Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Seasons on the Prairie/questions [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th
"Seasons on the Prairie/Questions" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the different seasons in the prairie. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes: determining...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Cool in the Hot Desert

For Teachers K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage gives information about the fennec fox and how it stays cool in the hot African desert. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills. Opportunities for...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans the Aztec Empire

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage provides information about the ancient Aztec Empire, including the significance of Montezuma and Tenochtitlan. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills....
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Back From the Brink

For Teachers 3rd
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage gives information about animals that are on the brink of extinction, including the following: bald eagle, grizzly bears, Hawaiian sea turtles, and Southern sea turtles. This...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Cool Prize

For Teachers 5th Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage gives information about the prize-winning photos of Kenneth Libbrecht and classifications of snowflakes. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills....
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Who Is Sue?

For Teachers 2nd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage discusses information about a dinosaur that researchers named "Sue", which was found in South Dakota. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills....
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Saving Your Family's Energy Dollar [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
"Saving Your Family's Energy Dollar" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about ways to save energy and money by sealing windows and using insulation. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Transportation Changes [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
"Transportation Changes" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of transportation across both land and sea. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes:...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Today's Telephone [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Today's Telephone" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of telephones from the telegraph, to land-lines, to cell phones. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Seasons on the Prairie [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th Standards
"Seasons on the Prairie" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about what its like during each season on the prairie. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes: determining...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Today's Telephone [Pdf]

For Teachers 7th Standards
"Today's Telephone" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of the telephone from the telegraph to land-lines, to cell phones. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Transportation Changes [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
"Transportation Changes" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the history of transportation by land and by sea. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes: determining...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Pioneer Families [Pdf]

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
"Pioneer Families" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about pioneers who traveled west in wagon trains, the hardships they faced, and how they worked together to build communities. It is followed by questions which require...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

Depaul University: Center for Urban Education: The Working Tools of Insects[pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"The Working Tools of Insects" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about insects that have special tools like the sawfly and the poppy-bee. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Always Remember

For Teachers 4th - 7th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage describes the events of September 11th and the memorials established to commemorate this horrifying day in history. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans Tenochtitlan

For Teachers 4th - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage shares the legend of the creation of the Mayan city of Tenochtitlan. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills. Opportunities for vocabulary acquisition are...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans Cuzco: City of Gold

For Teachers 4th - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage describes the ancient city of Cuzco, the center of activity during the Inca Empire. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills. Opportunities for vocabulary...
Unit Plan
Read Works

Read Works: John Brown's Antislavery Raid

For Teachers 4th - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage provides a brief history of John Brown, an American abolitionist. A paired passage, a lower level passage with related content, and a question sheet are available to help students...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Bat News

For Teachers 2nd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage describes the job of a chiroptologist, a bat scientist. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills. Opportunities for vocabulary acquisition are also...
Unit Plan
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Read Works

Read Works: The Code of Hammurabi

For Teachers 5th - 7th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage provides a brief history of ancient Mesopotamia's Code of Hammurabi. A paired passage, a lower level passage with related content, and a questions sheet are available to help...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: The Ancient City of Petra: Controlling Trade Routes

For Teachers 7th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This ReadWorks passage from the American Museum of Natural Anthropology's website called OLogy provides a brief history of the city of Petra and its importance to ancient trade routes. A paired passage,...
Unit Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Transcontinental Railroads: Compressing Time and Space

For Teachers 9th - 10th
[Free Registration/Login Required] Abridged from the full text located at the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, this passage provides information about the development of the transcontinental railroad. Paired texts, a text...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Dear Mr. President

For Teachers 4th - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage discusses different letters to the President in different historical contexts. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills. Opportunities for vocabulary...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Crisis in Africa

For Teachers 4th - 6th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage discusses the problems related to poverty, disease, and war in Africa. This passage reinforces essential reading comprehension skills. Opportunities for vocabulary acquisition...