Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Determining Ideas and Adding Details

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
A handy TFDC (topic/fact/detail/conclusion) graphic organizer (included) allows young writers to outline and record their main ideas and supporting details in the prewriting phase. They then continue to add details to the topic sentences...
Writing
Curated OER

The Learning Network: The First Middle School Chess Champs

For Students 7th - 8th
Introduce some nonfiction reading into your classroom! This resource contains seven comprehension questions pertaining to an article from The New York Times website about the first middle schoolers to ever win the United States Chess...
Writing
Curated OER

The Learning Network: Reactions to Rating Teachers

For Students 9th - 12th
Meant to be used in connection with the article "In Teacher Ratings, Good Test Scores Are Sometimes Not Good Enough" also available on The New York Times website, this resource provides 12 short-answer writing prompts that ask both basic...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Nonfiction Text: Comprehension Practice

For Students 7th - 10th
A New York Times article about a 15-year-old style maven who in 2011 launched the fashion magazine "Rookie," based on her blog, makes high-interest nonfiction reading for secondary learners. This page asks 9 comprehension questions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Short Biographies to Discover Characteristics of Biographical Writing

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students read short biographies on Abraham Lincoln from various artists. Using the texts, they identify the subject of the biography and discuss whether or not illustrations contribute to a biography. They research specific information...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Author's Purpose: Research Process/Narrative Writing Techniques

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Determine the author's purpose in writing a memoir. Eighth graders work in groups  to elicit author's purpose in memoirs, taking care to note how subtle the message can be hidden throughout the work. This lesson is a good way to...
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Nonfiction Lessons That Motivate

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Incorporating nonfiction lessons into literature instruction can be interesting and engaging for all students.
Lesson Plan
Digital Writing and Research Lab's – Lesson Plans

Teaching Close Reading through Short Composition/Revision

For Teachers 9th - 12th
This activity may have writers evaluate short compositions, but their subjects are quite tall: great Americans. Pupils read one another's compositions and closely examine how specific phrases and diction contribute to shaping American...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Complete Careers

For Students 5th - 6th
In this career report worksheet, students select and read a nonfiction book about a career they are interested in. Students write a report about this career, completing the 7 requirements listed.
Lesson Plan
The New York Times

Fiction or Nonfiction? Considering the Common Core's Emphasis on Informational Text

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Nothing aids in comprehension more than an explanation and understanding of why things are done. Address why the Common Core requires the reading percentages that it established and analyze how this affects your readers. Learners read...
Unit Plan
3
3
Curated OER

Farewell to Manzanar

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Examine human resilience across two texts with a detailed unit. Over the course of a week, learners will conduct a close reading of excerpts from Unbroken and Farewell to Manzanar. The resource includes clear procedures for reading and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Putting the Truth in Writing

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students define "nonfiction" and describe what they view as the best pieces of nonfiction writing. They determine criteria to evaluate whether or not a piece of nonfiction writing is good, and list categories of nonfiction writing.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mannerly Writing

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Writers draft paragraphs comparing and contrasting the author's viewpoint in two poems. They also discuss the differences between an informational text and a poem regarding manners. Rubric and assessment are provided.
Worksheet
1
1
Have Fun Teaching

Compare and Contrast (3)

For Students 2nd - 5th Standards
Sometimes the way a topic is presented in fiction can be very different from how it is in reality. Compare and contrast a topic from both a fiction and nonfiction source with a graphic organizer that prepares kids to write about what...
Assessment
Pearson

Practice Test English Language Arts: Grade 7

For Students 7th Standards
Practice makes perfect. A practice test designed for the ELA MCAS Assessment gives seventh grade learners the opportunity to answer reading comprehension questions and respond to essay prompts. Questions involve general fiction and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Seeds We Need

For Teachers K - 3rd
Learners apply word analysis skills to recognize new words, identify genres of fiction and nonfiction, and identify important themes and topics. They explore differences in plants, flowers, and vegetables. A book bag full of activities...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

End of Unit Assessment, Part 2: Drafting Introduction and Conclusion of an Essay to Inform

For Teachers 6th Standards
A powerful introduction and conclusion can really pack a punch. Using the resource, scholars first read and discuss a model essay. Then, as part of the end of unit assessment, they draft the introductory and concluding paragraphs of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

War Poetry, Journals and Letters: Viet Nam

For Teachers 7th - 11th
Examine letters written during war-time. In this cross curricular history and English instructional activity, middle and high school scholars read letters and poems written by soldiers in the Vietnam war. They will examine the...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Media Smarts

Bias in News Sources

For Teachers 9th - 12th
As young consumers of media, it is important for high schoolers to explore concepts of bias and prejudice, and how they may be present in media. After discussing ideological messages that media can contain, individuals complete a warm-up...
Unit Plan
Odell Education

Reading Closely for Textual Details: Grade 12

For Teachers 12th Standards
Help your class examine humanity's unpredictable nature through "Life Steps Almost Straight." Learners read various works from philosophers such as Viktor Frankl, The Buddha, and Nietzsche to gather textual evidence and explain their...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading Closely to Expand Understanding of Adaptations

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Third graders work to determine the main idea, recall key details, and answer questions using an informational text on the topic of animal adaptations. Using the non-fiction text "Staying Alive: Animal Adaptations" (provided) the teacher...
Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Close Reading of Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle: Main Ideas about the Bullfrog

For Teachers 3rd Standards
As your class reaches the end of the book Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle, the seventh lesson in this literary unit helps third graders transition from reading narrative to expository writing. Scholars develop their note-taking skills...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introducing Biographies-Getting to Know You

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners study biographies as a nonfiction genre while examining a variety of examples. Next, they access and complete an online tutorial about biographies. They choose one person that interests them to conduct further research using a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Go West or Not to Go West, That is the Question

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students answer the question,"To go West or not to go West?". In this nonfiction lesson students read a piece of nonfiction about going West during the 18th century. Students use a graphic organizer to compare and contrast the pros and...

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