Less than $5 12th Grade Informational Text Resources (by date, oldest first)

What is it?

Micro texts are made with the intention of getting to the skill or the practice students need FASTER. Each text is less than 400 words. All of the 16 questions is aligned to finding the "bullseye" and helping students think critically about the answer choices and how they can apply critical thinking to get the right answer every time. It also encourages students to read each question and not choose an answer that "feels right".

What's included?

• Google Slides (56 slides)

• PowerPoint (56 slides)

• PDF (26 pages)

• Editable Word file

• Four total passage

• Two micro argumentative texts

• Two micro informational passages

• 16 questions

• Teaching Slides

• Bullseye for students to practice the strategy

• A simple answer key is included as well as a detailed rationale page.

Who's it for?

- Middle and high school

- Teachers who want to teach test strategies before exams

Check out these other resources!

• Intermediate Advanced ELL/EB Practice with 100s of Common Words
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• All Things English For Middle & High School Students (best seller)
• Once Upon A Crime
• Revising & Editing Workbook
• Revising & Editing for Group Lessons
• Bell Ringers for the Semester
• Everything Writing

Elevate your students' understanding of text structure with this dynamic and interactive activity! The "Newspaper Text Structure Activity" is designed to immerse students in a fun game while mastering essential ELA skills. This engaging resource provides a hands-on approach to learning text structures through the lens of a newspaper editorial team.

In this comprehensive PowerPoint presentation, students embark on a journey through various text structures.

Key Features:

• Interactive Format: Students actively engage with the content as they manipulate text elements within the newspaper-themed slides, fostering a deeper understanding of text structure concepts. They'll love the hands on approach to learning.
• Editable Slides: Customize the content to suit your classroom's unique needs and curriculum objectives. Add or modify text to align with specific texts or teaching points.
• Visual Appeal: Capture students' interest from start to finish.
• Comprehensive Coverage: Covering a range of text structures, this resource provides a holistic approach to text structure instruction, ensuring students are well-equipped to analyze and compose a variety of texts.

Whether used as an introductory lesson, reinforcement activity, or assessment tool, this "Newspaper Text Structure Activity" is sure to spark enthusiasm and deepen comprehension in your ELA classroom. Prepare your students for success in reading and writing by integrating this innovative resource into your curriculum today!

Graphic Features of Text fits in perfectly with informational units. While teaching summarizing, author's purpose, and analyzation, teachers can present charts, and other elements of text structure to further increase student's learning.

What's Included:

• 27 slide lesson that covers the features of texts
• (2) Student Practice Activities with short informational texts attached to graphs for student practice during and after the lesson.
• Instructions for an engaging student project writing their own informational texts and making a chart to support their writing.
• Examples galore to help students understand graphic features of text, and how to complete the independent project.

All files come in Word, or Powerpoint with a PDF for easy printing. Questions presented focus on high level learning and challenging student thinking.

Sample Questions from Student Practice:

• What purpose does the graph serve to support the ideas presented in the text?
• What does the included graph help the reader understand about renewable energy?
• How might the time young people spend online relate to their mental health? Use the data in the charts or text evidence to support your answer.
• Choose one of the graphs for this question: how does the inclusion of this graph help to strengthen the author’s claim? Include the claim, graph title and text evidence in your response.

Get ready for your upcoming visit to the pumpkin patch with this field trip unit! Includes reading passages and fun activities for before and after the field trip, as well as a trip reflection activity that can be used for any field trip.

Includes:

• Parent/Teacher information sheet that gives a quick run down of all the pumpkin patch information included in the unit

Pre-Trip Activities

• Pumpkin Patch reading passage
• Show What You Know writing activity
• History of Pumpkin reading passage
• Three Sisters reading passage
• Three Sisters writing activity
• Pumpkin Baking activities - comes with instructions, plus 4 recipes to chose from (these could also be done post-trip)

Post-Trip Activities

• Field Trip Log - for homeschoolers to track the year's field trips
• Field Trip Reflection
• Home Again reading passage
• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds baking instructions
• Time to Carve reading passage and activity
• Additional resources sheet

The Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Unit is part of my Field Trip Unit Series. The series was created with homeschoolers in mind, but can be adapted to be used in a classroom as well. Field trips are a great way to supplement learning, but often homeschoolers don’t get any background information on the location of their field trip and want to enrich their experience by expanding the learning at home before and after the trip. These units help give information and fun activities before and after the field trip.

These units are available in PreK/Kinder, Elementary, and Middle & High School levels. All Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Units follow the same outline and the parent/teacher info sheet is the same for all three so that if you have children of several ages, you can seamlessly teach them together. Homeschooling parents and teachers taking multiple grades on the trip can easily combine different units. Check out all of the levels below, as well as a money saving bundle.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Unit - PreK Preschool and Kindergarten

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Unit - Elementary School

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Unit - Middle & High School

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip Bundle - save 20% on all three

**This unit comes in a zip file. Extract the files to access the Parent/Teacher Info Sheet and the Student pdf file**

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This includes handouts of two speeches: " Ich Bin Ein Berliner" by president John F. Kennedy and " Tear Down This Wall" by president Ronald Reagan. It includes a graphic organizer to help students compare rhetoric and persuasive techniques in both of these speeches in terms of Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.

*Update* Available under TeachShare Digital Resources which adds an interactive layer on top of the pdf for distance learning.

This is a prompt for whether or not Shakespeare wrote his own plays. It includes three articles, an outline sheet, and a grading rubric for the essay. This is a great resource for if you are covering essay writing but also doing Shakespeare plays or sonnets before or after.

This is a pdf. If you would like the Google Drive edition which is editable please visit here

***** Check out my other Writing Resources*****

Writing Thesis Statements

Counterclaim and Rebuttal

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Interactive Essay Writing Flipbook

Argumentative Essay

Essay prompt and articles :Narcissism

Essay prompt and articles: Hurricanes

Essay prompt and articles: Colonization in Africa

A worksheet with background information on the real life figure of Macbeth plus close reading questions. An excellent complement to Shakespeare's play.

This is a prompt with three sources. Students must respond to what are the effects which colonization has had on Africa. Rubric and Outline sheet are included. Great prompt for high school students.

***** Check out my other Writing Resources*****

Counterclaim and Rebuttal

Writing Graphic Organizers

Interactive Essay Writing Flipbook

Argumentative Essay

Essay prompt and articles :Narcissism

Essay prompt and articles: Hurricanes

This is an excellent worksheet to give prior to having students read Shakespeare's play "As You Like It". It has historical information about the play and 7 short answer questions. *** You may also like my study guide for As You Like It *** As You Like It Interactive Flipbook

This product includes two speeches: Lincoln's A House Divided Speech and President Obama's 2nd Inaugural Address. It also includes close reading questions for each speech. Includes answer key.

This product includes two speeches: Lincoln's A House Divided Speech and President Obama's 2nd Inaugural Address. It also includes close reading questions for each speech. Includes answer key.

An excerpt from a court case involving Susan B Anthony and a woman's right to vote. A good resource for a Language Arts Class or a History class, This worksheet fits in with any unit on women's studies and comes complete with an answer key. ****************************************************************** Other products which may interest you Women in History Biographical Poetry Declaration of Independence Close Reading

Excerpts from Letters from Birmingham Jail with questions and answer key. Goes well with a unit on persuasive writing or with black history.

NEW IN 2020: Rigorous! Engaging! Thought-provoking! This 5-page EDITABLE document helps your students to analyze the hierarchy of social classes and then to decode the signs of social status in The Great Gatsby. This activity promises to elicit dynamic engagement from all students without compromising on intellectual rigor. The worksheets on socioeconomic differences will challenge your students to dig beneath the surface of the text and generate profound interpretive insights!

Here's what you'll find inside:

• Symbolic Settings Worksheet (or Quiz): The first worksheet challenges students to come up with adjectives to describe East Egg and West Egg based on how those symbolic settings are described in The Great Gatsby. This worksheet can be used either as a fun exercise or as a quiz. (1 pages)

• Decoding Socioeconomic Status Handout: Not only was Fitzgerald was a careful reader of sociologist Thorstein Veblen's Theory of the Leisure Class (1899), but he incorporated many of Veblen's insights into The Great Gatsby. For example, it was Veblen who coined the term "conspicuous consumption" to describe a type of consumer spending that was intended primarily to show off one's wealth — which is one reason why Gatsby's parties are so lavish! This handout features key quotations from Veblen and other sociologists that will help students arrive at a deeper understanding of the difference between "Old Money" and "New Money." (1 page).

• "Old Money" vs. "New Money" Worksheet (or Quiz): The second worksheet builds upon the handout above and enables teachers to assess whether students are able to decode status differences. The worksheet challenges students to determine whether 16 different adjectives — such as "refined," "ostentatious," "exuberant," and "aloof" — would most likely characterize "Old Money" or "New Money." Answer key included. (2 pages)

• Analyzing Evidence Worksheet: This short worksheet challenges students to connect Nick's assessment that Jordan is a "rotten driver" with Nick's last words to Gatsby, "They're a rotten crowd." Did Fitzgerald mean to suggest that the residents of East Egg and/or West Egg amount to a batch of rotten eggs? (1 page)

These worksheets will come to you in a 5-page EDITABLE Word document which you can customize to the needs of your students! The preview for this resource provides viewing access to the entire document. Click on the green “PREVIEW” button to see what you’ll get. . . .

Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

Note: These handouts on social class are also included in my Gatsby MEGA-Bundle. The bundle contains everything you'll need to deliver amazing and comprehensive lessons on Fitzgerald's novel: over 40 slides and over 240 pages of content-rich handouts and activities. If you've already purchased the bundle, you don't need to purchase these handouts. Thanks!

Click to view the Gatsby MEGA-Bundle

Click to view my TeachShare store

NEW IN 2020: Rigorous! Engaging! Thought-provoking! This EDITABLE slideshow will kindle a fascination with Fitzgerald's novel before your students even crack the cover of The Great Gatsby. Open your unit on Fitzgerald's masterpiece with this powerful 41-slide PowerPoint SLIDESHOW presentation on the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald's and the culture of 1920s America called "The Road to Gatsby: A Slideshow on F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Roaring Twenties."

While this slideshow can be downloaded for free, it is meant to be accompanied by a 9-page LECTURE that you can preview and/or purchase for $1.99 by clicking HERE!!

Here's a quick glimpse into each of the four sections featured in the slideshow:

• Part I. The Artist as a Young Man: This section features photographs of Fitzgerald from his childhood in Minnesota, his college years at Princeton, his military training at Camp Sheridan, and his romantic courtship of Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama. Your students will be fascinated by the parallels between Fitzgerald's life and Jay Gatsby's upbringing, military training, and romantic life. After all, it is only because Gatsby is wearing his military uniform — which erases the signs of his class status — that he can get close to Daisy Faye! (13 slides)

• Part II. New York in the Artistic Imagination: This section features photographs and paintings of the rapidly changing skyline of New York in the 1920s. Photographs by Alfred Stiegliz reveal how 5-story brownstones were replaced by 50-story skyscrapers. Paintings by Georgia O'Keefe and Howard Thain reveal how the invention of electric lights imbued the cityscape with color and romantic allure. (7 slides)

• Part III. The Characters as Readers: This section will not only prepare students to catch the literary allusions in The Great Gatsby but will get students thinking about what the books that various characters are reading might reveal about their personalities. What does his interest in Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches novels reveal about the character of Jay Gatsby? What does his interest in Lothrop Stoddard's The Rising Tide of Color reveal about the racist and xenophobic views of Tom Buchanan? (7 slides)

• Part IV. Drafting The Great Gatsby: This section features photographs of the mansions and parties that Scott and Zelda attended on Long Island in 1923. It also features Fitzgerald's handwritten drafts of the first and last pages of his novel, a list of the six titles that Fitzgerald rejected (plus the title he actually preferred but requested after the book had gone to print), and the painting by Fancis Cugat that Fitzgerald selected for the cover of The Great Gatsby. (12 slides)

This slideshow will come to you in a 41-slide EDITABLE PowerPoint presentation which you can customize to the needs of your students! The 9-page EDITABLE lecture accompanying the slideshow can be previewed and/or purchased for $1.99 by clicking HERE. (Sellers are only able to upload one document per TeachShare product, so I've had to upload the lecture under a separate product listing. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience). As a bonus for purchasing the lecture, you'll also get a Spotify playlist of the songs that characters listen to in The Great Gatsby.

Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

Note: This slideshow and lecture also included in my Gatsby MEGA-Bundle. The bundle contains everything you'll need to deliver amazing and comprehensive lessons on Fitzgerald's novel: over 40 slides and over 240 pages of content-rich handouts and activities. If you've already purchased the bundle, you don't need to purchase this slideshow. Thanks!

Click to view the Gatsby MEGA-Bundle

Click to view my TeachShare store

This EDITABLE lecture was created to accopany a pre-reading slideshow on the life of F. Scott Fitzgerald and the culture of 1920s America. What you'll get is an 9-page lecture created to accompany a 41-slide PowerPoint presentation called "The Road to Gatsby: A Slideshow on F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Roaring Twenties."

Whether or not you choose to purchase the 9-page lecture, the actual SLIDESHOW can be downloaded for FREE by clicking HERE.

Here's a quick glimpse into each of the four sections featured in the slideshow:

• Part I. The Artist as a Young Man: This section features photographs of Fitzgerald from his childhood in Minnesota, his college years at Princeton, his military training at Camp Sheridan, and his romantic courtship of Zelda Sayre in Montgomery, Alabama. Your students will be fascinated by the parallels between Fitzgerald's life and Jay Gatsby's upbringing, military training, and romantic life. After all, it is only because Gatsby is wearing his military uniform — which erases the signs of his class status — that he can get close to Daisy Faye! (13 slides)

• Part II. New York in the Artistic Imagination: This section features photographs and paintings of the rapidly changing skyline of New York in the 1920s. Photographs by Alfred Stiegliz reveal how 5-story brownstones were replaced by 50-story skyscrapers. Paintings by Georgia O'Keefe and Howard Thain reveal how the invention of electric lights imbued the cityscape with color and romantic allure. (7 slides)

• Part III. The Characters as Readers: This section will not only prepare students to catch the literary allusions in The Great Gatsby but will get students thinking about what the books that various characters are reading might reveal about their personalities. What does his interest in Horatio Alger's rags-to-riches novels reveal about the character of Jay Gatsby? What does his interest in Lothrop Stoddard's The Rising Tide of Color reveal about the racist and xenophobic views of Tom Buchanan? (7 slides)

• Part IV. Drafting The Great Gatsby: This section features photographs of the mansions and parties that Scott and Zelda attended on Long Island in 1923. It also features Fitzgerald's handwritten drafts of the first and last pages of his novel, a list of the six titles that Fitzgerald rejected (plus the title he actually preferred but requested after the book had gone to print), and the painting by Fancis Cugat that Fitzgerald selected for the cover of The Great Gatsby. (12 slides)

This slideshow will come to you in a 41-slide EDITABLE PowerPoint presentation which you can customize to the needs of your students!

Again, this 9-page EDITABLE lecture can be purchased for $1.99. The lecture was created to accompany a 41-slide EDITABLE slideshow that can be downloaded for FREE by clicking HERE. (Sellers are only able to upload one document per TeachShare product, so I've had to upload the lecture under a separate product listing. Apologies in advance for the inconvenience). As a bonus for purchasing the lecture, you'll also get a Spotify playlist of the songs played at parties in The Great Gatsby.

Thank you for choosing “Rigorous Resources”!!

Happy teaching!

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

Note: The lecture and slideshow are also included in my Gatsby MEGA-Bundle. The bundle contains everything you'll need to deliver amazing and comprehensive lessons on Fitzgerald's novel: over 40 slides and over 240 pages of content-rich handouts and activities. If you've already purchased the bundle, you don't need to purchase the slideshow. Thanks!

Click to view the Gatsby MEGA-Bundle

Click to view my TeachShare store

This 4-page pre-reading handout provides students with important background information for understanding William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. This resource includes a two-page handout on the history of the Roman Republic. The resource also included is a comprehension check and answer key so that teachers can assess whether students have understood important details from the handout.

Learning about the history of the Roman Republic will provide students with the contextual information necessary for understanding certain lines in Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. You could have students read this handout for homework before starting the play; or you could have students read the handout aloud together in class before giving them the comprehension check worksheet.

If you like this pre-reading handout, you'll definitely want to check out my 160-page Complete Teaching Unit on Julius Caesar. The complete unit features colorful and engaging worksheets on every scene in Shakespeare's play. Because the complete unit is both professionally designed and academically rigorous, it is especially well-suited for courses like Honors English and AP Lang.

Wishing you an amazing experience with teaching this complex play. If you have any questions along the way, please don't hesitate to get in touch. And don't forget to check out the Complete Teaching Unit on Julius Caesar....

Happy teaching,

Adam Jernigan, Ph.D.

adamjernigan@gmail.com

P.S. Remember to “follow” my store to receive email updates on new products by Rigorous Resources. New products will be 50% OFF for the first 24 hours!

Feel free to check out these complete units on Shakespeare's masterpieces:

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Romeo and Juliet

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Julius Caesar

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Macbeth

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Othello

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Hamlet

COMPLETE UNIT with Workbooks on Much Ado About Nothing

INTRO TO SHAKESPEARE: Biography, Globe Theater, Language, & Meter

Engage Your Students in a Conversation with History: A Unique AI-Powered Interview with Winston Churchill

Bring history to life with this innovative resource! This simulated interview, powered by artificial intelligence, offers a unique and engaging way for your students to explore the life, legacy, and complexities of one of the 20th century's most iconic figures: Winston Churchill.

What's Included:

12 Poignant Interview Questions: Covering key events and themes from Churchill's life, including his early military experiences, political career, leadership during World War II, and views on the Cold War.

Project & Assignment Ideas: Historical analysis, research, creative & analytical Projects.

Churchill's Thoughtful Responses: Crafted using historical accuracy and cutting-edge AI technology to emulate Churchill's characteristic wit, eloquence, and strong opinions.

Benefits:

• Promotes active learning and historical inquiry
• Develops critical thinking and analytical skills
• Encourages perspective-taking and empathy
• Provides a springboard for research and further exploration
• Introduces students to the potential of AI in education
• Suitable for individual, small group, or whole-class activities

Perfect for history, social studies, government, and language arts classrooms

Go beyond textbooks and lectures! This resource offers a dynamic and interactive way to engage your students with history and delve deeper into the life and times of Winston Churchill. The use of AI adds a modern twist and sparks curiosity about the evolving role of technology in education.

Spark lively classroom discussions and ignite your students' curiosity about the past and the future!

Aligning with Learning Objectives:

While specific standards might vary depending on your state or country, here's how this resource aligns with common learning objectives found in frameworks like Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS):

Analyzing Text Structure and Author's Purpose: Students will analyze how the interview format structures information and how Churchill's responses reveal his perspectives and purpose in conveying his experiences. (e.g., CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.6-8.6, TEKS 8.6.B)

Evaluating Arguments and Evidence: Students will evaluate the historical accuracy of Churchill's statements and the evidence he provides to support his views. (e.g., CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.9-10.8, TEKS 8.16.A)

Integrating and Evaluating Multiple Sources: The interview can be used alongside other historical texts and materials to provide a more comprehensive understanding of Churchill and his era. (e.g., CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RH.11-12.9, TEKS 8.22.C)

Writing:

Writing Arguments: Students can use the interview as a springboard to write argumentative essays, taking a stance on Churchill's actions or the historical events discussed. (e.g., CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-12.1, TEKS 8.21.A)

Research and Inquiry: The interview can inspire students to conduct further research on Churchill, World War II, or other related topics. (e.g., CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.9-12.7, TEKS 8.19.B)

Speaking and Listening:

Comprehension and Collaboration: Students can engage in discussions about the interview, sharing their interpretations and perspectives while actively listening to their peers. (e.g., CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.9-10.1, TEKS 8.24.A)

Presentation of Knowledge and Ideas: Students can present their research findings or arguments based on the interview, using evidence to support their claims. (e.g., CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.11-12.4, TEKS 8.25.B)

Palestinian & Israeli: One question Two Perspectives

In this ebook you will find ten questions posed twice. One response is from a Palestinian & one from an Israeli. The views are moderate, but perspectives are clearly seen and can provide comparative insights into their respective perspectives. 

By asking these questions to both interviewees, we can compare the nuanced views that exist on either side of the conflict. It is important to approach these conversations with empathy and an open mind, as the answers will reflect deeply held beliefs and experiences shaped by a complex history and challenging realities.

The questions are followed by 10 potential assignments and projects aimed at a grades 9 to 12.

Here is a list of 10 questions that you can ask both a moderate Gazan Palestinian and a moderate Israeli:

1. Historical Narrative: How do you understand the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and how does that history inform your perspective on the current situation?
2. Personal Impact: In what ways has the conflict directly affected your life and the lives of those closest to you?
3. Security Concerns: How do you perceive the issues surrounding security and safety for your community, and what measures do you believe are necessary to improve them?
4. Political Solutions: What political solution do you envision as being the most fair and sustainable to address the issues of the conflict?
5. Land and Settlements: What is your stance on the issue of land, settlements, and the right of return for refugees?
6. International Role: How do you view the role of international actors, such as the United States or the United Nations, in resolving the conflict?
7. Daily Coexistence: Are there areas of daily life where you see successful coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians, and what can be learned from these examples?
8. Education and Misconceptions: What role do you think education plays in perpetuating or resolving the conflict, and what misconceptions might people on each side have about the other?
9. Economic Factors: How do you believe the conflict has shaped the economic situation for Palestinians and Israelis, and what economic changes would you propose to support peace efforts?
10. Vision for Peace: Can you describe your personal vision for peace and how individuals from both societies can contribute to achieving it?

Are you looking for a student-led, interactive way to asses your students' understanding of Derf Backderf's Kent State memoir graphic novel?

This file contains two different packets of Socratic Seminar packets- packet A and packet B. Each packet contains three different discussion questions that require students to answer and provide two quotes from the text to back up their answers. Students are also required to come up with three additional questions they will ask if there’s time in their seminar. Finally, the packet has a page where each student will monitor a partner in the opposite circle. They will make a check each time their partner speaks, and paraphrase meaningful comments their partner makes. The file also contains a rubric for you to use while your students are discussing!

When you print out the file, you’ll see packet A on the top half of the sheet, packet B on the bottom half, and then the rubric as the last page of the file. Remove the rubric and print one out for each of your students. Copy the rest of the pages, cut them in half, and staple them. Each student will receive one half-sheet booklet; packet A or packet B.

Give your students adequate time to plan for their Seminar! I usually give them a full class period (40 minutes for me), but you could have them do it for homework, or over the course of a few days. The day of the Seminar, you’ll assign partners with opposite packets. Let A discuss for as long as they need (usually 30-ish minutes for me!), then flip-flop your circles and have B discuss afterwards.

My students LOVE Socratic Seminars! I have found the fishbowl discussion format works much better when you give each group three different questions so you don’t hear the same discussion two times, which is how this product is set up. I have used Socratic Seminars in small literature circle groups as well as with the whole class at once. Please ask if you have questions!