Cluster 4: Range of Reading and Level of Text ComplexityArchived

In this lesson, students read a non-fiction text as they learn of the artifacts unearthed from the remains of a Salvadoran village preserved in volcanic ash much like Pompeii. Students will discover how researchers piece together evidence to determine the significance the artifacts reveal in illustrating the daily lives of this ancient people. As students come to understand the researchers use the artifacts to infer religious, cultural and economic aspects of the Ceren village, they will answer text-dependent questions and compose a multi-paragraph writing response (sample answer keys included) asking students to describe the power of this natural disaster to destroy this ancient culture yet preserve its details for future generations to learn from.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is the third lesson in a three-part unit examining privacy, surveillance, and technology. In this lesson, students will create a digital presentation and present their information to the class discussing a current privacy concern related to technology.

Type: Lesson Plan

"The line between private and public space is as porous as tissue paper." This is lesson two of three in a unit to introduce students to the central idea of privacy. In this lesson, students will continue to explore issues of privacy through their previous research on Edward Snowden. Students will use a graphic organizer to evaluate how an author develops the central idea. Students will be asked to consider to whether or not privacy has become an illusion due to our technological advances.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will conduct close readings of a teacher-selected news article that introduces a claim and two sides. As they read, they will implement vocabulary strategies, analyze the article’s claims and their validity. After they read, they will participate in a whole class discussion before choosing a side and writing a three-paragraph argument in the form of a letter.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will embark upon a journey of espionage and inquire how the rights of one can become a barrier for the greater good of a nation. This is the first lesson in a three-part unit evaluating the concept of privacy, surveillance, and technology. After learning briefly about former NSA agent Edward Snowden, students will research to find more information on Snowden’s actions and surrounding events. activity will require students to use textual support, reasoning and relevancy of the text, and analyze an author's claims. Students will synthesize the arguments, information, and claims within the text to participate in a class debate on whether Snowden is should be celebrated or considered a traitor.

Type: Lesson Plan

Dramatizing life stories provides students with an engaging way to become more critical readers and researchers. In this lesson, students select American authors to research, create timelines, and write bio-poems. Then, they collaborate with other students in small groups to design and perform a 'panel of authors' presentation in which they role-play as their authors. The final project requires each student to synthesize information about his or her author in an essay. There are tons of additional links and resources included in this lesson plan!

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will read, understand, and analyze a speech by Fredrick Douglass through close reading and scaffolded learning tasks. Students will write an essay to support their analysis of the central idea of Douglass's speech, "The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro."

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is the second of a unit comprised of 3 lessons. In this second lesson, students will use small group discussion to analyze informational text, a speech given by Judge Learned Hand entitled "The Spirit of Liberty," in terms of central idea and author’s choices in achieving purpose.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explore the concepts of individual rights and freedoms as opposed to the good of society using currently relevant topics. Students will participate in small-group and teacher-led discussions, research, collaboration, and debate to gain understanding and to present their findings and conclusions, supported by evidence, about the issues and implications of their assigned topics. Supporting materials will enable the teacher to guide students to consider, explore, and respond to the guiding question of whether it"s appropriate in a democratic society to give up essential liberties for temporary safety.

Type: Lesson Plan

Learn about author Alice Walker and the influence and legacy of her mother, Minnie Lou Tallulah Grant. In this interactive English Language Arts tutorial, you’ll read excerpts from “In Search of Our Mothers’ Gardens,” an essay written by Alice Walker. You’ll also watch a video titled “A Black Writer in the South,” which highlights important aspects of Alice Walker’s childhood. You'll also analyze various accounts of a subject, in this case, the influence and legacy of Alice Walker’s mother, as told through two different mediums: text and video.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Examine excerpts from a powerful speech on women, equality, and individuality in this interactive English Language Arts tutorial. You'll study excerpts from "The Solitude of Self” by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and examine how her choice of words, descriptions, and observations help reveal her point of view. You'll also analyze how rhetoric, specifically the use of logos and pathos, can help express an author's point of view.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence.

In Part Four, you'll use what you've learned throughout this series to evaluate Kennedy's overall argument.

Make sure to complete the previous parts of this series before beginning Part 4.

• Click HERE to launch Part One.
• Click HERE to launch Part Two.
• Click HERE to launch Part Three.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence. By the end of this four-part series, you should be able to evaluate his overall argument. 

In Part Three, you will read more of Kennedy's speech and identify a smaller claim in this section of his speech. You will also evaluate this smaller claim's relevancy to the main claim and evaluate Kennedy's reasons and evidence. 

Make sure to complete all four parts of this series!

• Click HERE to launch Part One.
• Click HERE to launch Part Two.
• Click HERE to launch Part Four.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence. By the end of this four-part series, you should be able to evaluate his overall argument. 

In Part Two, you will read more of Kennedy's speech, identify the smaller claims in this part of his speech, and examine his reasons and evidence.

Make sure to complete all four parts of this series!

Click HERE to launch Part One.

Click HERE to launch Part Three.

Click HERE to launch Part Four.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Examine President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address in this interactive tutorial. You will examine Kennedy's argument, main claim, smaller claims, reasons, and evidence. By the end of this four-part series, you should be able to evaluate his overall argument. 

In Part One, you will read the beginning of Kennedy's speech, examine his reasons and evidence in this section, and identify the main claim of his argument. 

Make sure to complete all four parts of this series! 

Click HERE to launch Part Two.

Click HERE to launch Part Three.

Click HERE to launch Part Four.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This is Part Two of a two-part tutorial series. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice identifying a speaker's purpose using a speech by aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. You will examine her use of rhetorical appeals, including ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos. Finally, you'll evaluate the effectiveness of Earhart's use of rhetorical appeals.

Be sure to complete Part One first. Click here to launch PART ONE.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This is Part One of a two-part tutorial series. In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice identifying a speaker's purpose using a speech by aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart. You will examine her use of rhetorical appeals, including ethos, logos, pathos, and kairos. Finally, you'll evaluate the effectiveness of Earhart's use of rhetorical appeals. 

Click here to launch PART TWO.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn to identify the text structure and its purpose within a nonfiction text. In this two-part tutorial series, you'll read excerpts from Maya Angelou's autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. You'll examine how the text structure contributes to meaning in the text, and you'll analyze how the order of events and relationships between events add to the meaning as well.

Make sure to complete both parts. Click here to launch PART ONE.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to identify the central idea and important details of a text, as well as how to write an effective summary in this interactive tutorial. This tutorial is the second tutorial in a four-part series that examines how scientists are using drones to explore glaciers in Peru. 

This tutorial is part two of a four-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 1)
• Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 2)
• Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 3)
• Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 4)

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about how researchers are using drones, also called unmanned aerial vehicles or UAVs, to study glaciers in Peru. In this interactive tutorial, you will practice citing text evidence when answering questions about a text.

This tutorial is part one of a four-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 1)
• Drones and Glaciers: Eyes in the Sky (Part 2)
• Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 3)
• Expository Writing: Eyes in the Sky (Part 4)

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn to identify the text structure and its purpose within a nonfiction text. In this two-part tutorial series, you'll read excerpts from Maya Angelou's autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. You'll examine how the text structure contributes to meaning in the text, and you'll analyze how the order of events and relationships between events add to the meaning as well.

Make sure to complete both parts. Click here to launch PART TWO. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Read and examine Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address in this interactive tutorial. First, you'll practice using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in the famous text. Next, you'll analyze Lincoln's specific word choice throughout the speech and examine how it conveys his tone or attitude.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Remember the Holocaust and consider the cost of indifference as you read selected excerpts from texts written by the late Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. In this interactive tutorial, you'll look carefully at his words so that you may think critically and deeply about his central ideas. You'll also identify the important supporting details of a central idea and explain how the central idea is refined by specific details.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this tutorial, you'll practice identifying and analyzing how specific concepts are addressed in texts from two different time periods. The featured texts include the Bill of Rights and an excerpt from the "Four Freedoms" speech by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. You'll practice analyzing the similarities and differences in how the two texts address certain concepts.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to identify context clues in a nonfiction text to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words. In this interactive tutorial, you'll read excerpts from Patrick Henry's "Speech to the Virginia Convention." You'll learn strategies for applying context clues to make predictions about the meanings of unfamiliar words. Finally, you'll practice using dictionary entries to confirm your predictions of unfamiliar word meanings.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to analyze accounts of the same subject expressed in different mediums. In this interactive tutorial, you'll compare and contrast the details included in a short text with those included in a short video. We'll use President Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to examine how certain details are presented and emphasized differently in each medium.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to identify and analyze a speaker's use of rhetoric and rhetorical techniques. In this interactive tutorial, we'll examine the art of rhetoric as well as Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle. We'll analyze the use of ethos, pathos, and logos in several historical speeches. We'll also analyze how speakers convey their point of view about a topic through the use of various rhetorical techniques, including repetition and rhetorical questions.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn to analyze evidence in an informational text using excerpts from a famous speech by President Ronald Reagan: "Address to Students at Moscow State University." In this interactive tutorial, you'll practice identifying what the text states both directly and indirectly. You'll also practice making inferences based on the specific textual evidence presented in the speech. Along the way, you'll learn some important background information on the Cold War between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This collection of articles covers a wide variety of topics that teens would find interesting. Each article includes thoughtful questions that require close reading and/or personal written response. Teachers can choose which articles to assign and how to grade student responses.

Type: Resource Collection

This is a 10 day overview from the Library of Congress on a Historical Perspective of the time period surrounding To Kill A Mockingbird. Includes a lot of primary resources and writing activities.

Type: Teaching Idea

This informational text is designed to support reading in the content area. It describes the remains of a Salvadoran village preserved in volcanic ash, much like Europe's Pompeii. The unearthed village reveals artifacts that illustrate the daily lives of this ancient people. The authors use artifacts to infer religious, cultural and economic aspects of the Ceren village.

Type: Text Resource

Lit2Go is a free online collection of stories and poems in Mp3 (audiobook) format. An abstract, citation, playing time, and word count are given for each of the passages. Many of the passages also have a related reading strategy identified. Each reading passage can also be downloaded as a PDF and printed for use as a read-along or as supplemental reading material for your classroom. The Flesch-Kincaid Readability formula is used to determine grade level appropriateness.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the academic content areas. It is most appropriate for 9th-10th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History or an Earth/Space Science class.

This is an interview of Apollo astronaut Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the moon. In a question/answer format, Aldrin answers questions about his ambitious vision for the future of American space exploration, and he also reflects on the past and present of the U.S. space program.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 9th-10th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class.

This article relates the infamous incident of UAW leaders beaten savagely by Ford "security" forces in 1937. Although Ford spokesmen tried to blame union members for the violence, photos taken at the scene proved otherwise, leading to Ford's eventual capitulation to the UAW.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 9th-10th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class.

This essay is a reevaluation of the life and reputation of Helen Keller, especially as it is commonly (mis)represented in textbooks and biographies for young readers. The author argues that Keller should be remembered for far more than being courageous, as she was also a "defiant rebel" and a radical.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 9th-10th grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class.

The author explains the causes of, and the attempted solutions to, the 1930s-era environmental catastrophe known as the Dust Bowl.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the Social Studies content area. It is most appropriate for 9-0 grade students enrolled in a U.S. History class.

The author reports on the passage of a Senate resolution that apologizes for its failure to pass previous anti-lynching registration.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the academic content areas. It is most appropriate for 9th-10th grade students enrolled in an English or Social Studies class.

Type: Text Resource

This informational text resource is intended to support reading in the content area. This brief (659 word) illustrated article describes the accomplishment at Stanford University of a pair of researchers who rendered a mouse brain transparent by removing the fat molecules in the cell membranes.

Type: Text Resource

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence