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...
Lesson Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Drawing Conclusions 1st Grade Unit

For Teachers 1st Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] A three-lesson unit on drawing conclusions through which students learn how to use pictures and context clues to discover a missing word and to draw conclusions about a story. Students also use...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

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

For Teachers 4th
"The Challenge" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a boy who is careless and loses or breaks things. When he broke his drum by using knives on it, his mother gave him a challenge to learn responsibility. It is followed by...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: The Little Red Hen [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
"The Little Red Hen" is a one page fable about the other animals not helping the little red hen plant wheat, harvest it, or bake the bread, so they did not get to eat it either. It is followed by constructed-response questions which...
Activity
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Columbus and the Egg [Pdf]

For Students 6th - 8th
"Columbus and the Egg" is a one page, historical fictional passage about Christopher Columbus's return to Spain after discovering America. Some people said anyone could sail the seas. Columbus used an egg to make a point. It is followed...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Columbus and the Egg [Pdf]

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
"Columbus and the Egg" is a one page, historical fictional passage about Christopher Columbus's return to Spain after discovering America. Some people said anyone could sail the seas. Columbus used an egg to make a point. It is followed...
Graphic
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: I Can Infer Character Traits and Support [Pdf]

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Students can use this graphic organizer while making inferences about characters in a story or history text. Students will collect text evidence in the chart to support their character trait inferences.
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: Letter to Grandmother [Pdf]

For Teachers 6th
"Letter to Grandmother" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a family of early settlers who moved west. A boy writes a letter to his grandmother telling her about their new life on the plains. It is followed by...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

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

For Teachers 6th - 8th
"My Summer" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a child who visited his grandmother in Phoenix for the summer. He was surprised at how hot it was there. It is followed by open-ended questions which require students to provide...
Unknown Type
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: More Trees [Pdf]

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
"More Trees" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a student and his mother getting trees from the city and planting them in their neighborhood. It is followed by constructed-response questions which require students to provide...
Activity
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: A Good Student [Pdf]

For Teachers 7th
"A Good Student" is a one page, fictional reading passage about a freshmen going to a large high school on the first day of school. It is followed by constructed-response 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: Lincoln's Choice [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Lincoln's Choice" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about young Abraham Lincoln saving a friend from drowning. It is followed by constructed-response 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 Train [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"The Train" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a child's first train trip to Grandma's for the summer. It is followed by constructed-response 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: Traveling With Lewis and Clark [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Traveling with Lewis and Clark" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about traveling with Lewis and Clark on their expedition and the hardships of winter and food shortages they endured. 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: Why Did Mamma Change Her Mind? [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"Why Did Mamma Change Her Mind?" is a one page, fictional, reading passage about a party. Mom said her son and daughter could each have 5 friends (5 boys and 5 girls). The girl wanted all girls so the party was cancelled. It is followed...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Chicago High Schools [Pdf]

For Teachers 8th - 9th
"Chicago High Schools" is a one page, nonfiction, reading passage about high schools in Chicago including specialty high schools and the basic requirements for all high schools. It is followed by constructed-response questions which...
Lesson Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Kindergarten: Three Lesson Unit: Drawing Conclusions

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
[Free Registration/Login Required] Three lessons designed to introduce young learners and beginning readers to the concept of drawing conclusions based on actions performed in a charades game, on verbal cues given in a guessing game, and...
Unit Plan
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University

De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: A Proud Flight [Pdf]

For Teachers 4th
"A Proud Flight" is a one page, Greek myth about Icarus and Daedelus. The father and son were imprisoned, and in order to escape, Daedelus made wings using bird feathers covered with wax. He warned Icarus not to get too near the sun or...
Lesson Plan
Read Works

Read Works: Predicting 1st Grade Unit

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
[Free Registration/Login Required] A two-activity unit designed to teach students to make predictions and support them with details from the text. Lessons are based on the books Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes and No Roses for Harry! by...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Fable and Trickster Tales Around the World

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
The lessons presented in this website "introduce children to folk tales" and how these folktales are changed and affected by generational and cultural values. Includes several links to further related information on folktales, fables,...
Article
PBS

Pbs: Multiple Methods of Reading Instruction

For Students Pre-K - 1st Standards
This article surveys three strategies to incorporate into classroom repertoire. They include guided reading, choral reading, and readers' theater.
Handout
Scholastic

Scholastic: Laura Numeroff Biography

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This resource features a biography of the author Laura Numeroff. Students and teachers will benefit from this inside look at the life and work of this children's author.
Unit Plan
SRI International

Performance Assessment Links in Science: Follow Those Tracks

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This lesson plan requires students to make an inference (hypothesis) about two animals based on the tracks they leave behind. Students are asked to write a story explaining their inference.