Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Traveling West [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th
"Traveling West" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the difficult journey west for pioneers traveling in wagon trains and how the railroad made traveling west much easier and faster. It is followed by questions which...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Today's Telephone [Pdf]

For Teachers 7th Standards
"Today's Telephone" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of the telephone from the telegraph to land-lines, to cell phones. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Transportation Changes [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
"Transportation Changes" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of transportation by land and by sea. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes: determining...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Why Is Community Service Important? [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
"Why is Community Service Important?" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage is part of a report that the Obama-Biden campaign prepared about service and volunteering. It is followed by questions which require students to provide...
Activity
McGraw Hill

Mc Graw Hill: Part 1 Reading: Literature: Determine Theme

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
Learn how to determine a theme of a story on this site. Click on model at the bottom right and continue through lesson.
Website
E Reading Worksheets

E Reading Worksheets: Summarizing Worksheets and Activities

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
In this instructional resource, students will learn more about summarizing texts. Worksheets and PowerPoint lessons are provided to reinforce understanding about ways to summarize nonfiction texts and to identify main ideas. This module...
Professional Doc
Wisconsin Response to Intervention Center

Wisconsin Rt I Center: Column Notes [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Teachers will learn about the Column Notes graphic organizer, a tool that will help students analyze and synthesize what is viewed read, viewed, or heard. Reproducible Column Notes are provided.
Professional Doc
Rick Beach

Teaching Literature to Adolescents, 2nd Edition: Leading Student Responses

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The textbook entitled Teaching Literature to Adolescents, 2nd Edition contains activities for Chapter 5 reflection. Intended for high school teachers, this site contains activities that will extend the content from the Chapter 5. Focus...
Handout
Curated OER

Mc Graw Hill: Part 2 Reading: Determine Main Idea and Supporting Details: Model

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
An example to guide students in choosing the main idea and supporting details. Click Practice for a practice quiz.
Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Can Analyze a Story or History [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This graphic organizer can be used to help students analyze a story or a historical event. Students will look closely at the story's characters or people involved in the historical event. Then they will summarize the story or event, and...
Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Read to Learn, Share What You Learn [Pdf]

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Several tips for reading to learn are provided on this page. Students will explore the BIG idea presented in a nonfiction piece.
Unknown Type
Education Development Center

Tv411: Summarizing

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
This activity asks students to read short paragraphs and select the statement that best summarizes each paragraph. It is part of a larger reading unit.
Activity
Curated OER

Mc Graw Hill: Part 1 Reading: Literature: Determine Theme

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Determine the theme of a story with this reading activity. See the model and then practice identifying the theme.
Unit Plan
McGraw Hill

Mc Graw Hill: Informational Text: Determine Central Idea and Supporting Details

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
To understand a text, you must understand the central idea of the story. Learn how to recognize the central idea and supporting details with this article. Click the links at bottom right.
Lesson Plan
Other

Mo Dept. Of Ed.: Analyzing and Evaluating Literary Works

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Lesson plan designed for eleventh graders. Students analyze and evaluate a short story for elements of literary works such as theme, mood, word choice, imagery, tone, and main idea. Includes a student handout and a scoring guide. It...
Activity
Other

Frontier Central School District: Determining the Theme of a Literary Work [Pdf]

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Guidance and exercises for finding the theme of a literary work, including a list of commonly seen universal themes.
Lesson Plan
Florida Center for Reading Research

Florida Center for Reading Research: Expository Fact Strip [Pdf]

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
A lesson plan in which students read a text and identify the topic and four facts presented within the text. Materials are included.
Graphic
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Nonfiction Pyramid

For Students 2nd - 8th Standards
A printable pyramid for use with nonfiction texts while students identify the main ideas and supporting details within a text. Students also determine author's purpose and key vocabulary words. Directions on how to use this type of...
Graphic
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Power Notes

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
A printable note-taking format where students create an outline by assigning powers to the main idea and supporting details. Directions on how to use this type of rubric as well as lists of teaching ideas and related resources are also...
Lesson Plan
ReadWriteThink

Read Write Think: Name That Chapter! Discussing Summary and Interpretation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students name unnamed chapters in a novel they are reading. They discuss possible chapter names considering accuracy, word choice, and connotation, before settling on a choice.
eBook
Quia

Quia: Literary Terms Quiz

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
In this self-scoring practice activity, students read four passages and select the main idea of each.
Website
Other

Mt. San Antonio College: Finding the Main Idea

For Students 4th - 6th
Learn about the main idea and get tips on how to find it. After practicing with several short texts, learn how to answer different types of questions about main idea and practice each type.
Article
Other

Palm Beach State College: Supporting Details Tutor Hints

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
A PDF giving notes and examples on major and minor supporting details and showing how they support the main idea of a text.
Activity
Education Development Center

Tv411: Summarizing Activity 2

For Students 3rd - 5th Standards
This activity asks students to differentiate between main ideas and supporting details.