January 14, 2013
Great news! Most of our activity sheets are now writable PDFs. You can print and copy them or have students fill them out on their computers or tablets. Click here to see instructions for using writable PDFs.
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SUMMARY: After a devastating cheerleading accident, Gabby Taylor has become a crusader for safety in youth sports. In this riveting article, your students will read Gabby’s inspiring story, learn how cheerleading has changed over the decades, and form an opinion about the “no pain, no gain” mentality held by many young athletes today. Skill focus: analyzing author’s craft Lexile Level: 1060L
GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. Use our step-by-step multimedia teaching package for a lesson that connects the article, two videos, activity sheets, and more. VIDEO: No Pain, No Gain: A Conversation With Gabby Taylor Gabby Taylor tells her story in her own words. And it comes with these discussion questions! VIDEO: Deadly Hits Chris Coyne, 19, was all set to play football for a prestigious university until a devastating and preventable injury ended his college sports career before it started. Have students make connections with Gabby’s story after watching this fascinating video. And it comes with these discussion questions! ANALYZING AUTHOR’S CRAFT Students examine how the author develops her argument. Perfect for small-group work or for homework! READING GRAPHS Multiple-choice questions about the graphs on page 7. Requires students to read closely, make inferences, and draw conclusions. VOCABULARY A list of tricky words that appear in the article. Includes definitions and example sentences as well as a practice activity to reinforce understanding. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. READ, THINK, EXPLAIN: IDENTIFYING NONFICTION ELEMENTS Use our teacher-vetted, scaffolded reading activity to develop your students’ nonfiction-reading skills and strategies, and prepare them for higher-level-thinking questions. Don’t miss our nifty glossary of nonfiction terms—an excellent resource that students can use all year long. INTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A test-prep essential! We formed these questions based on state tests. Need help with interactive PDFs? Visit our FAQ page. NONINTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A printable version of the quiz above. CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS Short-answer questions for independent completion (great for your above-level readers!) or group discussion. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Students explain how the author supports her argument that the “no pain, no gain” attitude can be harmful to young athletes, and whether they agree with her. Read more about our contests here. DOWNLOAD ALL ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ARTICLE Get them all in one click! Please note: The activities in this file are print-only. For the writable versions, click the individual links for each activity above. EXTRA RESOURCES PEDIATRICS STUDY ON CHEERLEADING INJURIES The full text of the study by the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, referred to in the article, is available online. Share it with advanced students who’d like a closer look at the research. GABBY TAYLOR’S OFFICIAL WEBSITE Learn more about Gabby Taylor and get the latest updates about her campaign to improve safety in youth athletics. USA CHEER’S SAFETY GUIDELINES Read more about cheerleading safety and what organizations like USA Cheer are doing to raise awareness on how to be safe. | |
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SUMMARY: How did Easter Island go from being a lush paradise to an ecological wasteland? And how did the native people move those huge statues? Students read about the two prevailing theories, then decide which theory they find most convincing. Skill focus: forming an opinion; analyzing supporting evidence; identifying central ideas and details Lexile Level: 960L
GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. For students who need extra scaffolding, use this activity to help them identify evidence that supports each theory in the article and decide which details are most convincing and why. Great preparation for writing an argument essay on this topic. GUIDED WRITING: The Argument Essay Our self-guided activity sheet makes essay writing a painless process. Great for homework! VOCABULARY A list of tricky words that appear in the article. Includes definitions and example sentences as well as a practice activity to reinforce understanding. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. GREAT TRANSITIONS HANDOUT Using transition words is a key writing skill. Our handout gives students ideas on how to choose the perfect transition word or phrase. DOWNLOAD ALL ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ARTICLE Get them all in one click! Please note: The activities in this file are print-only. For the digitally writable versions, click the individual links for each activity above. | |
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SUMMARY: Your students will be fascinated by the story of Robert Smalls, a slave who, in 1861, commandeered a Southern ship and escaped to freedom. He became an instant hero, yet few people know about him today. We’ve paired his riveting story with an editorial about what it means to be a hero and why we should celebrate Smalls today. Skill focus: making connections between a nonfiction article and an editorial; persuasive writing
GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. Lexile Level: 930L GUIDED WRITING: Persuasive LetterWalks students through the process of crafting an effective persuasive letter. It’s a perfect guide to respond to the writing prompt on page 16. VOCABULARY A list of tricky words that appear in the article. Includes definitions and example sentences as well as a practice activity to reinforce understanding. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. INTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A test-prep essential! We formed these questions based on state tests. Need help with interactive PDFs? Visit our FAQ page. NONINTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A printable version of the quiz above. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Students write a letter to their principal persuading him or her, to allow students to perform a school play about Robert Smalls. Read more about our contests here. DOWNLOAD ALL ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ARTICLE Get them all in one click! Please note: The activities in this file are print-only. For the digitally writable versions, click the individual links for each activity above. | |
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SUMMARY: Introducing Scope Drama! Our new format is more stage play than Readers Theater, complete with stage directions, asides, and lighting cues. Your class will love acting out this adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s famously creepy short story. We pair it with the real-life story of a 14-year-old girl’s petition against photo retouching in Seventeen magazine. Skill focus: analyzing theme; elements of drama; making connections between fiction and nonfiction
GET A PDF OF THIS PLAY TO PROJECT. Students explore character, elements of plot, and more, in this self-guided activity. Plus, we’ve added a special section to help your students consider elements of drama. Use this activity with our Glossary of Literary Terms—a terrific resource that your students can use all year! VOCABULARY A list of tricky words that appear in the play. Includes definitions and example sentences as well as a practice activity to reinforce understanding. Read more about Scope Vocabulary here. INTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A test-prep essential! We formed these questions based on state tests. Need help with interactive PDFs? Visit our FAQ page. NONINTERACTIVE READING-COMPREHENSION QUIZ A printable version of the quiz above. CRITICAL-THINKING QUESTIONS Short-answer questions for independent completion (great for your above-level readers!) or group discussion. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Students make connections between the play and the nonfiction article about Julia Bluhm. Read more about our contests here. DOWNLOAD ALL ACTIVITIES FOR THIS PLAY Get them all in one click! Please note: The activities in this file are print-only. For the digitally writable versions, click the individual links for each activity above. EDITOR’S TIP! Push back the desks and perform this play in your classroom. You can assign one student to be the lighting director, flicking the lights on and off as cued in the play. EXTRA RESOURCES ORIGINAL TEXT: “The Birthmark” The full text of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s classic story is available for free online. Share it with your above-level students and challenge them to think about how our adaptation is different from the original. VIDEO: Julia Bluhm on NBC Nightly News To learn more about Julia’s campaign against retouched photographs, share this NBC Nightly News segment with your class. Length: 2:15. Note: An ad appears before the video begins, so we recommend loading the video before your class starts. | |
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SUMMARY: Students correct grammatical errors and revise sloppy writing in a nonfiction article about the rise and fall in popularity of particular baby names. Skill focus: conventions of standard English; revision GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. Please note: These activity sheets are print-only. APOSTROPHESStudents review the rules, then practice. HOMOPHONES Of coarse, your familiar with this all-two-common kind of mistake. AMBIGUOUS PRONOUNS Students identify and revise sentences with pronoun ambiguity. SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT Practice with matching singular and plural verbs and subjects. DOWNLOAD ALL ACTIVITIES FOR THIS ARTICLE Get them all in one click! | |
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SUMMARY: Hailee Sims, 15, raises champion farm animals. In this activity, students use our interview with Hailee to write a short article about her. Skill focus: identifying central idea and details; summarizing GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT. Our self-guided worksheet walks students through the process of crafting an article. “YOU WRITE IT” MODEL TEXT Model the activity with an annotated example of a completed “You Write It” article. PUNCTUATING QUOTATIONS Use this activity sheet for extra practice with direct quotes. CONTEST ENTRY FORM Use our handy form to enter students’ work in the “You Write It” contest. Read more about our contests here. | |
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SUMMARY: Students practice the correct usage of their, there, and they’re while reading about some of Scope’s Oscar picks for 2012. Skill focus: their, there, and they’re
GET A PDF OF THIS ARTICLE TO PROJECT More practice with these commonly confused words. | |
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| READING-COMPREHENSION CROSSWORD PUZZLE This is a fun way to test students’ understanding of the whole issue. Please note: This activity is print-only. DOWNLOAD ALL ACTIVITY SHEETS FROM THIS ISSUE | |
SCOPE’S SKILLS AND GRAPHIC-ORGANIZERS LIBRARY Visit our library for a list of basic skills activities for just about any Scope article or story, along with a collection of handy handouts. ANSWER KEY Looking for answers? Visit our top-secret website for answers to all quizzes and activities. The URL can be found on page T-3 of your printed Teacher’s Edition. MORE HELPFUL LINKS & DOWNLOADS COMMON CORE, NCTE, AND IRA STANDARDS FAQs ABOUT INTERACTIVE PDFs Having a problem downloading our materials? Try using a different browser. |
