Other
Ncrel: Reading Strategies: Before, During, and After [Pdf]
This page provides a detailed chart to aid students' understanding of texts. It goes through the steps of pre-reading, during reading, and after reading, outlining what students should be thinking about as they interact with a text. This...
AdLit
Ad lit.org: Teach the Seven Strategies of Highly Effective Readers
To improve students' reading comprehension, teachers should introduce the seven cognitive strategies of effective readers: activating, inferring, monitoring-clarifying, questioning, searching-selecting, summarizing, and...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Woolly Mammoth Sparks Debate Over Cloning
CommonLit.org is a wonderful resource to use in a Language Arts classroom. Each story or article is accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. In addition, students can click on words to see...
Florida Center for Reading Research
Florida Center for Reading Research: Monitor for Understanding: Strategic
A lesson plan in which students complete a graphic organizer to record prior knowledge before reading, ask questions while reading, and summarize a text after reading. Materials are included. [PDF]
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Learn About South Africa [Pdf]
"Learn about South Africa" is a one page, nonfiction passage about South Africa and its fight to end the apartheid. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes underlining the most...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Why Did Mamma Change Her Mind? [Pdf]
"Why Did Mamma Change Her Mind?" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a party. Mom said her son and daughter could each have 5 friends (5 boys and 5 girls). The girl wanted all girls so the party was cancelled. It is followed...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Seasons on the Prairie/questions [Pdf]
"Seasons on the Prairie/Questions" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the different seasons in the prairie. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes: determining...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Traveling West [Pdf]
"Traveling West" is a one page, nonfiction passage about pioneers traveling west in wagon trains. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes underlining the most important...
Other
Curriculum Associates: Determining Theme or Central Idea [Pdf]
In this reading comprehension lesson unit, learners are guided in learning how to find the main theme or idea of a text and understanding how details in the text convey that. Includes lots of exercises and examples, as well as...
CPALMS
Cpalms: Calling All Kid Presidents
[Free Registration/Login Required] For this lesson, students will watch a video of Kid President giving a speech and another of a student's winning speech to be vice-president of the student council. They will also read an excerpt from...
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Puppy Walker
This Zoom video segment features Brett, a boy who trains puppies to be seeing-eye dogs.
Other
Wisconsin Educational Communication Board: Into the Book
This series of videos and interactive activities provide an excellent set of resources for teaching or learning the 8 research based reading strategies provided here. After receiving your "key" you can investigate the features inside and...
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.
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: The Ants and the Grasshopper[pdf]
"The Ants and the Grasshopper" is a one page, fable about grasshoppers who played all summer while the ants worked gathering food for winter. When winter came, the grasshoppers were hungry. It is followed by questions which require...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Astronaut's Diary [Pdf]
"The Astronaut's Diary" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about astronauts traveling to the space station and the hard work they had to do. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Food Change [Pdf]
"The Food Change" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a girl who went to the doctor because she was tired. The doctor told her to eat healthy foods and not candy or cookies. It is followed by constructed-response questions...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Missing Money [Pdf]
"The Missing Money" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a customer who stole the waitress's tip, but came back the next day to appologize and give the waitress more money. It is followed by questions which require students to...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The New Family [Pdf]
"The New Family" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a family who moved into a new neighborhood. The boys were playing ball in the street, breaking rules they didn't know about. It is followed by questions which require...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Ecology Questions and Activities [Pdf]
"Prairie Ecology Questions and Activities" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about prairie ecology the interdependence of its plants and animals. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Keepers With Questions/activities[pdf]
"Prairie Keepers with Questions/Activities" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the efforts to restore the praire. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes:...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Settlement Multiple Choice Questions [Pdf]
"Settlement with Multiple Choice Questions" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the hardships of life of the prairie for the early settlers. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The First Flyers [Pdf]
"The First Flyers" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the Wright brothers and their obsession with flying. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes: determining main...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Illinois Pioneers and Prairies [Pdf]
"Illinois Pioneers and Prairies" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about life in the prairies of Illinois for the early settlers including their hard work, setting up governments, building schools, and making laws. It is...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The New Student [Pdf]
"The New Student" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a little girl who was nervous about starting a new school, but she makes friends the first day. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from...