I created this Northern and Southern Lights reading activity so that I could tackle literacy and science at the same time in my classroom. Science is best learned I feel through direct application so by reading an article that displays real-world applicability of a topic, it really helps deepen their understanding of the content.
This reading is geared towards students in grades 5-7. If you’d like something for older students or a reading that is more challenging, please consider my Northern and Southern Lights Grade 8 and Up reading which can be accessed by clicking here.
In addition to the reading, I’ve included questions for the students to answer. They include knowledge (direct from the paper), thinking, connecting, and open-ended varieties.
If you're interested, I'd be happy to send you a copy of this resource.
Where would you like me to send your article?
No prep, no formatting, no issues. Simply download, print (or upload to your class site) and you’re all set. The article comes as a WORD file as well as a PDF for your convenience.
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This reading is perfect for an extension activity, substitute plans or literacy practice and hits on the following Common Core Standards:
– CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.1
– CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.2
– CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.6-8.10
The reading looks at:
– Northern and Southern Auroras
– How Auroras Form
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The Problems You Face
– Not having the time to properly teach scientific literacy (disciplinary literacy) or improve your students reading comprehension and analysis skills.
– Some students work faster than others and you would like an interesting extension activity for your faster-moving students to keep them learning and engaged.
The Solution
This fully editable, NO PREP reading comprehension article is composed of relevant, applicable and engaging reading activities which can be used to:
• introduce your topic
• improve your students literacy skills
• improve your students reading comprehension and scientific literacy skills
• improve your student’s analysis skills
• provide an extension activity to students who move at a faster pace
• provide extra credit to students in need
• measure your students literacy skills
Furthermore, this resource works very well as an emergency substitute plan as it will keep your students on task and focused while you are away.
This resource will take your students between 40-60 minutes to complete and includes a variety of questions. An answer key is also included for your reference.
How this product will help your students:
– Improve their scientific and disciplinary literacy skills
– Improve their reading comprehension and scientific knowledge
– Give them insights into important scientific concepts
– Provide an extension activity for your faster moving/more gifted students
How this product will help you:
– Allow you to meet the NGSS, TEKS and Common Core Standards
– Provide you with a concise introduction to your topic
– Provide you with an engaging and easy to leave substitute plan which will keep your students engaged and on task
– Prove you a means of measuring your students’ literacy skills
We don’t spend enough time teaching scientific literacy to our students. This is either because we don’t have the resources to do so effectively or we don’t have the time. However, teaching our students to become scientifically literate is vital if we want them to succeed in life. We need them to know about the world they live in and about the issues they face. Even issues as simple as the common cold are misunderstood and can lead to the misuse of antibacterial drugs eventually rendering them ineffective.