In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students learn that transitional fossils provide scientists with evidence to establish how major animal groups are related to one another.
Material Type: Activity/Lab
Malala Yousafzai (born 1997) is a Pakistani activist for female education and the youngest ever winner of the Nobel Peace Prize. Malala is from the Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan, where the local Taliban has banned girls from attending school. Malala, whose family ran a chain of local schools, publicly stood against the Taliban's actions and launched an international movement. On October 9th, 2012, a gunman from the Taliban boarded a school bus and shot her in the head. Malala remained in critical condition in the days following the attack, but survived. Since then, she has continued to advocate internationally for women's education. As you read, consider what drove Malala to overcome tremendous adversity.
Material Type: Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Reading
Beginning in 1955, the United States and the Soviet Union began competing in the Space Race, a race to determine who would achieve superiority in spaceflight. The following text describes some of the people who made significant contributions to this race and who were, until recently, hidden from popular history. As you read, take notes on the challenges that each woman faced due to prejudice based on her race and gender.
Material Type: Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Lesson Plan, Reading
Migrant workers are people who move from place to place to complete seasonal work, usually difficult labor in the fields. Due to the United States' proximity to Mexico, and Mexico's previous ownership of California, many of these workers are of Mexican descent. In this interview, Felix Contreras asks his father about his experiences as a former migrant worker. As you read, take notes on what Luis Contreras experienced as a child migrant worker, and what eventually improved the conditions of migrant workers.
Material Type: Assessment, Homework/Assignment, Reading
Langston Hughes (1902-1967) was an American poet, activist, novelist, and playwright. He is also considered one of the leaders of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the cultural, social, and artistic movement of black artists that took place in Harlem between the end of World War I and the mid-1930s. Hughes wrote this poem after graduating high school while reflecting on the role that rivers have played in African American history.
Material Type: Reading
The Letter Poem Creator provides an online model for the thought process involved in creating poems based upon a letter; then, students are invited to experiment with letter poems independently.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Interactive
Pat Mora's poem "Echoes" demonstrates that our senses are powerful tools for literary analysis and comprehension as students use their senses to discover new ways to read and write.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Lesson Plan
Originally celebrated as Washington's Birthday, Presidents' Day formally became the national holiday it is today in 1971, following the passage of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. In this informational text, Thomas Pool summarizes some of America's First Ladies' greatest challenges and successes, and argues that it's time to celebrate the women behind the world's most powerful office.
Material Type: Reading
Cynthia Leitich Smith is an award-winning author of books for young readers that center on the lives of present-day Native American people. She is also a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, the fourth-largest Native American tribe. In "Between the Lines," teenagers Mel and Ray deal with awkwardness and misunderstandings at a community event.
Material Type: Reading
Maanasa Mendu es una joven científica que descubrió una manera de generar energía sustentable para contribuir al cuidado del medioambiente.
Material Type: Reading
A former journalist, professor, and research analyst, T.J. Resler researches and writes a variety of nonfiction and fiction for kids and adults. In this article, she explains how the earth changed during the "Dinosaur Era" and how those changes affected the types of plants and animals that existed.
Material Type: Reading
In this informational text, Lillian Steenblik Hwang discusses how hurricanes, cyclones, and typhoons form, as well how they impact people.
Material Type: Reading
Armed conflicts around the world have driven millions of people away from their homes. Known as refugees, tens of thousands of these people start new lives in the United States every year. In this news feature, Caroline Garrison learns about the lives of young refugees in Dallas, Texas.
Material Type: Reading
La siguiente es una biografía de la famosa pintora mexicana Frida Kahlo.
Material Type: Reading
This text provides advice to aspiring writers.
Material Type: Reading
Jason Kim is an Asian American screenwriter and playwright. In this memoir, Kim reflects on his experiences moving from his home in South Korea to start a new life in America. Purpose for Reading: We have explored how setting affects characters in fiction. Read this memoir to see an example of how setting can make someone feel as if they do or don't belong.
Material Type: Reading
Coral reefs are underwater ecosystems that occur in less than 1% of the ocean but are home to nearly 25% of all the ocean's species. In this text, journalist Lela Nargi explores the current issues affecting coral reefs and the ways in which scientists are trying to save them.
Material Type: Reading
In this informational text, Thomas Pool explains what memes are and how they are made.
Material Type: Reading
Matsuo Bashō (1644-1694) was a famous poet from Japan known as the master of the haiku. "The Aged Mother" is a traditional Japanese folktale that shows the love between a mother and son and the important roles the elderly hold in society.
Material Type: Reading
Recess is a regularly scheduled period within the school day for physical activity and play. Traditionally, elementary schools offer recess for students. However, having this break in the day is not common for students in middle and high school. In this text, high school students Ryan Nguyen and Reagan Zuber explain their arguments for whether or not teens need recess.
Material Type: Reading
