Analysis of text features, main ideas, and supporting details in informational texts. Develops critical thinking through evidence-based questioning and summary skills.
A rigorous high school unit exploring John Green's 'Everything is Tuberculosis', examining historical plague narratives, the biological science of the bacillus, medical ethics, global health policy, and the human side of patient advocacy.
A 12-session journey for children aged 6-8 that integrates English literacy skills (comprehension, writing, grammar) with essential emotional and thinking skills using the 'Mind Mechanics' framework. Students learn to decode information, construct ideas precisely, and regulate their thoughts and responses for better school performance and well-being.
A comprehensive collection of interactive activities and tools designed to help 4th graders master nonfiction text features, including headings, captions, diagrams, and navigation tools.
A comprehensive unit focused on informational reading and writing skills for elementary students. The sequence guides students through the process of researching high-interest topics, synthesizing information from multiple paragraphs, and drafting professional-quality informational reports.
A collection of 5th-grade ELA and Grammar resources focusing on biographical research, summary writing, and language mastery.
A 7th-grade ELA unit focused on synthesizing information from a nonfiction book with various media formats, including videos, articles, and primary sources, culminating in a multimedia project.
This sequence teaches 7th-grade students to analyze the structural framework of nonfiction texts. Students progress from identifying surface-level text features to evaluating complex organizational patterns and their impact on the author's central message.
An 8th-grade ELA sequence focused on the mastery of determining central ideas and writing objective summaries in nonfiction. Students move from distinguishing topics to distilling complex texts into concise, neutral summaries across various genres.
This undergraduate-level sequence explores the intersection of journalism and literary art, focusing on narrative techniques like scene construction, characterization, and pacing within nonfiction texts while addressing the ethical implications of these choices.
This sequence guides undergraduate students through the critical analysis of popular science nonfiction. It focuses on the translation of technical knowledge for public consumption, exploring audience scaffolding, metaphor usage, visual rhetoric, and the ethics of narrative in science writing.
A 9th-grade sequence focused on decoding complex informational texts by analyzing text features, visual data, metaphors, and specialized vocabulary. Students develop critical reading skills to understand how technical information is communicated to a general audience.
This sequence explores the technical and structural organization of nonfiction texts. Students act as professional editors, analyzing table of contents, paratextual features like footnotes, data visualizations, and syntactic complexity to understand how information architecture influences readability and impact.
Teacher Guide & Script (2 pages) for the Text Feature Safari. Includes a clear lesson timeline, setup checklists, differentiation for struggling readers, a ready-to-use verbal facilitation script, and a visual answer key.
Visual Anchor Charts (2 pages) serving as reference posters. Page 1 presents the chronological anatomy of a book (Front, Inside, Back) as a trail map, and Page 2 provides a simplified definition table with clear visual icons.
Large-print, highly visual movement station cards (8 pages) to be placed around the classroom walls. Each card features a giant, kid-friendly example from a mockup book 'All About Lions' to teach the 8 core text features in a unified context.
A simplified, highly scaffolded student recording sheet for the Text Feature Safari. It features tracing words and multiple-choice options with visual icons in a clean, print-ready, single-page layout.
A 2-page teacher-facing facilitation guide and complete answer keys for the Ink Investigators activities, styled as a 'Confidential Teacher Case File'.
An 8-card collection of printable text-feature analysis task cards split across 2 pages, structured as detective challenges for stations or small group work.
A print-ready structured scavenger hunt worksheet for finding real nonfiction text features in any library or classroom book.
A 2-page print-ready cut-and-paste matching worksheet. Page 1 contains the designated student canvas (Evidence Board), and Page 2 contains the scissorable text-feature definitions and visual illustrations.
Introductory presentation slides that introduce the three main categories of nonfiction text features (navigational, visual, and typographical) with a fun detective theme.
A comprehensive 1-page teacher answer key for the Permian Pressures quiz. Includes correct answers highlighted, a filled quick-grade key, detailed analytical rationales for each question, and a sample rubric for the bonus writing question.
A printable 2-page student assessment for Permian Pressures containing 5 rigorous multiple-choice questions on themes, characterization, and divides in Friday Night Lights. Includes a bonus analytical writing prompt and a quick-grade response grid.
A comprehensive teacher-facing companion guide for the 'Daily Catalysts Student Workbook' featuring key concept analysis, suggested responses, and pedagogical facilitation guides for all 11 chapters.
An active, safari-themed Write-the-Room scavenger hunt designed specifically for struggling first-grade readers to identify and understand key nonfiction text features through movement and visual cues.
An interactive, hands-on introduction to nonfiction text features. Students learn to spot visual, navigational, and typographical clues that help them decode and navigate information-rich texts.
A analytical assessment lesson focusing on the high-stakes themes, racial and socioeconomic divides, and tragic character trajectories of Boobie Miles and Mike Winchell in H.G. Bissinger's Friday Night Lights.
A comprehensive set of 6-minute daily warm-ups and corresponding closure questions spanning 11 crucial chapters of John Green's 'Everything is Tuberculosis'.
A comprehensive lesson exploring Chapter 9 ('Not a Person') of John Green's 'Everything is Tuberculosis', focusing on medical dehumanization, social stigma, and the historical and modern experiences of TB patients.
A comprehensive MCAS-style reading and writing assessment focused on an informational text about beavers, designed to build stamina and test-taking skills for 3rd graders.
A comprehensive diagnostic toolset designed for a bright, disengaged 7th-grade reader to uncover hidden interests and media preferences that can be translated into book recommendations.
A deep dive into Chapter 5 of John Green's 'Everything is Tuberculosis', focusing on the sudden isolation of patients and the narrative techniques used to convey historical and personal trauma.
A assessment-focused lesson covering the historical impact of Tuberculosis as detailed in 'That Wealth Never Warded Off', focusing on the theme that disease transcends social class.
Students analyze the first third of their selected memoir using road-trip metaphors to track character development and plot progression. They create a visual roadmap that identifies key turning points, obstacles, and moments of growth.
A student-led inquiry project for the end of the school year where 3rd-5th graders research and present a topic of personal interest. This project encourages independent research, critical thinking, and public speaking skills through a 'quest' for knowledge.
An 8th-grade ELA lesson focused on central ideas and evidence through the CommonLit text 'Keeping Up with the Joneses'. Students analyze the origins, social impacts, and psychological pressures of status-seeking behavior through vocabulary challenges, media analysis, and collaborative activities.
