Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Visual Representations in Informational Text
Students will look at examples of illustrations and diagrams in informational texts and discuss how each one helps enhance the text. Students gain the knowledge that sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words because a complex idea...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Determining Importance & Summarizing Informational Text
These teacher resources focuses on why it is important to teach elementary students to determine the importance and to summarize informational text. It leads an activity to help teachers experience when and how we use these strategies.
Utah Education Network
Uen: Using a Before Reading Organizer With Informational Text
This module provides strategies to use with informational text. Teachers will explicitly teach students about graphic organizers to use before reading informtational texts.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Points of Informational Text Main Idea and Details
This lesson plan uses the book Explorers of North America - A True Book by Brendan January to teach students how to identify the main topic of a multi-paragraph informational text and specific paragraphs within the text. Students are...
Read Works
Read Works: Genre Studies: Informational Text Kindergarten Unit: Labeled Diagrams
[Free Registration/Login Required] Lesson uses Bats by Gail Gibbons to teach students how to identify facts learned from labeled diagrams within an informational text. Ideas for direct teaching, guided practice, and independent practice...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Teach Expository Text Structure to Facilitate Comprehension
Expository text can be challenging to young readers because of the unfamiliar concepts and vocabulary it presents. Discover ways to help your students analyze expository text structures and pull apart the text to uncover the main idea...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Text Feature Diagrams
At the end of this lesson plan, young scholars will be able to identify and create diagrams associated with informational text. Included is a link to an eSpark video on diagrams, rules for group work, multiple examples of diagrams, and a...
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 plan, along with a printable activity sheet are included.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: W.3.2: Write Informative/explanatory Texts to Examine a Topic
Links to 56 lessons and activities that build student skills in standard W.3.2: Write informative/explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Comprehending Nonfiction Text on the Web
Contains plans for three lessons designed to improve comprehension of nonfiction, especially nonfiction texts on the web. It focuses on identifying text features, locating specific information, and generalizing that information. In...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Where Did You Learn That?
As adults, we explore pictures, captions, diagrams and text, when reading any kind of informational piece. Kids can do this too! In this instructional activity, students will sort information that was obtained from pictures and diagrams,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Plant Life Cycle Introduction
Sequencing is an important skill for kindergarten students. This lesson uses nonfiction texts to allow students to make a real-life connection to the skill of sequencing and learn about the plant cycle at the same time! Included are...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Writing a Topic & Concluding Paragraph for the Essay
This lesson plan is a final step towards supporting students to practice writing an informative/explanatory paragraph conveying complex ideas and presenting information clearly and accurately. Second-grade students can usually write a...
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...
Read Works
Read Works: Genre Studies: Biography Kindergarten Unit: Important Person
[Free Registration/Login Required] Lesson uses A Picture Book of George Washington by David A. Adler to teach students what biography is and why the subjects of biographies are important people. Ideas for direct teaching, guided...
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.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: A "How To" Lesson for the Gingerbread Loose in the School
Learning to follow directions is an essential skill needed for success in school as well as in life. Through participation in this lesson, kindergartners will learn the importance of following directions in a specified sequence. Included...
Smart History
Smarthistory: Michelangelo: Last Judgment: Sistine Chapel
Art history and culture website teaches us with great detail and depth of analysis about Michelangelo's High Renaissance work, Last Judgment fresco that appears in the Sistine Chapel. With video [7:29], informational text and images of...
Other
Media Literacy Clearinghouse: Critically Viewing Photographs: Civil War
Was it possible to manipulate photographs during the Civil War? Teach your young scholars about critical viewing through this innovative instructional activity and engage them in discussion, analysis and research to explain their findings.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Native American Petroglyphs Close Read Compare and Contrast
Learners 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: Venn Diagram, 3 Circles
A printable Venn Diagram with three circles to use when comparing and contrasting three things or topics. Directions on how to use this graphic organizer as well as lists of teaching ideas and related resources are also provided.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Investigating Nonfiction Part 3: Independent and Guided Reading
This article provides tips for using nonfiction with guided reading and independent reading. The following strategies are shared: ways to help kids select "just right" nonfiction books; lessons to use with nonfiction in guided reading...
TES Global
Tes: Jekyll and Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
[Free Registration/Login Required] These PowerPoint slides are designed to provide essential information about the setting of the book, Jekyll and Hyde. Background information of the author Robert Louis Stevenson is included. Students...
New Zealand Ministry of Education
Nz Ministry of Education: The Crucible
In this instructional activity young scholars will study Arthur Miller's The Crucible including the langugage used, the issues involved, the background information, reading the text, and planning and delivering (both live and in video)...