Who's that talking to? Readers listen to a reading of the "Forgotten Ship" transcript and answer questions focusing on word meaning and choice. They complete a chart to track the multiple narrators in the script. For homework, readers...

Scholars participate in a Write-Pair-Share activity while answering questions about the meaning of words in "Wet and Crying." They use their Write-Pair-Share note-catchers to guide their thoughts and then share with the class. After...

As your class progresses through Chapter four of Ethan Frome, provide them with these thought-provoking questions built using Bloom's Taxonomy. 

Begin this expository writing activity by reading a non-fiction book of your choice and modeling expository writing. The plan suggests The Trip of a Drip by Vicki Cobb but notes that other texts will work. Learners then choose a...

Young meteorologists answer questions based on the types of weather they experience in the region they live. They also complete a word search to find weather-related terms.

As you're reading Gary Paulsen's tale of self discovery and adventure, Canyons, bring this questioning strategy into your classroom. The QAR questioning strategy is meant to encourage a deeper analysis of the text, as some questions are...

Explore reciprocal questioning with this ReQuest comprehension strategy. After reading a passage, learners first question the teacher, trying to "stump" her. Then it is the teacher's turn to ask the pupils questions. All correct answers...

Get to know the meaning behind the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the legendary 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. Groups of two take the roles of performer and questioner. Performers sing lines of the song while questioners...

Test understanding of "The Inn of Lost Time" by Lensey Namoika with an assessment that includes true/false, multiple choice, vocabulary, short answer, and essay questions. The test is not entirely traditional since, for the first 10...

Designed for third graders but appropriate for older learners as well, this packet of materials underscores the necessity of teaching kids how to summarize, how to identify main ideas and supporting details, and how to ask questions...

Break your class into groups and have them read certain passages from the text Flipped (included here). After every two paragraphs, the groups stop to answer the questions included. Which questions provided are right there questions?...

How do pupils relate paired passages to each other? Here's a resource that helps! The lesson includes a short story and a poem as a set of paired reading passages, followed by some analysis questions. It also includes an essay template...

Informational texts come in all shapes and sizes. Your kids will read the New York Times article, "Preparing for Passover" then answer seven comprehension questions. The answer to each question is located in embedded hyperlinks. 

Susy is always at home taking care of her baby sibling. Even when mom is home, Susy has to take care of the baby. Luckily for Susy, she has good friends. After reading about Susy's duties, learners respond to four questions that require...

Does Facebook actually have any value? Find out what the New York Times thinks by reading this informational article. Learners use the 10 guiding questions to aid them as the read the provided article regarding the value of Facebook. Two...

Who was Steve Jobs and what has he contributed to American culture and technology? Kids ask themselves these questions as they read a New York Times article about Apple and Mr. Jobs. There are seven comprehension questions for learners...

Looking for a Halloween-themed vocabulary lesson? Study words in context using Zoe Hall's story It's Pumpkin Time, an excellent informational text for budding readers. The spooky suggested words are: buds, gather, hollow,...

After reading the first, second, and third parts of "How Bear Lost His Tail", third grade writers answer questions about the story by completing a series of options, including discussion points. Then, they begin to plan a new narrative...

After re-reading The Omnivore’s Dilemma using a Reading Closely: Guiding Questions handout, class members use sticky notes to annotate and determine the gist of the text. Finally, they use an Author’s Purpose graphic organizer to...

How do you interpret that? Scholars work on their mid-unit assessments by interpreting resources pertaining to the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fires. Readers use the text in their research folders and complete graphic organizers,...

If you want your class to practice reading informational texts and answering related questions, this short exercise from The New York Times' "Learning Network" might be helpful. It includes an article on Dippin' Dots and uses...

What better day to celebrate the US Constitution than on Constitution Day! After reading a short passage about the different understandings of habeas corpus and ex post facto, sixth graders respond to 10 multiple choice and short...

Read about the fox family that decides to cook a hen for dinner. After reading, individuals answer questions about the elements of plot in the story. They require drawing conclusions, making predictions, and describing specific...

The November 14, 2011 edition of the New York Times included an article about debt and the European economy. Critical readers use the article to answer 13 who, what, when, where, and why questions.