Road to Grammar
Fame
Smile for the camera and find out how your English language learners feel about fame! Class members read three different points of view on fame and then discuss ten questions about the topic.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Discovering the Wallace Line
When studying locations of specific species, interesting patterns emerge. Young scholars discover this as they plot the location of specific species on a group of islands. Patterns emerge as they identify the Wallace Line. They then...
Curated OER
High Up in the Himalayas
Have your class supplement their knowledge on the Himalaya mountain range. In a brief handout, they read about the land masses that collided to form the Himalayas and other mountain ranges. It also touches briefly on the Earth's crust...
Curated OER
The Outsiders: Anticipation Guide
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is always a favorite for middle and high school readers because it addresses issues that hit home to them, decades after the book is set. Have learners fill out an anticipation guide that encourages them to...
Curated OER
50 Cent- "Get Rich or Die Tryin"
In this popular culture reading comprehension worksheet, young scholars read a detailed biography of rapper 50 Cent. Students answer 5 comprehension questions. Note: This is a high interest article with photographs, but contains details...
Curated OER
Pre-reading Activities to Generate Student Interest In Novels
Teachers can generate excitement about required reading by engaging in pre-reading activities.
Curated OER
Language Arts: Reading Non-Fiction
Students read and view information sent from seven high school students who travel to China. The daily reports that they send back to the weblog section of the site should be of high interest to students in Minnesota.
Curated OER
Come Fly with Me . . . Open a Book: Travels through Literature
This detailed overview of a curriculum unit suggests using travel literature to engage and stimulate your third graders’ interest in reading. The suggested reading list includes fiction and non-fiction materials and offers urban children...
Curated OER
A River Runs Through It; Writing Assignment
While reading A River Runs Through It, have your high schoolers work on their final project, a multi-genre research paper. There are 10 clear steps for completion but not much additional help. For early high schoolers (or lower-level...
Curated OER
Student Opinion: Do You Spend Too Much Time on Smart Phones Playing 'Stupid Games'?
This versatile resource from The New York Times website provides a short opinion piece on smart phones and the amount of time we spend playing games on them as well as several possible writing prompts pupils could consider in response to...
Media Smarts
Violence and Video Games
Widespread video gaming makes this content relevant and high interest. Developing youth awareness about the impact of violence in games is important to promote literacy, critical thinking, health, and consumer awareness. After reading...
Mikva Challenge
The Great Electoral Race Kickoff
Do young people care about elections? Host a discussion about the role of young citizens in the electoral process with an engaging social studies lesson plan. As high schoolers read and respond to four statements about youth interest in...
Steppenwolf Arts Exchange
Fahrenheit 451: Study Guide
Here's a must-have packet for your curriculum library. If you are interested in Fahrenheit 451, if you are interested in Ray Bradbury, if you are interested in censorship, if you interested in programs that make a difference, then this...
Curated OER
Part Two: A Truly Inspirational Book List for Teachers
The second article of my two-part series on terrific books for teachers.
Curated OER
Reading the newspaper
Students read articles related to local, state, national, and world events using word maps.
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Accents
In this accents worksheet, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer discussion questions, write, and more...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Earthquake in Pakistan
In this earthquake in Pakistan worksheet, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer discussion questions,...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: East Asia Summit
In this East Asia Summit activity, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer discussion questions, write,...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: Slimming
In this slimming worksheet, students read the article, answer true and false questions, complete synonym matching, complete phrase matching, complete a gap fill, answer short answer questions, answer discussion questions, write, and more...
Curated OER
High winds hit Oman
Students read a text on a severe storm in Oman. They review vocabulary, practice reading strategies and complete a vocabulary matching exercise. Afterward, they design and write a poster to tell people what to do before, during and after...
Curated OER
Vandalism leads to locked bathrooms
Students research bathroom vandalism in other schools like Freedom High after reading an article about Freedom High and their situation. Students then decide if their school has a similar problem and interview administrators and janitors...
Curated OER
Nonfiction Text: Comprehension Practice
A New York Times article about a 15-year-old style maven who in 2011 launched the fashion magazine "Rookie," based on her blog, makes high-interest nonfiction reading for secondary learners. This page asks 9 comprehension questions...
BBC
Words In The News: Japan Textbook Back In Spotlight
High-interest articles are a great way to get struggling readers to tackle difficult vocabulary. Here is a lesson that includes such an article. It is focused around a very interesting and controversial article about the teaching of...
Curated OER
Show, Don't Tell: Details to Make Writing Come Alive
After each of three viewings of a 45-second video, aspiring writers employ vivid adjectives and precise, strong verbs to "show, don't tell." First they compose a single sentence, then three, and finally a five-sentence paragraph. Repeat...