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

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Spring Is Coming [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"Spring is Coming" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a family of settlers who had survived the winter, but needed food. Their Native American neighbors showed them onions growing and gave them new hope. It is followed by...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Summer [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Summer" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a mother and her two children traveling from the city to the country to visit her parents for the summer. They discuss the modern conveniences they have now like cell phones and...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

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

For Teachers 4th
"The Technology Trip" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about children who planned a trip to the museum using the Internet to find the bus schedule. On the way, the bus was hit by a car so another bus had to take them. It is...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Changing the Ecosystem: Q & a [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Changing the Ecosystem: Q & A" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about how the loss of the prairie to farming and population growth impacts the ecosystem. It is followed by questions which require students to provide...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Prairie Ecology Questions and Activities [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
"Prairie Ecology Questions and Activities" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about prairie ecology the interdependence of its plants and animals. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the...
Unknown Type
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Like Plants [Pdf]

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
"I Like Plants" is a one page, realistic fiction, reading passage about a person who loves plants and became a botanist; now she teaches her college students about plants and ecology. It is followed by constructed-response questions...
Unknown Type
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Making Progress [Pdf]

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
"Making Progress" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about learners clearing the trash from a vacant lot near the school and planting a garden to beautify the neighborhood and show they care. It is followed by constructed-response...
Unknown Type
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Mama's Happy Christmas [Pdf]

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
"Mama's Happy Christmas" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about children creating a play for their sick mother on Christmas day. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide evidence from...
Unknown Type
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: My New Brother [Pdf]

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
"My New Brother" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about child whose mother has just had new baby boy. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require learners 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: The First Flyers [Pdf]

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
"The First Flyers" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about the Wright brothers and their obsession with flying. It is followed by questions which require students to provide evidence from the story; it includes: determining main...
Unknown Type
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: My First Baseball Game With Q&a [Pdf]

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
"My First Baseball Game" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a boy and his sister going to their first baseball game and learning what it means to be Chicago Cubs fans. 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: My First Baseball Game With Q & a Key [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"My First Baseball Game" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a boy and his sister going to their first baseball game and learning what it means to be Chicago Cubs fans. 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: A Garden in Lawndale [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"A Garden in Lawndale" is a one page, non-fiction, reading passage about an eighth grade class who planted a garden in a vacant lot by their school and maintained it to improve their neighborhood. It is followed by constructed-response...
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 2nd - 4th Standards
"George Washington Carver" is a one page, biographical passage about George Washington Carver, a famous African American, who taught farmers better farming methods including planting peanuts to improve the soil. It is followed by an...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: See Our Progress [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th
"See Our Progress" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about students who turned a vacant lot into a prairie garden and then were interviewed and shown on the television news. 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 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 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: Chicago's First Leader [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 4th Standards
"Chicago's First Leader" is a one page, biographical passage about Jean Baptiste Point DuSable, the first non-native American to settle in Chicago. He started a trading post around which the city grew. It is followed by an open-ended...
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: 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: 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: 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...
Activity
McGraw Hill

Read: Does Technology Make Us Lazy?

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
Compare these two passages for some interesting ideas about how technology affects our lives. The questions that follow ask you to identify the main idea from either direct statement or inference.