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

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Sir Gobble [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th
"Sir Gobble" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a little girl who was given a young turkey to raise for Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey became her pet and she was upset about him becoming dinner. It is followed by questions...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Astronaut's Diary [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"The Astronaut's Diary" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about astronauts traveling to the space station and the hard work they had to do. 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: The Big Game [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"The Big Game" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a teen who gets his wish to be quarterback for his high school team. His mother is so worried he will get hurt that she can't go to his games. It is followed by questions...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Hero [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"The Hero" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a lady on a plane when a fire started causing them to have the make an emergency landing in a river. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Missing Money [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"The Missing Money" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a customer who stole the waitress's tip, but came back the next day to appologize and give the waitress more money. It is followed by questions which require students to...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The New Family [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"The New Family" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a family who moved into a new neighborhood. The boys were playing ball in the street, breaking rules they didn't know about. It is followed by questions which require...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Quarterback [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"The Quarterback" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about boy who played quarterback for his school, but when he moved to a new school, there was no room for him on the team. It is followed by constructed-response questions which...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: George Washington Carver [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 6th
"George Washington Carver" is a one page, biographical passage about George Washington Carver, an African American professor who taught farmers and students better methods for farming, including planting peanuts to improve the soil. It...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The New Student [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"The New Student" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a little girl who was nervous about starting a new school, but she makes friends the first day. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Chicago: Deval Patrick [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
"Chicago Is a City of Possibilities" is an inauguration speech by Deval Patrick given as he became governor of Massachusetts. 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: Harold Washington's Speech [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
"Harold Washington's Acceptance Speech" is a one page, excerpt from a speech given by Harold Washington after being elected as mayor of Chicago on April 12, 1983. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Soldier's Letter [Pdf]

For Teachers 5th
"Soldier's Letter" is a one page, fictional, letter from a young soldier at Valley Forge during the Revolutionary explaining how hard conditions are there. 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: The Boy Who Cried "Wolf!" [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
"The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf!'" is a one page, folktale about a boy who got bored while watching his sheep. He cried, "Wolf" and when the village people came to help him, he laughed. He repeated this a few days later, but then when he really...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Turtle and the Ducks [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"The Turtle and the Ducks" is a one page fairy tale/fable a turtle who wants to fly south with the ducks. They develop a plan, but the turtle will have to keep his mouth shut. It is followed by constructed-response questions which...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Native Americans Potawatomi [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
"Native Americans--Potawatomi" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about what the prairie looked like during each of the seasons when the Potawatomi lived there. It is followed by questions which require students to provide...
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Graphic Organizer Spider Graphic

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This graphic organizer provides a webbing framework for students to analyze the main idea/theme and supporting details of a reading passage or historical event. A template for students to follow is given.
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Quia

Quia: Reading for Facts

For Students 5th - 7th Standards
This interactive quiz assesses students' reading comprehension skills of informational text passages. Students will read 30 short passages and answer question about a detail for each.
Professional Doc
AdLit

Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Seed Discussion

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A Seed Discussion is a two-part strategy used to teach students how to engage in discussions about assigned readings. In the first part, students read selected text and identify "seeds" or key concepts of a passage which may need...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Where Does Food Go?

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This informational text passage explains the process of food digestion. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and establishes scaffolding...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: American Explorers [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
"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...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Is It Time for a New Toothbrush?

For Teachers 2nd Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece that reinforces essential reading skills and strategies and establishes scaffolding for vocabulary learning. It contains questions and teacher guides and...
Lesson Plan
Better Lesson

Better Lesson: The True Story of Christopher Columbus

For Teachers 5th Standards
In this lesson, 5th graders analyze two nonfiction passages on Christopher Columbus to determine facts and author's bias and its influence on the readers.
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th - 6th
"Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr." is a one page, biographical passage about Martin Luther King, Jr. It is followed by an open-ended question which requires students to provide evidence from the story; it includes determining the author's...
Professional Doc
AdLit

Ad lit.org: Classroom Strategies: Summarizing

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
Summarizing teaches students how to take a large selection of text and reduce it to the main points for a more concise understanding. Upon reading a passage, summarizing helps students learn to determine essential ideas and consolidate...