Read Works
Read Works: Read Aloud Lesson: Where Do Polar Bears Live?
This lesson is a close reading of "Where Do Polar Bears Live?". After reading the book to the class, students will be able to identify and recall characteristics that allow polar bears to survive in an extremely cold Arctic environment....
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Plant Life Cycle Introduction
Sequencing is an important skill for kindergarten students. This activity uses nonfiction texts to allow students to make a real-life connection to the skill of sequencing and learn about the plant cycle at the same time! Included are...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Picture Walk and Partner Talk
Students will participate in a picture walk through the expository text "Seasons and Weather". The purpose of the picture walk is to prepare the students for reading the story and gives them practice in using picture clues to make...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Pictures and Text Work Together Too!
The class will read the informational text "Together They Were Better". As the teacher reads the book aloud, she/he will use the illustrations from each page to give students clues as to the text on the page, helping them to see the...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Comparing and Contrasting With "Then and Now"
This instructional activity is a great small group reading instructional activity that has a social studies connection. In this instructional activity, learners will be comparing and contrasting schools from long ago and schools of today...
Read Works
Readworks: Read Aloud Lesson: Stellaluna
Compare Stellaluna's experience of living like a bird with her experience of living like a bat. Included in this instructional activity are a detailed lesson plan, a graphic organizer, and a student worksheet.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Wolves vs. Dogs
Using the book "Is My Dog a Wolf?" learners will find "connections or similarities" in two animals. Included is a printable graphic organizer.
EL Education
El Education: Learning to Read Informational Texts: Building Background
In this comprehensive unit, students launch their learning about birds by using informational texts. As students read these texts, they build background knowledge and develop their skills as readers of informational texts. Included are...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Where Did You Learn That?
As adults, we explore pictures, captions, diagrams and text, when reading any kind of informational piece. Kids can do this too! For this lesson, students will sort information that was obtained from pictures and diagrams, from that...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Finding the Author's Purpose
What is autism? How does it affect behavior? Students will find evidence of the author's tone or purpose for writing the article, as well as hints that show evidence of opinion. Includes a video clip from the movie "Rainman", and an...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Similarities and Differences Between Two Text
In this instructional activity, through guided practice, the students use two texts about Martin Luther King to compare the similarities and differences between those texts. Includes videos of the instructional activity in action,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Work Out Together
Students will read an article and determine the author's point and identify the reasons the author gives to support his or her point. This lesson requires analysis by the students and a great deal of higher-order thinking as they...
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 lesson introduces the student to different...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Speaking, Listening and Writing Compound Contrasting Sentences
Students will be answering text-dependent questions in which they will have to describe the differences between the different characters, settings, and major events in our stories using complex contrasting sentences. The students will...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Text Feature Diagrams
At the end of this lesson, students will be able to identify and create diagrams associated with informational text. Included is a link to an eSpark video on diagrams, rules for group work, multiple examples of diagrams, and a...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Comparing & Contrasting Inventors
What do inventors have that are alike? How are they different? Why do they invent? Learning about them may inspire you to invent new technology! In this lesson plan, young scholars will compare and contrast key details in two texts on...
CPALMS
Cpalms: Compare/contrast Life Cycle Texts
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students will learn to compare and contrast texts about life cycles using a Venn diagram. Then, using the Venn diagram, students will write an expository paragraph including an introductory sentence,...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Visual Representations in Informational Text
Students will look at examples of illustrations and diagrams in informational texts and discuss how each one helps enhance the text. Students gain the knowledge that sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words because a complex idea...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: What Shapes the Land?
In this lesson, the teacher will read a book about different landforms. The children will learn about the features of the landforms and how they were shaped by natural forces. Then text features will be discussed. The children will then...
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Read Like This, Too Central Ideas and Supporting Details
Begin practicing skills that will help identify the central idea and details while reading literary nonfiction.
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Read Like This,too Find Central Ideas, Details in Literary Nonfiction
A module to help you practice skills that will help identify the central idea and details while reading literary nonfiction.
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.
Thinkport Education
Thinkport: Read Like This: A Strategy for Analyzing Literary Nonfiction
Read, analyze and answer text-dependent questions about several excerpts from a famous slave narrative called The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Digging Up Details on Worms: Using Science in an Inquiry Study
A lesson plan based on a study unit of earthworms, using the inquiry model to integrate scientific processes with literacy practices. Instruction plans, related resources, and standards are included.