Mr. Nussbaum
Money
Young readers test their comprehension skills with an interactive practice. Pupils read a brief informational text about money then answer five questions. A detailed page appears at the end to showcase participants' work.
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Text Analysis: What's the Purpose? [Pdf]
A lesson plan in which students read short texts and sort them according to purpose: persuade, inform, entertain, and explain. Materials are included. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.6
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Searching Informational Texts
Online lesson allows elementary students to use prior knowledge, make predictions, and perform research on the Internet. Labeled "The Frog Beyond the Fairy Tale Character," lesson challenges students to examine print and online texts...
Read Works
Read Works: Solving New York City's Hurricane Problem With Representations
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about working together to prepare for a natural disaster. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Exploring How Section Headings Support Understanding
Teaching students to pay attention to headings and titles as they read? Here you'll find a practical application for using an expository text to apply the concept of using headings. Geared toward older elementary students, but lesson...
Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: Part 2 Reading: Informational Text: Understand Content Words
Understand how to use content words and context clues to identify unknown words in a reading passage.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Setting a Purpose for Reading Using Informational Text
This instructional activity engages students in using a two-column graphic organizer to take notes. Students will record titles and subtitles and list questions that will correspond with each one.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Reading Instruction: Content Area Reading Instruction
This website offers a free download of the Research-Based Content Area Reading Instruction booklet. The purpose of this booklet is to provide teachers with research-based and classroom-tested information about each of these aspects of...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Molly of Denali: Dream Tube Lesson Plan
Use this comprehensive instructional activity as part of a comprehensive literacy, STEM, or social studies unit in which children will be using informational texts. In the "Dream Tube" animated story from the PBS Kids series Molly of...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Identifying the Difference Between Informational and Literary Text
Students will learn the difference between books that tell stories and books that give information. Multiple videos of different level reading groups engaged in this lesson, along with a printable activity sheet are included.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: The Foundations for Reading
What are the foundations for reading? Come and explore this informative article to discover the answer to this question.
Read Works
Read Works: Water on the Earth
[Free Registration/Login Required] This informational text passage discusses the processes of weathering and erosion, along with their effects. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and...
Read Works
Read Works: A New Neighborhood Farmers Market
[Free Registration/Login Required] This informational text passage is about the addition of a farmers' market in New York City. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Exp. Text Structure: Projected Paragraphs
A lesson plan in which students read a text and highlight the most important details. Materials are included. [PDF]
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Monitor for Understanding: Sum Summary! [Pdf]
A lesson plan in which students read a narrative or informational text and complete graphic organizers to help them write good summaries of the texts. Materials are included.
McGraw Hill
Mc Graw Hill: Mastering the Common Core Accessing Complex Texts With M. Russo
This professional development video is instructed by the National Reading Consultant, Marisa Russo. She provides explanations about what makes a complex text, why text complexity is important, and techniques to help student access...
Read Works
Read Works: Centuries of Peace
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read about people of various religions living peacefully in the same area. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Researching Information: Comparing Electronic and Print Texts
This lesson allows students to compare and contrast print text structure with that of an online site. Students work together and use worksheets in comprehending the informational text. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.WHST.6-8.7 Conduct short research...
Other
Ccss Literacy E Handbook: Informational Text: Understand Precise Vocabulary
A short explanation of the importance of using precise word choice in writing and using context clues to help you understand the meaning of precise words when reading. Click on Model to for an example with explanation and then click on...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Native American Petroglyphs Close Read Compare and Contrast
Students will read an article by Byron Loosle on the meaning of Native American symbols and compare that to a video clip of an actual Native American explaining the symbols. There is a difference of opinion and students will weigh both...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Creating Magazine Covers to Summarize Texts
In this lesson, students will examine the ways in which a magazine cover's headlines and graphics express the main ideas of its articles. They will then use an interactive tool to create covers that summarize chapters of informational...
Read Works
Read Works: Coming to America: Ellis Island and New York City
[Free Registration/Login Required] This full text is borrowed from the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and provides information about the history of Ellis Island and the first person account of the immigration experience....
Read Works
Read Works: Columbus Reports on His First Voyage, 1493
[Free Registration/Login Required] Abridged from the full text located at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, this passage provides a primary source and a discussion of Christopher Columbus' first voyage. Paired texts, a...
Other
Read Works: What Mitosis Has to Do With Families [Pdf]
An informational text about mitosis and its role in reproduction. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.