Curated OER
Characteristics of Nonfiction
The second lesson in a series from ReadWorks.org, this lesson continues to explore the difference between fiction and nonfiction texts. The lesson opens with the teacher reviewing a class Venn diagram started in the last lesson....
Curated OER
Lesson 4: Theme Matters
This useful approach to determining themes based on specific details from a book is aimed at readers of Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee. It could also easily be adapted for use with other books or readings. The class identifies recurring...
Curated OER
Poetic Word Choice
Groups or pairs choose ordinary objects from a bag and rename them based on traits, so that a stapler becomes a "paper cobra." Then they connect this exercise to the way authors use language to emphasize certain traits through word...
Curated OER
Genre Lesson: Biography/Autobiography
Practice distinguishing biography from autobiography through point of view. Tell a brief story of your morning. Have a class member retell the story to you (using second person). And have another retell the story to the class (using...
Curated OER
Mysterious Plot Problems
Your readers explore plot patterns in mysteries by identifying problems first in Two-Minute Mysteries by Donald J. Sobol and then in The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin. To gain access to the worksheets, graphic organizers and...
Curated OER
Identifying the Problem and the Solution in a Story
Story elements: the problem and the solution. Help your youngsters identify these elements by reading Bringing Down the Moon, by Jonathan Emmett. After a class discussion and chart creation discussing problems and solutions from past...
Read Works
Cats in the Catacombs
Fourth graders read a short story and then answer questions based on what they read. Learners are asked to support their answers with evidence from the text.
Read Works
Sam’s Helicopter Ride
First graders read a short story and answer questions based on what they read. The question set includes multiple choice and short answer questions.
Curated OER
Using a Title to Determine the Main Idea
Use the title of a book to determine the main idea. Readers will view the cover of The Wedding and predict what the story will be about. Graphic organizers help chart important information and build new vocabulary. Other stories are...
Curated OER
Using Text Features
Investigate a "table of contents" with your students! They read the table of contents in Deserts by Darlene R. Stille and predict where the answers to specific questions might be found. Learners complete a worksheet in which they find...
Curated OER
Predicting Events in Realistic Fiction
How do you make a prediction? Practice active reading comprehension strategies, like making predictions, with your readers. Learners make predictions during the independent reading of Dogs Don't Tell Jokes by Louis Sacher. They observe...
Curated OER
Experience and Perspective
Sixth graders make connections between past experiences and perspective. They read Keeping the Night Watch by Hope Anita Smith. Then, they analyze a character's history and state the past experiences that form their perspective. In...
Curated OER
What's the Author's Purpose?
What is the author's purpose for sharing an autobiography? Start this lesson with the short story provided about getting pulled over by a police officer. Then, discuss the acronym PIES and how it stands for the four main reasons an...
Curated OER
Genre: Short Story
Discover the genre of short stories with sixth graders. They discuss the characteristics of short stories from the book America Street. Then, they compare and contrast movies and television shows and chart story characteristics....
Curated OER
What is a mystery?
What is a mystery? Learners complete an anagram worksheet to discover the mystery genre. First, they listen as the teacher reads from All About Mysteries and notes defining words on the board. Then they read a mystery and examine it for...
Curated OER
Genre Lesson: Realistic Fiction
As scholars begin identifying stories as realistic fiction, its important they see many examples to solidify their concepts of this genre. Readers begin with a personal connection, thinking of television shows they like and determining...
Read Works
A Busy Bird
Kindergartners read a short passage and answer questions based on what they read. The question set involves circling pictures, writing words, and drawing pictures.
Read Works
How to Say “I Ruff You”
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...
Read Works
Edison Tried and Tried Again
How many times did it take Thomas Edison to invent a successful working lightbulb? Young learners read a short passage about this famous inventor and his determination in getting an idea to work successfully. Then, pupils respond to four...
Read Works
Trading Pumpkins
Can you imagine a pumpkin patch without pumpkins? Learners read how Tammy's family solves their problem in a cooperative way, followed by a set of 10 reading comprehension questions.
Read Works
Fireflies
A short story about a nighttime adventure at summer camp provides readers with a chance to practice their comprehension skills.
Read Works
Columbus Was an Explorer
Get the inside scoop on the European explorer, Christopher Columbus, with a response to reading learning exercise that requires scholars to answer who, what, why, when, and a variety of other questions about the word crew.
Read Works
Bat News
Get the bat facts with a short nonfiction reading passage. After reading the passage, readers respond to questions that focus on main idea, inferencing, vocabulary in context, and author's purpose.
Read Works
Halloween Leftovers
Halloween isn't fun for everyone — but playing together is! Read about Esme and her space pirate friend with a short reading passage, accompanied by ten short answer questions.