Teach your class five reading strategies to help them with reading informational texts and literary texts. This packet, designed to help learners prepare for the CAHSEE, provides specific strategies that could be used to help prepare for...

How can you tell when an author is expression an opinion or stating a fact? Use two short reading selections to emphasize the difference between a statement that you can prove and one that you can't. The first passage explains food...

What's the difference between hibernation and a good nap? Find out with an engaging life science activity that compares the hibernation habits of grizzly bears and marmots. After learners read an informational passage about each mammal,...

Identify the author's organizational pattern for expressing ideas. After reading an article on the California Gold Rush, middle schoolers determine the author's purpose for writing a passage of informational text. A full list of...

Discuss and analyze a variety of information regarding the history of ecological conservation and preservation, as well as its importance. Scholars work in groups to complete four different activities, then report back to the class for a...

Learners discuss their personal connections with stories they've read in the past and identify techniques to connect with more stories. They create illustrations, construct task cards, and complete sentence stems based on books they read...

A large pig labeled "Stimulus Package" wrapped in an American flag is the primary image on this political cartoon. Ready for analysis, this worksheet provides learners with the opportunity to understand the pros and cons of US spending...

To drill or to conserve? This question is the foundation of the political cartoons up for critical analysis in this well-composed worksheet. Learners will analyze two cartoons guided by background information and excellent questions for...

With this New York Times "Learning Network" exercise, high schoolers read an article about the death of Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are and then respond to several prompts that require them to shape their own opinions...

A great resource for informational texts as well as writing topics, the New York Times website provides writing prompts about various news articles through The Learning Network. This particular learning exercise provides a very...

Explore text structure with a focus on the glossary feature in informational texts. Learners read a brief introduction before examining a glossary from a text about plants. They reference it while completing four comprehension questions....

Are your scholars reading Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee? If so, use this textual analysis packet and lesson guide to drive deeper thinking about the characters, create personal connections, and apply historical...

Students generate 2 or more questions without teacher support. They state known information and make personal connections without teacher support. They select two or more resources to answer his/her question. They distinguish...

High schoolers conduct research on the Challenger Mission, develop written press releases and prepare a Press Conference skit. In this Public Speaking & Informative writing lesson, students research the Challenger Mission and...

Infinitives have multiple purposes. Introduce your Spanish class to the variety of ways to use infinitives other than simply conjugating them. Use the material and presentation included here to inspire and inform a lesson on infinitives....

Study word choice and connotation in advertising. Readers examine campaign ads, both negative and positive, from the 2006 mid-term election before discussing an article and analyze a campaign of any candidate they choose. Finally,...

Class groups investigate the economic and political implications of a country's policies on genetically modified foods, craft a position paper detailing that policy, and share their findings with the class. Armed with this...

A lot happened to European economics, policy, and social systems after WWII. This 24 page social studies packet provides images, reading passages, comprehension questions, and critical thinking questions regarding all things Europe from...

Is interacting with people from different backgrounds part of a well-rounded education? A big question awaits young readers as they explore two New York Times articles that discuss modern-day segregation, population statistics, and...

Students examine the concept of geographic information systems (GIS) and its basic components. They explore an application program using GIS technology and list the various uses for GIS.

Students are introduced GIS systems and how they operate. Using a GIS system, they locate and map the various types of agricultural products grown in Oregon. They rank each county based on the amount of agricultural products produced and...

Students manipulate existing GIS data to create and map a new layer of information that shows that watersheds in Travis County that are on top of Edwards Aquifer. They create and map that shows the watersheds in Travis County that are on...

Students work in cooperative groups of three or four to define Egyptian terms and use those terms on pre-cut triangles to create pyramids on oak tag for display. This lesson was originally developed as a follow-up activity for a unit on...

Gathering information about a person is the easy part. Crafting an interesting biography is another thing altogether. The value in this information-collecting worksheet is that writers are asked to move beyond the usual basic questions.