During the U.S. Civil Rights Movement (1954-1968) Black leaders and their supporters fought against segregation, the act of separating people by race, and discrimination, the act of treating people unequally. This article describes what took place during the March on Washington, an important event of the Civil Rights Movement.
Material Type: Reading
En este texto, se describe la alegría y la magia de un desfile caribeño llamado Junkanoo.
Material Type: Reading
This informational text tells how Lonnie Johnson invented the Super Soaker, a popular water blaster.
Material Type: Reading
E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) was an American poet known for trying new and different things in his poems. He played with the form of poems, or how they look on the page and broke many other "rules" of writing. In this poem about four girls at the beach, he chooses not to use capital letters or use spaces between punctuation marks and the next word.
Material Type: Reading
In this informational text, India James shares Tilly Smith's experience in 2004 on a beach in Phuket, Thailand. Thailand is a country in Southeast Asia that is known for its beautiful beaches.
Material Type: Reading
Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825-1911) was an abolitionist, suffragist, public speaker, teacher, and writer. She grew up as the child of free African American parents. Harper wrote for anti-slavery newspapers and helped enslaved African Americans escape through the Underground Railroad, which was a network of routes and safe houses leading to free states and Canada.
Material Type: Reading
The purpose of this lesson is to show learners how to keep a nature journal. How to reflect, respond, and question the observations they see in the world.
Material Type: Activity/Lab, Diagram/Illustration, Lesson Plan
Jason Reynolds is an award-winning American author of young adult fiction who strives to "create work that helps young people feel cared for." Reynolds was inspired by rap music to begin writing poetry at nine years old, and he continues to use rhythmic language patterns in his work. In this story the narrator reflects on a boy, assumed to be the narrator's younger self, who is preparing a perfect outfit for the first day of school.
Material Type: Reading
Lulu Delacre is an author and illustrator of many award-winning children's books. Her writing often celebrates her Latinx heritage and promotes cultural diversity. This story describes a girl's first day at Saturday school to learn "correct Spanish." As you read, take notes on what the narrator, Sandra, thinks and feels about her experiences in Saturday school.
Material Type: Reading
Chris Low is a teacher and author who has written for Highlights. In this story, a boy has a hard time taking a test. As you read, take notes on how Andy’s feelings about the test change.
Material Type: Reading
Kris Bitar is a writer and teacher in Aberdeen, Washington. She has taught every level in K-12 for 30 years and her joy is working with children. In this story, a girl named Jo-Jo looks for a way to help a new classmate named Dee. As you read, take notes on Jo-Jo’s actions in the story.
Material Type: Reading
Josh Allen is an author of scary stories. In this story, two friends discover something strange on the floor of their school cafeteria. As you read, take notes on Malia and Janet’s actions.
Material Type: Reading
S. Blais is a published author, blogger, and copywriter who lives outside of Washington D.C. She mis-uses the word "literally" on a regular basis. An idiom is a phrase, or group of words, that cannot be understood from the meaning of each word on its own. In this story, Gavi's Granmom tells him it is about to "rain cats and dogs." As you read, take notes on what the characters mean when they say it is going to “rain cats and dogs.”
Material Type: Reading
Stephen Curry is one of the greatest basketball players of all time. In this informational text, India James discusses Curry's early life and how he found success as a basketball player.
Material Type: Reading
LeBron James is a famous, or well-known, American basketball player. This informational text tells about LeBron James' life on and off the basketball court.
Material Type: Reading
Gabriela Mistral fue una poeta chilena y la primera mujer latinoamericana en ganar el Premio Nobel de Literatura. Este poema se refiere a los colores de la primavera, pero hay mucho más que descubrir.
Material Type: Reading
Sandra Cisneros is an American writer and a key figure in Chicana literature. Her writing frequently draws on her experiences as an only daughter in a family of six brothers, as well as her family's migration between Mexico and the United States. Cisneros is the author of the bestselling novel The House on Mango Street. In this short text from that novel, a narrator describes (talks about) her family's hair.
Material Type: Reading
Carmen T. Bernier-Grand is a Puerto Rican author and poet. This poem is about a coquí, a very small tree frog found in Puerto Rico. Coquí make the sound they are named after: "KO" and "KEE."
Material Type: Reading
Jenny Whitehead is a poet and illustrator from the United States who uses creativity to find ideas for stories and poems in the world around her. In this poem, a speaker tries to pick the right pumpkin. As you read, take notes on the speaker’s point of view about the pumpkins in the patch.
Material Type: Reading
Anita Celli has written for Highlights. In this short story, a boy doesn't want to sit at the kids' table for Thanksgiving. As you read, take notes on when James feels grown up.
Material Type: Reading
