Facing History and Ourselves
Notable Quotable
Engaging learners in the classroom can be a challenge. Here's a bell ringer that can easily adapt to any subject area. Instructors post a "Notable Quotable" and ask learners to respond to it in their journals.
Mr. Nussbaum
Mt. Vesuvius and the Lost City of Pompeii
Mount Vesuvius and the lost city of Pompeii are the focus of an interactive reading practice designed to increase comprehension skills. Scholars read an informational text, then answer 10 questions.
Mr. Nussbaum
Pennsylvania Colony
An informational reading sheds light on the history of the Pennsylvania colony. Scholars read the text, then answer 10 questions.
Facing History and Ourselves
Picture This
Sometimes what you get is far more than what you first see. The third routine in the Building Community series asks participants to engage in a See, Think, Wonder strategy. Small groups analyze a projected image, infer what is happening,...
Mr. Nussbaum
Penguins
Penguins are the topic of an informational text that scholars read or listen to, then answer 10 multiple-choice questions.
Mr. Nussbaum
North Carolina Colony
Ten multiple-choice questions make up an interactive practice designed to increase reading comprehension. The topic of the informational reading is the North Carolina Colony.
Mr. Nussbaum
New Jersey Colony
Scholars answer 10 questions after reading an informational text about the New Jersey Colony.
Mr. Nussbaum
Narwhal
An informational reading all about narwhals tests scholars reading comprehension skills. After a short reading, learners answer 10 questions.
Mr. Nussbaum
Meteors
An interactive designed to boost reading comprehension skills focuses on meteors. Scholars read an informational text, then answer 10 multiple-choice questions.
Penguin Books
An Educator Guide to Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Call Us By What We Carry, a poetry collection by Nation Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, is the focus of a 10-page teacher's guide.
Penguin Books
Teacher's Guide: When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka
Julie Otsuka's haunting novel, When the Emperor Was Devine, is the subject of a 14-page teacher's guide. The guide includes the text of an interview with Otsuka, background information about Japanese immigration to the United States, and...
Mr. Nussbaum
Maryland Colony
Practice reading comprehension skills with an interactive all about the Maryland Colony. Scholars read a short informational text and then answer 10 questions.
Mr. Nussbaum
Planet Mars
Four questions follow an informational reading about the planet Mars. Scholars receive instant feedback and a progress report at the end of the practice.
Penguin Books
The Discussion Guide to the Inaugural Poem: The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman
National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman's "The Hill We Climb," featured at the 2021 inauguration of President Joseph Biden, is the focus of a six-page guide. The guide includes before reading, during reading, and after reading...
Mr. Nussbaum
James Madison
Ten questions—fill-in-the-blank and multiple-choice—follow an informational reading about James Madison.
Mr. Nussbaum
Harriet Tubman
Harriet Tubman is the focus of an interactive that challenges scholars to read an informational text and answer 10 questions about her.
Mr. Nussbaum
Galaxies
Ten questions follow an informational reading about galaxies. Feedback is instant, and a progress report appears at the end.
Mr. Nussbaum
George Washington
An interactive challenges scholars to read an informational text and then answer 10 questions—multiple choice and fill in the blank. A report displays the progress.
Mr. Nussbaum
Tyrannosaurus Rex
Challenge scholars to read an informational text and answer 10 multiple-choice questions. The interactive's topic is the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Penguin Edition of John Steinbeck's The Pearl
The guide to John Steinbeck's The Pearl suggests ways instructors can help readers see below the surface of the novella to the parable beneath. Through a variety of activities, readers come to appreciate the complexity of the tale.
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of Mark Twain's The Prince and The Pauper
Imagine how the world would be different if all diplomats' children were required to serve in the military. Or if all high school graduates were required to do two years of community service before post-secondary education. A 30-page...
Penguin Books
A Teacher's Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of George Orwell's Animal Farm
Not all teacher's guides are equal, but some are pretty good. This guide for George Orwell's Animal Farm includes chapter synopses, chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, journal and essay prompts, and suggestions for various activities.
Overcoming Obstacles
Listening
Young scholars boost communication skills with a instructional activity that explores what it looks like to listen with the whole body. Through modeling and practice, pupils observe what it looks like and then practice. A friendly game...
Facing History and Ourselves
Bio-poem: Connecting Identity and Poetry
Writing a bio-poem is a great way to have young scholars go below the surface and reflect on who or what has made them who they are. Check out this richly detailed lesson that provides step-by-step directions for crafting a bio-poem.