive Writing Samples
Young writers complete a timed persuasive writing assignment in which they argue for a club they would like to see established at school, and are then provided with real student samples of responses.
Novelinks
The House on Mango Street: Question Answer Relationships Strategy
Good readers question text as they read. The Question Answer Relationships Strategy (QAR) used in this resource with The House on Mango Street, provides readers with a concrete approach for questioning Sandra Cisneros' text and...
Fluence Learning
Writing About Informational Text: The Dred Scott Decision
Looking for a performance assessment that asks individuals to demonstrate their competency in writing about informational text? Use Frederick Douglass' essay "On the Dred Scott Decision," and an excerpt from Abraham Lincoln's 1857 speech...
Fluence Learning
Writing Informative Text: School Days
A three-part writing assessment challenges scholars to think critically about schools of the past and present. Learners read informative texts, answer questions to prepare for a discussion, research in small groups, complete a Venn...
EngageNY
Final Performance Task: Fishbowl Discussion about Editorial Essay
Using the resource, learners share their essay revisions with a partner. Afterward, they participate in a Fishbowl discussion, receiving peer feedback about their editorial essays.
Curated OER
The First Road Trip, Parts 1 and 2
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a three-paragraph fictional passage about the first engine car, They answer four short-essay questions about this passage. Road Trip, Part 2 contains a six-paragraph story, eight...
Curated OER
Poessayworld: West Meets East and Aristotle Meets Basho
Students explore the two worlds of Aristotle and Basho. They stage a poem reading from both poets. Text are compared and contrasted side by side. Constructive criticism is administrated.
Curated OER
Critical Analysis: "Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain" by Jessica Mitford
For this "Behind the Formaldehyde Curtain" worksheet, students analyze the purpose and the meaning as well as summaryize the text. Students determine three elements that the author used to make her point.
Curated OER
Lesson 3: A Poem's Theme
Leaf by Leaf: Autumn Poems by Barbara Rogasky is the foundation of this lesson on theme identification. Critical thinkers read three different poems from the book then attempt to find the message the author is sending her readers. They...
Curated OER
"Book Report Gallery" Bulletin Board
Read all about it! A camera is all you need to create a fun bulletin board promoting books. Take pictures of readers holding their favorite books and position comic-book style talk bubbles over the pictures. Created with markers and...
Curated OER
Close Reading
Eleventh graders read and study Hamlet. Then they are introduced to close reading as a means of understanding what is being read--not only understanding the printed word, but also the nuances and connotations of language as it is used by...
Curated OER
Latino Literature: Poetry
Under construction, this lesson focuses on Canto Familia, a collection of poetry about Gary Soto's experiences growing up in California's Imperial Valley. Representative of the experiences of many Latinos, the poems also address themes...
Novelinks
The Book Thief: Cubing Strategy
Whether used to review prior to a reading assessment or as a way to generate ideas for an essay, this activity is sure to encourage critical thinking about Markus Zusak's The Book Thief. Kids create a six-sided question cube with each...
Curated OER
A Growing Vocabulary
Students discover the meaning of the word genealogy as it appears in the context of reading. They continue finding new vocabulary words and entering them in their personal dictionaries.
Curated OER
The World in 22 Minutes: Constructing a TV News Lineup
Students examine several newspapers to compare front pages, headlines, and photographs, experience role of news editor, define and discuss factors that go into news judgements, and arrange twenty-two minute news broadcast by selecting...
Curated OER
Gap Filling 4: Context Clues
Help your English learners strengthen their use of context clues in this straightforward worksheet. Twenty questions provide learners with multiple choices for completing several sentences. They choose the option that has the correct...
Curated OER
Build Your Dream Science Lab
Would your ideal science lab be filled with bubbling beakers and zapping Tesla coils? Or would it contain state-of-the-art computer technology and data analysis? Dream big with an innovative lesson that connects math and language arts...
American Press Institute
High Five: Media Literacy and Newspapers
Teach the five different types of media with the first of three in a media literacy unit. Learners create and propose a final newspaper project, which must address information covered throughout the unit.
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 1: Low-Advanced SAT Level
Here's another sentence completion instructional activity that will provide your learners with additional vocabulary practice or SAT test prep. A detailed answer key is included so learners could work alone or in groups to study the...
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 30
Use this multiple-choice vocabulary assessment with your advanced English language learners or your native speakers. There are six sentences provided, and your class must determine which word best completes each sentence. Example words...
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 10
Can your English language learners pick up on the subtle hints imbedded in each sentence? There are eight sentences provided, and your learner must read each and identify the best possible answer from five multiple-choice options...
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 20: High-Intermediate Level
Here's an exercise that will help learners develop their vocabulary. The eight sentence completion problems are followed by an answer key that explains why one answer is correct and why the other possibilities are not. Richly detailed,...
Curated OER
Comparing and Contrasting
Analyze historical biographies. Young scholars compare and contrast the biographies of Susan B. Anthony and Pat Nixon. They construct graphic organizers, answer critical thinking questions, complete a formative assessment.