Curated OER
Discovering Saturn, The Real "Lord of the Rings"
Reading, writing, and rings! A lesson from NASA combines space science with authentic reading and writing tasks. Included in this lesson are pre-reading activities, four mini informational booklets on Saturn, a structured note-taking...
Curated OER
Dear Miss Florence: Writing Letters To the Boardinghouse for Artists
Imagine being one of the painters in 1910 at the Lyme Art Colony in Connecticut. Using the Florence Griswold Museum's on-line resources to gather information about the daily life of artists at the boardinghouse, learners write a letter...
EngageNY
Research Tasks: New Words, Relevant Information, Revision
Word builders. Scholars participate in a mini lesson about affixes. They then complete a research vocabulary organizer and share their definitions of the words with the class. They gather more evidence for their research from the...
EngageNY
Gathering Information about Screen Time: Assessing and Reading Internet Sources, Day 1
What's the best way to evaluate a source's accuracy and credibility? Pupils discuss the question with a partner and then share their ideas with the class. They also conduct Internet research, looking for an article that answers a chosen...
Curated OER
A Day in the life of.....
Learners view a list of careers and choose one to research. They discuss each career, gather information, and list their resources, and they should compile. They write a flyer about their career and print it.
EngageNY
Researching Part 1: Reading for Gist and Gathering Evidence Using the Research Guide
If only life came with an owner's manual. Pupils assemble with their research teams to discuss which of Steve Jobs' rules to live by most resonates with them. Scholars also read informational texts in pursuit of finding the gist and...
Everything Homeschooling
Biography Worksheet
Gathering information about a person is the easy part. Crafting an interesting biography is another thing altogether. The value in this information-collecting activity is that writers are asked to move beyond the usual basic questions.
EngageNY
Interpreting, Integrating, and Sharing Information about DDT: Using Cascading Consequences and Fishbowl Protocol
What is your interpretation? Scholars look at their Cascading Consequences Charts and interpret the information they have gathered. Learners match claims with evidence and then watch a video. At the end, they carry out a fishbowl...
Earth Day Network
The Neolithic Revolution
With the abundance of food products we can easily access in our society today, it is easy to forget the toll this can take on our global environment. Young learners will discover how the transition to agriculture and domesticated living...
Curated OER
History of Flight Timeline Activity
Scholars are introduced to the significant events that led to the development of today's modern forms of air travel. They create a timeline to identify the vital events that are related to man's flight. In addition, they research various...
Nemours KidsHealth
Drugs: Grades 3-5
Two lessons take a close look at drug prevention. The first lesson, split into two sessions, challenges learners to gather information from an article, answer questions, then create a poster that encourages others to stay away from...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Albedo, Reflectivity, and Absorption
What is reflectivity, and what does it have to do with the Earth's climate? As reflectivity is measured by albedo, scientists can gather information on Earth's energy balances that relate to global warming or climate change. Budding...
EngageNY
Researching Part 2: Reading for Gist and Gathering Evidence Using the Researcher’s Notebook
The gist should be short and sweet! Pupils practice finding the gist of an informational text and then write a summary of the text. Next, they gather with their research teams to discuss a focus question based on the novel Bud, Not Buddy...
K20 LEARN
Alienstock: Analyzing Information, Media, And Validity
One only has to watch MSMBC and FOX News to realize that media can present the same story in very different ways. Middle schoolers have an opportunity to test their ability to determine the validity and trustworthiness of information by...
EngageNY
Planning Content of Informative Consumer Guide: The Issue of Overfishing and Fish Depletion
Let's get organized! Pupils organize the information they have gathered about overfishing into a Quote Sandwich graphic organizer in preparation for their informative consumer guides. Next, they engage in a pair share activity to discuss...
Curated OER
Is That a Fact?
Investigate popular scientific claims and gather evidence to defend or argue against an author's stance. Writers synthesize information and compose their own "Really?" columns modeled after those found in the weekly "Science Times"...
EngageNY
Gathering Textual Evidence for the Two-Voice Poem (Author’s Note)
Writers take a look at how to gather evidence from the information text in the unit that connects to Salva and Nya’s story. They complete a Gathering Evidence from Informational Texts sheet to guide their work. Pupils then use the...
EngageNY
Further Research: Hunter-Gatherer Food Chain
It's time to gather nuts, berries, and lots of information. Scholars continue on their quest to determine the consequences of each of Michael Pollan's food chains from The Omnivore's Dilemma. Using research questions developed in a...
California Education Partners
My Librarian is a Camel
A two-part assessment challenges scholars to gather information from reading then write an opinion piece. In part one, learners read, take notes, and answer text-related questions. In part two, participants use their new-found knowledge...
K5 Learning
The Bee
See what all the buzz is about with a reading comprehension activity! Third and fourth graders read a short informational passage about bees before answering four questions about what they have learned.
EngageNY
Establishing Structures for Reading: Gathering Evidence about Salva’s and Nya’s Points of View (Reread Chapters 1 and 2)
Readers practice gathering textual evidence to support their understanding of character point of view in A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. Working with partners, they complete a Gathering Evidence graphic organizer and engage in...
Curated OER
The Buzz About Honey
What's the buzz these days? Learn some fun and interesting facts about honeybees with an informational reading passage, including the steps for successful pollination and honey creation.
PhET
Isotopes and Atomic Mass
Some isotopes are unstable, or radioactive, meaning they will decay over time and turn into another isotope or stable element. In the interactive simulation, participants manipulate elements to create isotopes and gather information....
Curated OER
Surviving AIDS
Enhance your middle and high schoolers' research skills with this lesson. After viewing a video clip about HIV and AIDS, high schoolers identify the facts and issues surrounding the disease. They work together to create a newspaper...