National Park Service
Hibernation-Migration-Fascination
What's the difference between hibernation and a good nap? Find out with an engaging life science activity that compares the hibernation habits of grizzly bears and marmots. After learners read an informational passage about each mammal,...
Curated OER
Print & Go ESL
Improve reading comprehension with a set of ESL worksheets. Kids read through various passages, note which facts are true or false, mark their opinion on two statements, and write a short reply based on a writing prompt.
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 11: High-Intermediate Level
Build vocabulary and critical thinking skills with a sentence completion instructional activity that comes with an answer and explanations key. The key unlocks for learners logic and comprehension strategies they can use to determine the...
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 21: Low-Advanced SAT Level
Learners must select the best words to complete the six sentences on a instructional activity designed to test their critical thinking skills as well as their vocabulary knowledge. The included answer sheet, which details how to...
Curated OER
Sentence Completion 5: Low-Advanced SAT Level
Sentence completion practice not only improves vocabulary, but critical thinking skills as well. Class members will benefit from exercises and the extended explanations that the answer key provides. Great SAT practice or class discussion...
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Walden and "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau
According to Henry David Thoreau, every citizen must object to unjust laws. The teacher's guide to Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" begins with a detailed essay synopsis to help readers understand Thoreau's rationale in the challenging...
Curated OER
Perceptions of German Unification Over Time
Through a series of readings and handouts, learners will study the shifts in perception that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. The history lesson focuses on periods of change in post WWII German history that led to a changed...
Curated OER
Water Wars
Young scholars investigate the water wars taking place in East Africa. In this global issues lesson, students watch video clips and read selected articles about the water shortages in East Africa. Young scholars estimate their own...
Penguin Books
Teacher's Guide: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
An 11-page teacher's guide that focuses on Delia Owens' bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing is packed with discussion questions and activities. Text-dependent questions, activities, and writing prompts are also included....
Curated OER
Read Between the Lines
Build comprehension, inference, and conclusion skills by encouraging learners to see the importance of reading between the lines.
Curated OER
Asian Cinderella Tales
Explore the world of fairy tales using this instructional activity focusing on higher- order thinking skills. Learners compare and contrast an Asian Cinderella story to other versions. It is a great way to review the characteristics of...
Novelinks
Zach’s Lie: Questioning Strategy – Cubing
Your class won't be a bunch of squares from using this well-rounded activity! Instead, they'll be expressing thoughtful questions using the cubing strategy. The class brainstorms questions of increasing rigor about Zach's Lie in the...
Curated OER
Deconstructing Disney
Tenth graders analyze animated Disney movies. They demonstrate their awareness of how the artful use of language can affect and influence others. They evaluate how both genders and cultures are portrayed in mass media.
Have Fun Teaching
Predict and Infer (22)
Encourage close reading and critical thinking with a learning exercise that asks readers to select an event from a story, predict what they believe will happen, and list clues from the story that support this prediction. After...
Curated OER
Regarding the Fountain: Questioning Strategy—Cubing
Look deeper into the text with a reading strategy based on asking critical thinking questions. While reading Reading the Fountain by Kate Klise, learners think of questions that help them describe, compare, associate, analyze,...
Curated OER
Constitutional Amendments And Gay Marriage
Upper graders critically examine the history and process of amending the U.S. Constitution in light of the current issue facing the courts on legalizing gay marriage. They read a variety of articles, watch news clips, and develop a...
Simon & Schuster
Curriculum Guide to: Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
Great Expectations can prove to be a challenge for instructors who choose to use Dickens's novel as required reading. Here's a curriculum guide that includes lessons that address some of these challenges. The first lesson in critical...
Curated OER
Debate: How Should African Americans Achieve Equality?
Each group is assigned a character to play in a mock debate. They read the provided materials, build an argument, and then debate their points of view as their perspective character. The debate focuses on ensuring equality for...
Novelinks
Where the Red Fern Grows: Graphic Organizer, Story Map
How do you grow a goal from a dream to reality? You make a plan! After reading chapters two and three of Where the Red Fern Grows, learners map how Billy earns his dogs by completing an organizer in pairs and then discussing answers in...
English Worksheets Land
A Tale of Two Gardens
Gardening is fun, no matter what you're growing. A reading comprehension activity encourages learners to compare and contrast two gardens that grow different items.
Central Bucks School District
Making Generalizations
Being able to recognize patterns, craft generalizations, and draw conclusions based on information in a text passage are essential critical thinking skills. Encourage learners to hone these skills with a learning exercise that asks them...
EngageNY
Grade 10 ELA Module 1: Unit 3, Lesson 6
Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club brings together the central ideas of identity, ambition, expectations, and relationships. As high schoolers read an excerpt from the chapter "Two Kinds," they note how Jing-Mei's connection to music relates to...
Curated OER
Pride and Prejudice: Directed Reading Thinking Activity
Can you judge a book by its cover? Decide who and what Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is about with a prediction activity. Before reading the first three chapters of the book, kids answer questions based on their interpretation...
Curated OER
To Fight Or Not To Fight: a Debate About Violence Encourages Critical Thinking Skills
Young scholars read article about student violence, discuss why it happens, and explore non-violent options.