The New York Times
Writing Fiction Based on Real Science - NYTimes.com
Refuse to alienate your scientific-minded young scholars during your creative writing unit. Learners explore how literary writing can reflect observable fact, and be based in actual science. The links include examples of fiction and...
Curated OER
Let's Get it Together! Reading to Learn
Let’s learn about frogs! Young readers are led through “Freaky Frogs,” a non-fiction article. Teach learners how to edit an article so there are fewer details to sift through. After talking through the article, they learn the six steps...
US Department of Agriculture
George Washington Carver Coloring and Activity Book
Learn about the interesting life of George Washington Carver and his many accomplishments with this series of worksheets for primary grade learners. From coloring pages and word searches, to non-fiction reading passages and math skills...
Curated OER
Wood
Students practice reading comprehension strategies. In this literacy and science lesson, students read a non-fiction article about wood and locate main ideas and details. Students construct a card game using information taken from the text.
Curated OER
Rachel's Life is in a Hole
Explore how lack of access to water impacts peoples' lives in poor countries. Through text reading and discussion, middle schoolers are presented with the story of a young girl who lives and functions with limited water resources. They...
Curated OER
Natural Disasters: An Adventure in Non-Fiction
Students study different natural disasters. In this natural disaster lesson students read a nonfiction book followed by a discussion, an experiment, then collect illustrations from their experience.
Curated OER
Butterfly, Butterfly: Teaching Vocabulary
Kindergarteners practice new words through listening to and reading the science book Butterfly by Jenny Feely. The teacher will first choose words that are essential for understanding the text. Then, using pictures in the text,...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 6
Is a college education necessary for success in today's world? The class investigates the question, along with others at the end of the sixth workshop in a 15-part series. The lesson has four parts with multiple activities and...
Curated OER
Put A Scientific Spin on Teen Read Week!
Celebrate Teen Read Week by incorporating literature into your science curriculum.
National Geographic
Plant Life
Looking for a guide to pair with non-fiction concept books? Intended to go with science-based leveled text mentioned in the resource, a unit allows for the study of plant life while enhancing academic vocabulary, language skills, and...
Curated OER
Reading Research!
Students investigate the life of an animal and how it responds to winter. The lesson's focus is on reading and research skills using pictures to assist in the understanding of the information presented.
Curated OER
Under The Sea
For this resource lesson, young scholars use non-fiction books to research ocean animals. Students discover the many features of non-fiction books and how to use these features to help them conduct research. Young scholars then...
Curated OER
Reading Research!
Students observe the pictures in non-fiction books that focus on animals in the winter. In addition, they also listed to some read aloud books about hibernation, migration, adaptation and dormancy. Students draw pictures and write notes...
Curated OER
Going Buggy
Students identify the parts of a dragonfly that they drew. They write a very short non-fiction story (mainly with pictures) about the adventure of a dragonfly. They interview a person dressed as a dragonfly to find out some things about...
Curated OER
Real or hoax?
Seventh graders brainstorm a list of criteria that makes a webpage useful for research and not useful for research. They complete the activity, "Real or Hoax," and discuss fiction and non fiction stories and determine which websites are...
Curated OER
From Fact to Fiction: The Origins of Constellations
Sixth graders investigate the constellations. In this constellations lesson, 6th graders discover where the constellations are located and the myth associated with them. Students create their own myth and make a slide show about stars...
Consortium for Ocean Science Exploration and Engagement (COSEE)
Understanding the Food Web
Building on prior knowledge of the pervious lesson in the series, pupils explain the previous lesson to each other. Then they write a simple guide for a young child to read on the same topic.
Curated OER
The Life Cycle of the Butterfly
First graders, after listening to fictional and non-fictional literature about caterpillars, and observing caterpillars from egg to butterfly, write a "biography" of a caterpillar using appropriate vocabulary and time lines.
Curated OER
Fact or Fiction? Urban Legends and Misconceptions
High schoolers are introduced to a process for using web site resources to verify the accuracy of biology information. They follow a guided lesson on evaluating web sites and determining content accuracy. They select a piece of unusual...
Curated OER
Something's Fishy
Learners study fish habits and traits. In this marine life lesson, students complete four learning centers of a fish memory game, a fish habitat study, draw and glue fish craft activity, and a fish read-a-thon. Learners complete their...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 12
How can opinions slant facts? Workshop participants learn how to examine primary and secondary sources and identify the author's point of view. They also examine how visual art impacts the meaning and rhetoric of sources. Full of...
Curated OER
Lesson Two: Discover a purpose for keywords
Second graders research a topic in nature. In this research activity, 2nd graders pick a nature topic and discuss the keywords needed to find more information about that topic. They fill their information out on a organizer.
Curated OER
Under the Sea
Students imagine and describe fictitious sea animals that might live in the ocean. After reading an article, they reflect on new discoveries found in the ocean recently. Using the internet, they research the interdependence of animals...
Curated OER
Ten Red Apples; The Five Senses
A clever lesson designed around an apple awaits your learners. Descriptive words are used to explain what they believe is inside a bag while using their five senses. Students read the story The Apple Pie Tree and are introduced to the...