Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Unit: The Author's Point Is
Students will focus on Main Idea, Author's Purpose, Identifying supporting details and Organizing details. Students will read a variety of Informational Text (non-fiction) to understand how stated and implied main idea effect the...
![De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: American Explorers [Pdf] Unit Plan](https://static.lp.lexp.cloud/images/attachment_defaults/resource/large/FPO-knovation.png "De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: American Explorers [Pdf] Unit Plan")
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: American Explorers [Pdf]
"American Explorers" is a one page, non-fiction, reading passage about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They traveled from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean with the help of Native Americans and made maps along the way. It is followed by...
Other
Gaby's Books
Retired English teacher and author Gaby Chapman has created and maintains a list of adult-level books for teens who are interested in moving beyond the realm of "adolescent literature." She provides title and author, and more...
Other
Lib.ru: Classic Russian Literature
Great resource for finding online text for classic Russian literature in Russian. Features the most popular writers and their works. Valuable resource for students studying Russian. Russian-speaking ELL students might translate passages...
Other
Advice for Young Writers: 10 Tips for Students in Writing Biographies
Children's author, Kathleen Krull, writer of many biographies, shares some tips for making biographies come alive. Perhaps her most interesting tips are to be nosy, and look for juicy details.
Other
Siu Edwardsville: Professional Development Center: Lesson Plan: Inference [Pdf]
Lesson teaching the use of word selection, context, structure, and specific references in making inferences within non-fiction texts.
CommonLit
Common Lit: Book Pairings: "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson
Jacqueline Woodson describes her experiences growing up as an African American girl in South Carolina and New York in the 1960s. Selected (6) reading passages (grades 3-6) to pair with "Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson. [Free...
Read Works
Read Works: Read Aloud Lesson: Digging Up Dinosaurs
[Free Registration/Login Required] Teachers will read "Digging Up Dinosaurs" using the close reading technique. Learners will use graphic organizers to summarize the steps necessary to collect, study, and build a dinosaur skeleton.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Nonfiction Pyramid
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...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Excerpt From My Mother's Voice: The Proclamation
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...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Units: Teaching Units
Complete teaching units (12) by grade level. CommonLit units are crafted to be both engaging and rigorous, featuring a variety of literary and informational texts from diverse sources. Reading, writing, and discussion are prioritized in...
Starfall
Starfall: Reach for the Stars How I Became an Astronaut
This is the interactive ebook "How I Became an Astronaut: The Story of Stephanie D. Wilson." It provides a short biography of her childhood interests, her education, and training to become an astronaut.
University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Madison: Writing Center: Reading a Book to Review It
Advice on steps to take and things to think about while reading a book to be reviewed. These directions will be particularly useful when reviewing non-fiction, but can be modified to work for fiction, too.
Other
Haisln: Recommended Reading Lists
Librarians from a group of independent schools in Houston, TX have chosen hundreds of books covering grade levels from Pre-K through 12, and genres from non-fiction to poetry to fiction. Each entry lists title, author, publisher and...
Other
Haisln: Recommended Reading Lists
Librarians from a group of independent schools in Houston, TX have chosen hundreds of books covering grade levels from Pre-K through 12, and genres from non-fiction to poetry to fiction. Each entry lists title, author, publisher and...
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Syntax (English Ii Reading)
You will be able to evaluate the role of syntax in literary non-fiction such as speeches, essays, and other forms.
University of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Madison: Writing Center: How to Write Critical Reviews
This site provides the viewer with a step-by-step guide to writing critical reviews for non-fiction works. Its steps include analyzing the assignment as well as writing a clear introduction, body, and conclusion. Links to other writing...
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: "What to Expect if You're Having Surgery"
[Free Registration/Login Required] This non-fiction passage focuses on what to expect when you are having surgery and how to prepare for it. A comprehension question set and answer key are provided.
PBS
Pbs: Pov Borders: Environment
Point of View is television's longest running showcase for independent non-fiction films. This particular feature provides insight regarding alternative means of energy, transport, and the consumption of natural resources. Video, games,...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Teaching With Nonfiction: Teach Text Features
A brief lesson plan, this site offers an example of non-fiction text and a graphic organizer to help orient students to the features they need to use when reading for information.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: The Optimization of Slime
Using their knowledge of the phases of matter, the scientific method, and polymers, student teams work as if they are chemical engineers to optimize the formula for slime. Hired by the fictional company, Slime Productions, students are...
Quizlet
Quizlet: Nonfiction Text Features 3rd Grade Flashcards
Text feature terms (nonfiction) are included in this review exercise Flashcards are provided for the following words: map, table of contents, index, bold words, caption, timeline, heading, and glossary. Images of each of these text...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Nonfiction Writing Lessons
This series of nonfiction writing lessons was developed by Stuart Miller. Four activities include: Describing the Real World, The Interview, Writing a Profile, and Writing a Review.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Literatura De Los Estados Unidos
Wikipedia overview in Spanish of American literature from its roots to contemporary authors and themes. This entry is a broad sweep -- no era is covered in depth but it's a helpful "big picture" view for Spanish-speaking students, with...