This history article, ‘What’s This Artefact?’ features the fire extinguisher hand grenade, an object used to put out fires in the late 1800s. It provides factual information about this artefact and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness.
This analysing text worksheet ‘Forgotten Inventors from History’ supports students to use various strategies to understand a narrative text about three American inventors. It is aimed at encouraging students to deconstruct the text in order to gain a deeper understanding of its purpose, to recall specific details from the text, to look critically at words …More
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘Forgotten Inventors from History’, features two biographical texts about Oliver Evans, who invented the assembly line, and Mary Anderson, who invented the windshield wiper. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the texts and includes questions about central purpose, cause and effect, visual comprehension, emotional reactions, figurative …More
This factual text, ‘Gliders’ describes the history, function and construction of gliders. It provides opportunities for students to practise vocabulary and comprehension skills. Answer sheet provided with file download.
This history article, ‘Great Escapes: Gallipoli Escape’ features the clever invention of the drip rifle, which enabled the Australian and New Zealand soldiers to fool their Turkish enemy and successfully evacuate from Gallipoli. It provides factual information about the escape from Gallipoli, complete with a glossary of unfamiliar words and terms from the text and …More
This history article, ‘Historic Discoveries’ features a timeline of some of the most important discoveries throughout history. It provides factual information about these discoveries and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness in a fun and engaging manner.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘How Chewing Gum Was Developed’, features an informational text about the history of chewing gum. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about validity, classification, sequence, importance, character, mood, cause and effect, setting, main idea, and reasoning. Answer sheet provided with file …More
This Readers Theatre activity, ‘How Did They Do it?’ encourages students to determine problems and solutions located in the content of a script. It also builds reading fluency. This activity includes a script for 5 readers.
This kids news activity, ‘IBM Produces World’s Smallest Movie – Made Of Atoms’ is about a stop-motion film created on an atomic level.
This writing prompt, ‘Invent a Better Life’ helps students to write about something they would like to invent. It encourages students to think about how the invention would make their life easier and is aimed at broadening students’ writing and language skills.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘Lucianne’s Mind at Work’, features a narrative text about a girl who wants to improve the design of motor vehicles. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about making an inference, classifying, mood/tone, comparison/contrast, cause and effect, reasoning, and making a judgment. …More
This hands-on activity, ‘Make an Origami Samurai Helmet’ shows students how to make a samurai helmet using the ancient Japanese technique of origami. It provides step-by-step instructions and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness in a fun and engaging manner.
This history article, ‘Marie Curie: A Scientist for Humanity’ features famous scientist Marie Curie. It provides factual information about Marie Curie’s life and work and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness.
This hands-on activity, ‘Potato Printing Press’ shows students how to make their own printing press out of potatoes. It provides step-by-step instructions on how to make the printing press and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness in a fun and engaging manner.
This Writing Task worksheet, ‘Proposal for Your Invention’, features instructions for students to create an original essay about an unusual and ambitious project. It encourages students to plan their writing and to check it for errors. Suggested topics include transporting ice to irrigate deserts, cloning cells, and colonising Mars.
This reading comprehension activity ‘Remembering Their Journey’, asks students to answer comprehension questions on a text about the Museum of African American History.
This writing prompt, ‘Ride Design’ helps students to write about a ride they would design for an amusement park. It encourages students to use their imaginations and is aimed at broadening students’ writing and language skills.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘Steps to Becoming an Inventor’, features a procedural text about the process of inventing something. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about making a judgment, reasoning, making an inference, figurative language, questioning, and detail. Answer sheet provided with file download.
This kids news activity, ‘Take Pictures Without A Camera’ is about a camera being developed in Japan that can be operated by finger gestures.
This history article, ‘The Bear Affair’ features the invention of the teddy bear and how two different people from two different parts of the world claim to have invented it at the same time. It provides factual information about the origins of the first teddy bear, as well as a teddy bear logic puzzle activity. …More
This history article, ‘The Evolution of Video Games’ features the history of video games and how they developed from early games like Pong and Pac Man to the more complex games we play today. It provides factual information and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness in a fun and engaging manner.
This history article, ‘The Explosive Story of Alfred Nobel’ outlines the life and work of the man behind the prestigious Nobel Prize. It provides factual information about Alfred Nobel and how the Nobel Prize originated and it is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness.
This history article, ‘The Gory Story: Saved by the Bell?’ explains why some coffins had bells attached to them in the 18th and 19th centuries. It provides factual information about this practise and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness in a fun and engaging manner.
This history article, ‘The History of the Bicycle’ describes the invention of the bicycle and how it evolved throughout history. It provides factual information and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness.
This Readers Theatre activity, ‘The Invention Convention’ encourages students to write a plan for creating an invention. It also builds reading fluency. This activity includes a script for 7 readers.
This history article, ‘The Slow Sprint to Print’ features the history of the printing press. It provides factual information about the invention of the printing press and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness in a fun and engaging manner.
This history article, ‘Time Warp! The Surprises of Time’ outlines some surprising facts and comparisons about various historical events. It provides factual information and is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness in a fun and engaging manner.
This analysing text worksheet ‘What Time Is It?’ supports students to use various strategies to understand a narrative text about the history of clocks. It is aimed at encouraging students to deconstruct the text in order to gain a deeper understanding of its purpose, to recall specific details from the text and to look critically …More
This history article, ‘Made in China’ features various Chinese inventions that we use every day. It is aimed at broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness in a fun and engaging manner.
This ‘Making Mistakes’ writing prompt is an ideal activity for promoting a growth mindset by encouraging students to reflect on how they respond to making mistakes. The writing prompt provides an introductory passage posing a question about the usefulness of mistakes before detailing a real-world example of how one scientist’s mistake led to an amazing …More
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