The ability to read historical documents including contemporary explications about societal, economic and political issues provides a direct link to literacy as preparation for citizenship. As in the other disciplines, schools are unique sites for youth across class and ethnic boundaries to learn to read such documents and to develop the skills to engage in such reading for college and career success.

Comprehension strategies are routines and procedures that readers use to help them make sense of texts. Struggling adolescent readers need direct, explicit instruction in comprehension strategies to improve their reading comprehension.

The more a new vocabulary word is associated with ideas from students' own experience, the more likely the word will become well 'networked' and a permanent part of memory. Making these links involves elaborating definitions of new terms. This article offers teachers several ways to facilitate elaboration.

Given that teachers often have too much to teach and too little time, teacher Dana Dusbiber suggests an alternative approach to teaching literature for secondary ELLs: the introduction of more multicultural literature in the classroom.

The National Reading Panel identified three predominant elements to support the development reading comprehension skills: vocabulary instruction, active reading, and teacher preparation to deliver strategy instruction. L .9-10.3 knowledge of lang

This collection features highlights from public media's interactive classroom resources and content to support teachers, parents, caregivers, and mentors who are helping at-risk students overcome key learning obstacles on the path from preschool through graduation.

This issue of the free online magazine, Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears, explores the amazing birds that live in or migrate to the polar regions. The issue was co-produced with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. In addition to content knowledge articles and lesson plans, the issue includes information about bird-themed citizen science programs from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

This article assembles free resources from the Arctic and Antarctic Birds issue of the Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears cyberzine into a unit outline based on the 5E learning cycle framework. Outlines are provided for Grades K-2 and 3-5.

In this lesson, students work in groups with each acting as a predator, prey, or family member in a particular habitat. They present their habitat performance to the class and students identify the habitat and animal relationships. Then, they complete a writing activity where they will learn about phonics by crafting animal sounds into onomatopoeic words and the class will create a digital ABC book of animal drawings and recorded animal sounds.

This article reprints and links to informational text about the adaptations that allow mammals and fish to survive in polar oceans. Versions are available for students in grades K-1, 2-3 and 4-5. Related science and literacy activities are included.

Be deliberate when inviting your student to watch a PBS KIDS show. These resources can help by adding meaningful conversation and easy activities to their experience watching Clifford The Big Red Dog.

Numbers don't stop at 20! This lesson looks at the numbers beyond 20 using the book "The Cheerios Counting Book" by Barbara Barbieri McGrath. This lesson includes a detailed plan, links to center ideas, a printable worksheet, and a video tutorial.

A story about what it is like to have a big sister. Includes audio narration in 17 additional languages with text in English.

A simple story about the things you do at a birthday party. Includes audio narration in 14 additional languages with text in English.

Students are introduced to the circulatory system, the heart, and blood flow in the human body. Through guided pre-reading, during-reading and post-reading activities, students learn about the circulatory system's parts, functions and disorders, as well as engineering medical solutions. By cultivating literacy practices as presented in this lesson, students can improve their scientific and technological literacy.

In this story, two young girls go bowling with their uncle. Includes audio narration in English, Spanish, Chinese, and Turkish, with text in English.

Learn about the different kinds of breads people eat around the world. Includes audio narration.

Contains plans for five lessons that ask students to create PowerPoint presentations about shared experiences like field trips or other activities. Students take pictures of what happen, and then explain the sequence of events in words and images. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection activities.