October 10, 2011
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SUMMARY: Students will be deeply moved by our story of 13-year-old Zack Lystedt, who suffered a life-changing series of concussions playing football. They will also read about the concussion crisis in youth sports and the NFL. Skill focus: author’s purpose; persuasive-writing strategies FEATURED SKILL: AUTHOR’S PURPOSE/PERSUASIVE WRITING VOCABULARY A list of tricky words that appear in the article, to print or project. Includes a practice activity to reinforce understanding. INTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A test-prep essential! We formed these questions based on state tests. (Need help with your interactive PDF? Visit our FAQ page.) Get the noninteractive version here. IDENTIFYING NONFICTION ELEMENTS: READ, THINK, EXPLAIN Use our teacher-vetted, scaffolded reading activity to help students improve their nonfiction reading-comprehension skills and strategies. Includes text-structure questions. CRITICAL THINKING Short-answer questions for independent completion (great for your above-level readers!) or group discussion. These are also listed in our T.E. and can be projected on your whiteboard. MULTIMEDIA VIDEO: TEEN’S LIFE-CHANGING GAME Dr. Drew Pinsky interviews Zackery Lystedt and his father Victor. Length: 5:45. NOTE: An ad appears before the clip starts, so we recommend loading before your class begins. | |
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SUMMARY: In our exciting play, Howard Carter discovers and opens the tomb of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Tutankhamen, unleashing what some people said was a terrible curse. Skill focus: supporting evidence FEATURED SKILL: SUPPORTING EVIDENCE
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SUMMARY: Students read an essay about Selena Gomez and a newspaper feature–style article about Drew Barrymore’s rocky transition from troubled young star to Hollywood leading lady. Then they compare the two articles and relate them to a quote about early fame. Skill focus: comparing and contrasting; making connections between texts A graphic organizer helps students compare the two articles—in preparation for responding to the writing prompt on page 19. Great for those who need more scaffolding. COMPARE-AND-CONTRAST QUIZ Multiple-choice questions require students to analyze and compare the two texts. Makes great test prep. READING-COMPREHENSION CROSSWORD PUZZLE A fun way to check reading comprehension. | |
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SUMMARY: Should pet owners be able to clone their beloved animals? Your students decide. Skill focus: supporting an argument; identifying main ideas and details GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. GUIDED OPINION ESSAY | |
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SUMMARY: Students get an inside look at the fascinating (and kind of gross) world of competitive eating. Then they edit our article for mistakes. Skill focus: conventions of standard English; revision GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. APOSTROPHE PRACTICE | |
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SUMMARY: Students write a short article based on our interview with an amazing 13-year-old who shaved her head to raise money for childhood-cancer research. Skill focus: identifying main idea and details; summarizing CONTEST ENTRY FORM Use our handy form to enter students’ work in this contest. Read more about our contests here. | |
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SUMMARY: Students practice the correct use of accept and except in these fun factoids about TV shows. Skill focus: accept vs. except More practice with these commonly confused words. | |
ANSWER KEY Looking for answers? Visit our top-secret Web site for answers to all reproducibles, quizzes, and activities. The URL is listed on page T-3 of your printed Teacher’s Edition. DOWNLOAD ALL PRINTABLES FOR THIS ISSUE COMMON CORE, NCTE, AND IRA STANDARDS FAQs ABOUT INTERACTIVE PDFS Having trouble downloading our materials? Try using a different browser. |
