CommonLit
Common Lit: "A Nation Divided: North vs. South" by Us history.org
The American Civil War was fought within the United States from 1861 to 1865. The election of President Abraham Lincoln in 1860 increased tension between the North and South. Lincoln's political party was interested in stopping the...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Courage in Denmark: Resistance to the Nazis in Wwii by Us Holocaust
World War II (WWII), a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945 involved more than 100 million people and over 30 countries. The Allied powers - including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union - worked together...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Stress for Success" by Alison Pearce Stevens
In this article, "Science News for Students" explores the ways that stress can be both harmful and helpful in our daily lives. As you read, take note of the different functions of stress. How can we learn to manage our stress, and in...
Read Works
Read Works: Legend of Ganga Ji
[Free Registration/Login Required] In this informational text, Dr. Ganesh, a sociologist from the University of Mumbai, shares the Legend of Ganga-Ji and this story's historical significance to the Ganges River region. A question sheet...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Excerpt From Trail of Tears Diary" by Jobe Alexander & Mary Hill
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: Book Pairings: "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway
Selected (6) reading passages (grades 8-12) to pair with the novella "The Old Man and the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway. This novella tells the story of Santiago, an old fisherman who struggles to reel in a giant marlin far off the coast of...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Going to School as a Refugee" by Caroline Garrison
A learning module that begins with "Going to School As a Refugee" by Caroline Garrison accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned online through...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Healing 'Brick City'": A Newark Doctor Returns Home by Npr Staff
A learning module that begins with "Healing 'Brick City': A Newark Doctor Returns Home" by NPR Staff accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned...
CommonLit
Common Lit: "Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Lee Duckworth
A learning module that begins with "The Power of Passion and Perseverance" by Angela Lee Duckworth accompanied by guided reading questions, assessment questions, and discussion questions. The text can be printed as a PDF or assigned...
Tom Richey
Slide Share: Author's Purpose 8th Grade
A slideshow with twenty slides with information and examples of four different purposes an author can have for writing a text: to entertain, to persuade, to express, or to inform/explain.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Building Word Knowledge Through Informational Websites
A lesson through which young scholars identify, understand and work with important vocabulary words found in an online article on biodiversity. Based on the "Ten Important Words Plus" strategy that teachers can employ as part of...
Read Works
Read Works: Water Is Everything!
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage shares that information about water in the world and its most important role of distributing the heat around the world. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces...
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: Five Ways Teachers Are Fighting Fake News
Since a recent Stanford study showed that students at practically all grade levels can't determine fake news from the real stuff, the push to teach media literacy has gained new momentum. This article gives five quality examples of...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Note Taking for Social Studies
[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart covers how to read a historical text and convert information into visual representations by taking notes. This strategy helps students to read a passage and determine the author's purpose.
AdLit
Ad lit.org: For Middle Schoolers: Activities to Build College Level Reading Skills
ACT has developed this list of activities to help middle-school students improve their reading ability. Parents and educators can use this information to help ensure that these students are on target for college and career readiness.
Read Works
Read Works: Analysis of the Declaration of Independence
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage provides a brief analysis of the Declaration of Independence. A paired passage, a lower level passage with related content, a questions sheet, and an additional answer sheet are...