One of the things that makes Bloom's Taxonomy so effective is that it works off different levels of understanding. Test your readers' knowledge, comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation with these short questions....

All sources are pretty much the same, right? If this is how your class views the sources they use for writing or research projects, present them with a media literacy lesson on smart source evaluation. Groups examine several articles,...

An interesting and unusual topic for a news article, this resource from the New York Times website asks learners to take a moment and consider all the things they notice during a typical day. Based of the editorial piece "Things I...

Practice reading with expression and appropriate phrasing with a scaffolded lesson. There is a detailed script here for you, but you could easily use it simply as an outline. Begin by modeling effective reading by displaying a large-text...

Reading a dialect can be difficult; show readers that it can also reveal fascinating details! They read two extracts from Jane Gardam's The Hollow Land, which is written in a British dialect. Readers answer comprehension questions,...

How can we heal our hearts through forgiveness?  The third activity in a series of six prompts readers to answer questions about Words by Heart by Ouida Sebestyen. Not only does it activate background knowledge on the...

Before beginning The Things They Carried, class members are asked to use a KWHL chart to record what they know about war, what they want to know, and where they might find answers to their questions. Groups then research...

Readers will be burning to attack a crossword puzzle based on Ray Bradbury's dystopian classic, Fahrenheit 451. They must fill in the missing words in passages drawn from the novel and identify characters.

Young readers discover the basics of apples in a reading passage. Then they respond to four comprehension questions that ask when? what? and how?.

A Socratic seminar wraps-up a study of Zora Neale Hurston' Their Eyes were Watching God. Using the text and their notes, scholars focus on how characters in the novel accept or reject the societal norms of the times.

Included in this resource are a variety of activities to do while reading Willa Cather's My Antonia. The activities, which range from mapping out Nebraska to writing activities about pioneer living, are all designed with one...

Narrative or expository? That is the question readers face on a two-part comprehension worksheet that asks kids to read a short passage about these two different types of writing, and then to answer a series of comprehension questions...

Ever wonder why the sky changes color so often? Readers examine an informational excerpt from John Farndon's How the Earth Works. They underline key points as they read and then answer five response questions. Prompts review main...

Why don't dinosaurs wander the earth any longer? Answer this fascinating question with young readers as they examine a brief informational text. There are bolded words to separate text sections which are an excellent example of...

Are your learners curious about new words? Take them on an adventure with Curious George as they learn vocabulary in the context of H.A. Rey's book, Curious George Rides a Bike. Prepare budding readers by introducing the terms...

Barbara Joosse approaches an age-old question through an equally traditional culture in her story Mama, Do You Love Me?, which helps budding readers explore Native American vocabulary in context. Here you'll find...

Knowing how to make inferences is a very important skill for readers of all ages. Help your pupils master this ability by providing practice. Pupils read four short passages and answer two to three questions about each to practice making...

Using this thoroughly-written plan, you can have your junior ecologists exploring local biodiversity. They take a journal outdoors to tally the species that they see. An article is included along with comprehension questions. The author...

Do some of your writers need an extra lesson on correcting run-ons and comma splices? This worksheet clearly defines the terms, provides models of run-on sentences, comma splice errors, and how to correct them. The second page of the...

What is the role of a newspaper's Op-Ed page? High schoolers explore the New York Times' "Op-Ed at 40," an interactive feature that lets them browse through 40 years worth of op-ed features, and consider the purpose and value of this...

Who says reading comprehension exercises can't be fun? Your readers will be engaged with the short story about witch doctor spells that provides the text and the included answer sheet dispells any mystery as to the correct answer. The...

What would you do? To prepare for the final scene from Arthur Miller's The Crucible, readers are presented with a series of moral dilemmas and asked to consider what they would do in the same situations.

A class discussion on reference materials opens up a lesson on how to use these important resources. They discover that dictionaries, glossaries, and thesauruses are called word reference resources, and they practice using them. The...

"What is George upset about? Check all that apply." Here's a worksheet that asks readers to delve more deeply into character attitudes and motivations. In addition, Part II asks individuals to record passages from that text that capture...