Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Asking the Questions and Questioning the Answers

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What would you ask a presidential candidate if you had the chance? Bring politics to your language arts classroom with this lesson, in which young readers brainstorm questions they would have liked the presidential candidates to answer....
Lesson Plan
Civil War Trust

Civil War Reader's Theater

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Encourage class members to add expression and put themselves back in time during the Civil War with a reader's theater activity. The scripts include dialogue on what it was like for the Union and Confederate sides during this time.
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Launching Readers Theater Groups: Identifying Passages from Esperanza Rising for Readers Theater that Connect to the UDHR

For Teachers 5th Standards
Teach young readers how to compare two texts and select passages that exemplify a specific theme with Lesson 6 from Unit 3. Begin by modeling how an expert reader selects examples from a text, performing a think aloud on how Article 2 of...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Novelinks

Man's Search for Meaning: ReQuest Procedure Questioning Strategy

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of Viktor Frankl's Man's Search for Meaning, class members respond to, and craft, higher-level comprehension questions based on passages from the text. 
Worksheet
Curated OER

Cinco De Mayo: ELD Reading and Language-Building

For Students 5th - 10th
A brief passage about the Mexican holiday Cinco de Mayo is accompanied by an array of language activities for ELD: cloze exercise, phrase matching, word jumble, multiple choice, sequencing, interview, group presentation, fluency writing,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Famous Person: Yushiko Uchida

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Third, fourth, and fifth graders read the book The Bracelet by Yushiko Uchida and examine the events of Uchida's life. They participate in a guided discussion of Japanese culture, perform a reader's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War Reader's Theater Lesson Plan

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students participate in a reader's theater about the Civil War. In this performing arts lesson, students review the Civil War through a reader's theater. They practice reading their parts to work on expression and fluidity before...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Thomas Jefferson, Message to Congress on the Embargo

For Students 8th - 11th
Zounds! Image an American president closing all ports and prohibiting exports. As part of an exercise designed to strengthen primary source comprehension skills, readers examine Thomas Jefferson's 1808 message to Congress urging such an...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Thomas Jefferson, Message to Congress Concerning Louisiana

For Students 8th - 11th
Proficient reading of informational text, especially primary source documents, requires practice. This message from Thomas Jefferson about the Louisiana Purchase offers readers a chance to develop these comprehension skills.
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Theodore Roosevelt, Excerpt from Eighth Annual Message to Congress

For Students 8th - 11th
As Theodore Roosevelt reminded Congress in 1908, corporation one is not corporation two. Readers of this excerpt from Roosevelt's Message to Congress have an opportunity to sharpen their comprehension skills as they study this primary...
Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—Childhood

For Students 5th - 7th Standards
Who wants to learn about Honest Abe? The reading passage highlights the early life of Abraham Lincoln, detailing his experience as a young boy growing up in Kentucky. Readers read the brief passage and then answer 10 comprehension...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Decoding US Foreign Policy: The Iran-Contra Affair

For Teachers 9th - 11th
This is a really good lesson. Learners explore US Foreign Policy, the Reagan Administration, and the Iran-Contra Affair through various documents and readers theater. Worksheets, script, and web links are all included. Teaching can't get...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Tip O'Neill, "Epilogue: What I Believe" from Man of the House

For Students 8th - 11th
The epilogue to former Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill's memoir provides readers with an opportunity to practice their informational text reading comprehension skills. 
Lesson Plan
2
2
National Endowment for the Humanities

Courage “In the Time of the Butterflies”: A Common Core Exemplar

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The courage of Las Mariposas, the Mirabal sisters, is the focus of a series of activities designed to accompany a reading of In the Time of the Butterflies that ask readers to consider what it means to be courageous. Beautifully crafted...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Flag History

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Young historians explore US culture by investigating the US flag. They will use their textbooks, prior knowledge, and sources provided by the teacher to research the history of the American flag. They will design and create a trading...
Worksheet
Read Works

How to Say “I Ruff You”

For Students 7th Standards
Who says you need a human to be your valentine on Valentine's Day? Give your dog-loving readers an inspiring perspective on how a sister givdes her brother a valentine from the family dog. They then answer 10 questions thatd involve...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Theodore Roosevelt, Excerpt from Inaugural Address

For Students 8th - 11th
"Much has been given us, and much will rightfully be expected from us." As part of a series of worksheets that provide readers with an opportunity to develop their primary source comprehension skills, kids examine an excerpt from...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Lyndon B. Johnson, Excerpt from “The American Promise”

For Students 8th - 11th
"I want to be the president who educated young people to the wonders of their world." Readers examine the vision Lyndon B. Johnson presented for his presidency in this excerpt from his "The American promise" message delivered to Congress...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Channel Islands Film

Cache: Lesson Plan 3 - Grades 4-5

For Students 4th - 5th Standards
Should the excavation of what is believed to be the cave of the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island be allowed to continue? As a practice exercise designed to prepare pupils for a timed writing exam, individuals read two Los Angeles...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Ronald Reagan, Excerpt from Reagan's First Inaugural Address

For Students 8th - 11th
A key challenge in teaching kids how to read informational text, particularly primary source documents, is finding suitable resources and then developing questions that guide readers. Never fear, help is here in the form of a series...
Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Excerpt of Senate Bill Proposing an End to the Slave Trade

For Students 8th - 11th
To sign or not to sign? That is the question facing readers of the 1807 bill proposing an end to the slave trade. After a close reading of excerpts from the bill, readers are asked to advise Thomas Jefferson either to sign or reject the...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Zora Neale Hurston's novel Their eyes Were Watching God has been highly praised and severely criticized for its depiction of African American folk culture. A set of primary source materials, including photographs, articles, essays, and...
Worksheet
Reading Through History

The Federalist Papers: Federalist Paper No. 10

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
James Madison, under the pen name “Publius,” justifies the need for an American Republic in Federalist Paper 10, which is perhaps one of the most influential contributions to the Federalist Papers. Readers examine his perspective with...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A set of 14 primary sources provides background for a study of Lorraine Hansberry's drama, A Raisin in the Sun. Featured are images from stage productions of the play, white supremacy protests, a clip from a television interview, and...