In-depth instructions on critical reading with lots of links to more reading guides and activities. A good site to help improve reading skills to become a better writer.

This is a video lesson "Reading is fundamental" featuring Shaquille O'Neal. It discusses why critical reading skills are important. A list of learning objectives is provided.

This instructional activity focuses on the types of reading material and their distinguishing features. It also included two videos including the key features from a newspaper story video and a video that defines scholarly articles.

This lesson focuses on the importance and purpose of reading. It features an article entitled "The Benefits of Leisure Reading."

This lesson focuses on how to write a summary including strategies for annotation, paraphrasing the thesis statement, distinguishing major ideas from minor ones, and picking appropriate quotes. It also provides videos including "How to...

This lesson focuses on identifying thesis statements including explicit and implicit thesis statements, "How to Identify the Thesis Statement" (video), topic sentences, paragraph parts graphic, and a self-check activity.

This is an open textbook created to assist students in their writing efforts. Topics covered include critical reading, rhetorical analysis, writing arguments, steps in the writing process, rhetorical modes, using credible sources, citing...

Through the vast online resources available from EDSITEment, students can read the correspondence of the famous, the infamous and the ordinary, some of whom lived through extraordinary times. Use these fascinating letters as a starting...

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...

Students will explore the value of personal stories and first-hand accounts when exploring history, in this case, the events of the early twentieth century, which included World War I and the Great Depression. Through this five-unit...

This lesson focuses on critical thinking including a definition, examples, a video of critical thinking in action, logic in critical thinking, questions a critical thinker asks, guidelines for critical thinking, problem-solving, and...

George Catlin made extensive observations on the various native peoples that he encountered on his travels in the West. He recorded his experiences in letters and notes. These documents provide us with critical information on the culture...

The activities included in this lesson plan require the reading of William Armstrong's Sounder. This technology-based lesson fosters critical thinking and includes journal writing, student-led discussions with another class via video...

This lesson explains how analyzing poetry is a many-layered process. This lesson introduces the special characteristics of poetry and leads students through a look at how poems are structured and why. Includes links to poems and web...

Contains plans for seven lessons that use Dr. Seuss's "The Cat in the Hat" to teach the literary elements of plot, theme, and character to high school students. It also teaches about psychoanalytic criticism concepts such as the Id, Ego,...

Having trouble studying for tests or comprehending new material? This in-depth guide provides a multitude of ways to help you acquire reading and critical thinking skills necessary for understanding new material.

Critical listening, research and historical information are all part of the material in this multi-disciplinary lesson.

This lesson plan explores issues surrounding understanding perspective and the power of opinion. Included in the lesson plan is an overview, practice, objectives, resources, preparation, and more.

A book review of "Illustrating Children's Books: Creating Pictures for Publication," including critical contents and comments. Also provides information about who would benefit from reading this book review. A good resource for those...

This Bibliomania site provides a biography of James Russell Lowell (1819-1891). Discusses his ancestry, education, and work as a poet, essayist, and satirist. Describes Lowell's role in the Abolitionist movement. Includes suggestions for...

This lesson is designed to help young scholars review what they have learned in earlier classes and to begin to engage with similes on a deeper and more abstract level. Students will define similes and identify examples; read and analyze...

This writing and reading tutorial provides a detailed explanation of the difference between fiction and nonfiction in rhetoric.

This lesson is designed to help young scholars begin to engage with metaphors on a deeper and more abstract level. The lesson will begin with a poem containing metaphors accessible at all levels, and with each poem, the lesson will...

Students will have a chance to show their understanding of their favorite fairy tales by building homes for the characters.