Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Many Parts
Preparation for reading complex informational texts starts in K and First grade. Knowing the features of the genre, and how to navigate through it is one of the necessary stepping stones. This activity introduces the student to different...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Get Close to Think Deeply: Creating Primary Level Close Readings
This strategy guide focuses on planning and implementing close reading of complex text in the primary grades which fosters progressively deeper thinking as students become more responsible for their own learning. It offers a step-by-step...
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Read Like This a Strategy for Close Reading of Literature
Learn and practice close reading strategies to help increase your understanding of how to approach challenging and complex texts.
Other
Steilacoom Historical School District No. 1: Dramatic Justice [Pdf]
In this instructional activity unit, students investigate how justice is perceived and addressed in different cultures and times by examining literature from around the world. Texts examined include: The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, A...
PBS
Pbs: Academic Vocabulary in the Common Core: Middle School English Language Arts
This video [14:33] shows a demonstration of academic vocabulary instruction through the context of a complex work, a poem. The teacher demonstrates how to access the literal meaning of new vocabulary and then infer the deeper meaning....
REMC Association of Michigan
Remc Association of Michigan: 21 Things4 Students: 21. Computational Thinking
Computational thinking can be used to take a complex problem, understand what the problem is and develop possible solutions to solve or explain it. In these six Quest, students will learn about the four stages of computational thinking:...
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Ap Literature & Composition: Self Selected Drama
This unit focuses on the students selecting a play to read and study from an extensive list provided. A link to key drama terms is provided. Student read and respond to their selected text, learn the vocabulary, and take a quiz.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: From Seed to Plant
Students will use the illustrations and details in the text to describe how plants grow. This instructional activity uses a complex text to allow students to analyze the pictures in From Seed to Plant and From Seed to Pumpkin. Included...
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Metamorphosis Stories of Change
The goal of this activity is for students to learn how to tell a story in order to make a complex topic (such as global warming or ozone holes) easier for a reader to grasp. Students realize that the narrative impulse underlies even...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Writing a Topic & Concluding Paragraph for the Essay
This lesson is a final step towards supporting young scholars to practice writing an informative/explanatory paragraph conveying complex ideas and presenting information clearly and accurately. Second-grade students can usually write a...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Martin Luther King, Jr. Comprehension Activity
[Free Registration/Login Required] This lesson is geared for a comprehension activity for the book, "My Brother, Martin" by Christine King Farris (MLK Jr.'s sister). It is intended to be a comprehension lesson based around the reading...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Note Taking for Social Studies
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart covers how to read a historical text and convert information into visual representations by taking notes. This strategy helps students to read a passage and determine the author's purpose.
Other
Reading Quest: Making Sense of Social Studies
Teaching students to read well in areas other than language arts requires teaching and reinforcing the kinds of reading strategies taught here. There are 27 strategies, ranging from brainstorming to word mapping. The site includes PDF...
Other
Lexile: The Lexile Framework for Reading: Find a Book
Students use the "Find A Book" tool to build a custom book list based on their Lexile measure and interests. Book summaries and cover illustrations are included, as well as links to assist in locating the books on the list.
Wisconsin Response to Intervention Center
Wisconsin Rt I Center: Reading Resources [Pdf]
This site provides a collection of reading strategy teaching resources. Strategies are arranged according to the ELA Common Core Curriculum Standards and grade level bands.
TES Global
Blendspace: Reading Strategies for Complex Texts
A nine-part learning module on reading strategies including links to videos, images, websites, and activities.
TES Global
Blendspace: Types of Sentences
A nine-part learning module with links to texts, videos, and websites to use while learning about clauses and simple, compound, and complex sentences.
Other
Shoreline Community College: Formal Properties of Literature
As students become more aware of text complexity, an understanding of the formal properties of literature becomes more important. This is an excellent examination of the kinds of choices writers make that change the way readers receive...
Buck Institute
Pbl Works: What Does It Mean to Align Pbl With Common Core?
[Free Registration/Login Required] Seeing the phrase "CCSS Aligned" on everything and wondering if it truly aligned? This article and video discusses five considerations to look for in problem based learning. To ensure alignment to...
Education.com
Education.com: Rl.3.10 Worksheets: By End of the Year, Read and Comprehend Lit
[Free Registration/Login Required] Links to 30 worksheets and graphic organizers that can be downloaded and printed. Each worksheet focuses on skills highlighted in standard RL.3.10: By the end of the year, read and comprehend...
Louisiana Department of Education
Louisiana Doe: Curriculum Hub: Ela Guidebooks: Teenage Brain: Answer Questions About Ideas and Topics
Answer questions about ideas and topics shared across texts to extend your understanding of complex texts and build your knowledge of the effect of social media on the brain. This will help us evaluate claims across texts.
CPALMS
Cpalms: Lafs.1.ri.4.10
This website offers various resources to meet the common core standard of reading informational texts appropriately complex for grade 1. Resources include center activities, lesson plans, and a professional development article.
TES Global
Blendspace: Sentence Types and Comma Rules
A 21-part learning module including links to texts, images, videos, exercises, and websites on simple, compound, and complex sentences and their rules for comma use.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Summary and Paraphrase: Tutorial
In this slideshow tutorial, students are provided with notes that distinguish "summarizing" from "paraphrasing" content. Examples of effective summaries and paraphrases of text are provided. Then students have the opportunity to engage...