This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘A Best Friend’, features an informational and narrative text about the bond between dogs and humans. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about validity, drawing a conclusion, fact/opinion, cause and effect, and theme. Answer sheet provided with file download.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘A Maritime Nightmare’, features an informational text about the tragic sinking of the steamboat Sultana on the Mississippi River in 1865. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about reasoning, detail, imagery, vocabulary, drawing a conclusion, cause and effect, sequence, the main …More
This history timeline, ‘The Great Potato Famine’ features important dates and factual background information about this tragic period in Ireland’s history when the potato crop failed, and many people either starved or fled the country. This is a great resource for broadening students’ historical and cultural knowledge about Ireland and could be used as a …More
This history timeline, ‘The Irish Port of Cobh’ features important dates and factual background information about the major events that took place at Cobh and reflect the changing face of Ireland, from convicts and Queen Victoria’s visit to mass emigration during the Great Potato Famine, the last stop of the Titanic, the sinking of the …More
This graphic organiser, ‘Bubble Map’ allows students to list adjectives that describe communities of the past and present.
This analysing text worksheet ‘Building a Viking Longboat’ supports students to use various strategies to understand an informational text about how Viking’s built these boats. It is aimed at encouraging students to recall specific details from the text, to look critically at words in order to ascertain their particular meaning in context, to examine how …More
This article, ‘Canberra’s First People’ provides students with factual information about the ACT’s Indigenous history. It describes the past and present influence of Aboriginal culture on the nation’s capital city with particular focus on the Ngunawal people. This is a great resource for broadening students’ cultural and historical awareness and could be a useful prompt …More
This history poster ‘Catherine McAuley’ features important factual background information about this Irish nun who founded the now international order, the Sisters of Mercy, to help and educate the poor. This is a great resource for broadening students’ knowledge of significant figures from Irish history and could be used as a prompt for further discussion …More
This Editing Task worksheet, ‘Cherokee Nation’, features a rough draft of an informational text about the Native American tribes that settled in the southeast. It encourages students to identify spelling, punctuation, grammar, and capitalisation errors in the text and then to write out a correct version. The purpose of this task is to develop students’ …More
This content area reading activity, ‘Clara Barton’ is a history based reading comprehension exercise encouraging students to recognise and use prefixes and suffixes.
This graphic organiser, ‘Compare Squares’ helps students compare how two groups with different opinions view a historical event.
This graphic organiser, ‘Continuum’ helps students see historical events from different perspectives, identifying negative and positive events.
This Writing Traits activity ‘Capitalising Properly’ encourages students to use appropriate capitalisation in their writing.
This graphic organiser, ‘Divided Time’ helps students generate original ideas and enhance their historical writing.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘From Thirteen to Fourteen’, features the fictional journal of a young seaman in 1772. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about drawing a conclusion, making a judgment, fact/opinion, cause and effect, emotion/mood, vocabulary, and comparison/contrast. Answer sheet provided with file download.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘History in Houses’, features three everyday texts about a historic house: a real estate advertisement, a report about a council meeting, and a letter to the editor. The worksheet encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the texts and includes questions about drawing a conclusion, making a judgment, …More
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 analysing text worksheet ‘How to Become A US Citizen’ supports students to use various strategies to understand an informational text about becoming a permanent resident in America. 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 …More
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘Lake Monsters’, features two editorials offering different opinions about legendary lake creatures. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the texts and includes questions about detail, reasoning, making a judgment, predicting outcome, and categorising.
This understanding text worksheet ‘Life as a Native American Child’ supports students to use various strategies to understand a narrative text American Indian culture. It is aimed at encouraging students to recall specific details from the text and to look critically at words in order to ascertain their particular meaning in context, as well as …More
This analysing text worksheet ‘Making an Aquarium’ supports students to use various strategies to understand an informational text. It is aimed at encouraging students to recall specific details from the text and to look critically at words in order to ascertain their particular meaning in context, as well as draw conclusions about the text as …More
This graphic organiser, ‘Mapping the Meaning’ helps students find meaning from history, looking at how people viewed events and the reasons behind their decisions.
This history poster ‘Mary Robinson’ features important factual background information about Ireland’s first female President. This is a great resource for broadening students’ knowledge of significant figures from Irish history and could be used as a prompt for further discussion or study of Ireland.
In the text, ‘Moving West to Oregon’ fictional journal entries recount the journey of a settler family on their way to a new life. The entries include a copy of a letter. It provides opportunities for students to practise vocabulary and comprehension skills. Answer sheet provided with file download.
This analysing text worksheet ‘Native Ways’ supports students to use various strategies to understand a story about the traditional lives of American Indians. 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, ‘Navy Dolphins’, features an informational text about the use of dolphins by the U.S. and Russian navies. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about drawing a conclusion, validity, fact/opinion, sequence, classifying, vocabulary, detail, predicting outcome, and reasoning. Answer sheet provided with …More
This Writing Traits activity ‘Writing Enticing Leads’ encourages students to write creative leads to attract a reader to read their articles.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘Rainbow Origins’, features an informational text about the natural phenomena of rainbows, and a recount of two Native American myths about rainbows. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about making an inference, reasoning, drawing a conclusion, and comparison/contrast.
This Readers Theatre activity, ‘Rosa Parks: An American Hero’ encourages students to relate new information from the text to prior knowledge and personal experience. It also builds reading fluency. This activity includes a script for 4 readers.
This article, ‘Secrets of the National Museum’ provides students with factual information about the history of the National Museum in Canberra. It includes details about the museum’s unique design along with informational about some of its most interesting and significant exhibits. This resource can be used to develop students’ knowledge and appreciation of Australian cultural …More
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘Shipwreck Rescues’, features an informational text about the United States Life-Saving Service, established in the late 1700s to rescue shipwrecked sailors. The worksheet encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about detail, making a judgment, sequence, imagery, reasoning, validity, visual comprehension, comparison/contrast, word …More
This analysing text worksheet ‘Sky Lights’ supports students to use various strategies to understand a narrative about American Indian star myths. 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 at words in …More
This content area reading activity, ‘Slaves: Harriet Tubman’ is a history based reading comprehension exercise encouraging students to give a reponse to the text.
This graphic organiser, ‘Sorting Architecture’ helps students order and classify different pieces of architecture.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘Sunk by a Whale’, features an informational text about the 1819 sinking of a whaling ship. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about detail, character, making a judgment, cause and effect, drawing a conclusion, and reasoning. Answer sheet provided with file …More
This graphic organiser, ‘The Domino Effect of 9/11’ asks students to think about the events of 11th September 2001 and how the event has impacted life since.
This graphic organiser, ‘The Great Depression and Divided Time’ helps students learn about the great depression and then compare it to their lives today.
This content area reading activity, ‘The Industrial Revolution’ is a history based reading comprehension exercise encouraging students to choose the best details to support their big ideas.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘The Killer Storm’, features an informational text about a storm that devastated Galveston, Texas, in 1900. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about making a judgment, cause and effect, detail, mood/tone, drawing a conclusion, fact/opinion, drawing a conclusion, and reasoning. Answer …More
This analysing text worksheet ‘The Kraken’ supports students to use various strategies to understand a narrative text about these mythical creatures. 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 in order …More
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘The Kraken Sea Monster’, features an informational text about a legendary sea creature and the colossal squid. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about comparison/contrast, reasoning, detail, cause and effect, drawing a conclusion, and presentation. Answer sheet provided with file download.
This analysing text worksheet ‘The Mary Celeste’ supports students to use various strategies to understand a narrative text about the mysterious disappearance of this ship. 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 …More
This graphic organiser, ‘ Two Views’ helps students to view events from two different perspectives.
This Writing Traits activity ‘Descriptive Voice’ encourages students to add descriptive voice in their writing.
This Writing Traits activity ‘Expository Voice’ encourages students to compose expository essays.
This Reading Comprehension worksheet, ‘Walking Star’s Story’, features a Native American fable about a young brave who manages to visit the Sun God’s home with the help of a spider. It encourages students to use a variety of strategies to interpret the text and includes questions about making a judgment, character, classification, vocabulary, cause and …More
This article, ‘When Australia Became a Nation’ provides students with factual information about the formation of the Federation of Australia in 1901. It describes the circumstances leading up to Federation and the role played by Sir Henry Parkes, the then Premier of New South Wales. This is a great resource for developing students’ historical knowledge …More
This content area reading activity, ‘Williamsburg: a Visit to the Past’ is a history based reading comprehension exercise encouraging students to learn about and practise predicting when reading.
This Writing Traits activity ‘Adjectives’ encourages students to examine and utilise vivid adjectives to enrich writing.
This Writing Traits activity ‘Vocabulary’ encourages students to examine word choice and use strong descriptive words.