Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Skimming, Scanning, and Interpreting
Text accompanied by questions leads students through process of skimming (glancing through text for main idea), scanning (searching text for specific information) and interpretation (grasping and reacting to the deeper message).
Other
Thoughtful Learning: ccss.ela literacy.rl.8.9
Use the following resources to teach students how to analyze a modern work of fiction that draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Sl.4.5: Add Audio Recordings and Visual Displays to Presentations
Links to 31 lessons and activities that build student skills in standard SL.4.5: Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when appropriate to enhance to development of main ideas or themes.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Frog and Toad Are Friends
In this lesson for early readers, students will describe the major events in the plot, describe the characters, and ask and answer questions about the first chapter in Frog and Toad Are Friends---Spring.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Like Plants [Pdf]
"I Like Plants" is a one page, realistic fiction, reading passage about a person who loves plants and became a botanist; now she teaches her college students about plants and ecology. It is followed by constructed-response questions...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Essay Map
A fillable essay map in PDF format with boxes for an introduction, main ideas, supporting details, and a conclusion. Directions on how to use this type of graphic organizer as well as lists of teaching ideas and related resources are...
Read Works
Read works.org: The Artist Who Painted Herself
[Free Registration/Login Required] Use this read aloud lesson to teach concepts such as main idea, using pictures to gain information, and recount key details from an informational text. This lesson plan aligns with Common Core standards...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Like Plants [Pdf]
"I Like Plants" is a one page, realistic fiction, reading passage about a person who loves plants and became a botanist; now she teaches her college students about plants and ecology. It is followed by constructed-response questions...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Narrative Pyramid
A printable narrative pyramid where students can record information about a story including the character, setting, problem, main events, and solution. Directions on how to use this type of graphic organize as well as lists of teaching...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: The 2 Faces of Pocahontas
Teachers will engage young learners to understand how one story can be shared more than one way. This lesson demonstrates an historical interpretation of the story about Pocahontas and John Smith with the Disney movie. Several resources...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Generally Speaking, Generalizations Can Generally Be Confusing
In this lesson, 5th graders learn how to identify a generalization in a text so that they can then spot lies or inaccuracies. Includes downloadable workbook with a generalization activity on page 53.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: The True Story of Christopher Columbus
In this lesson, 5th graders analyze two nonfiction passages on Christopher Columbus to determine facts and author's bias and its influence on the readers.
BBC
Bbc Skillswise: Reading: Skimming and Scanning
Tutorial on how to skim and scan text and the difference between them. For adult learners.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Getting to Know Adelita
In this lesson, 1st graders will describe the characters, setting, and key details in "Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella" by Tomie de Paolaby. With guidance and support, students will record the details on a circle map.
Penguin Publishing
Penguin Random House: A Teacher's Guide to "Death of a Salesman" [Pdf]
Comprehension questions, reflection and research questions, and project ideas are the main focus of this 7 page .pdf guide.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Power Notes
Power Notes is a strategy that teaches students an efficient form of organizing information from assigned text. This technique provides students a systematic way to look for relationships within material they are reading. Power Notes...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Activities for Struggling Readers
How can you help the struggling readers in your classroom? This site offers some insight into activities to help develop your students reading skills.
PBS
Pbs: Multiple Methods of Reading Instruction
This article surveys three strategies to incorporate into classroom repertoire. They include guided reading, choral reading, and readers' theater.
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...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Pre Reading Activities for El Ls
Pre-reading activities can engage student interest, activate prior knowledge, or pre-teach potentially difficult concepts and vocabulary. They also offer a great opportunity to introduce comprehension components such as cause and effect,...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Summarizing
Summarizing teaches students how to take a large selection of text and reduce it to the main points for a more concise understanding. Upon reading a passage, summarizing helps students learn to determine essential ideas and consolidate...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Retelling the Story
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart helps to teach students how to retell main events from a story and sequence events.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Story Maps
Story Maps are used for teaching students to work with story structure for better comprehension. This technique uses visual representations to help students organize important elements of a story. Students learn to summarize the main...
New Zealand Ministry of Education
Nz Ministry of Education: As Far as the Eye Can See
View a variety of television advertisements analyzing visual and verbal features and how these are combined to communicate ideas. Write a coherent essay which expresses and argues a viewpoint about a chosen marketing strategy, linking...