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

In this lesson, students use the collection's Timeline of African American History, 1852-1925 to identify problems and issues facing African Americans immediately after Reconstruction. Working in small groups on assigned issues, students search the collection for documents that describe the problem and consider opposing points of view, and suggest a remedy for the problem. Students then present the results of their research in a simulated African American Congress, modeled on a congress documented in the collection's special presentation, Progress of a People.

Type: Lesson Plan

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

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 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

The Florida Holocaust Museum invites educators to use our dynamic trunk curriculum to teach the lessons of the Holocaust. These large teaching trunks are designed to accommodate the needs of one class or a team of teachers. The High School Teaching Trunk focuses on the theme of individual experiences during the Holocaust. Through studying non-fiction such as diaries, memoirs, and biographies supported by secondary sources, students examine the impact of historical events on individuals.

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