SNEAK PEEK

See what’s in the February issue of Scope

We are very excited to share with you what we’ve been working on for the February issue! It will be going out to classrooms and available at Scope Online soon! In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek.


NARRATIVE NONFICTION

“Heart Saver”

The story of Vivien Thomas, a Black man whose pioneering research led to the development of a life-saving heart surgery for babies in the 1940s.

Featured Skill: key ideas and details

PAIRED TEXTS

“Would You Eat This?” and “Gross! Yuck! Ew!”

An article exploring whether bugs might one day become a staple in the American diet is followed by an article about the science behind disgust.

Featured Skill: synthesis

FICTION

“They Might Be Dangerous”

This riveting sci-fi story by Kate Messner has a shocking twist. It’s followed by an essay by Messner about the event that inspired her story.

Featured Skill: character

DRAMA

Into the Underworld and “My Life in a Maya Village”

Students will love performing our thrilling play based on a story from Maya mythology. The play is followed by an interview with a student who lives in a Maya village.

Featured Skill: conflict

DEBATE: ESSAY KIT

“Should We Switch to the Metric System?”

Students read arguments on both sides of the debate and take a stand.

Featured Skill: analyzing arguments

SHORT READ

“Can You Spot a Scam?”

This bite-sized article explores how to protect yourself from online scams.

Featured Skill: constructed response

GRAMMAR

”Towers of Ice”

Students practice using number and amount while learning about how human-made ice towers are helping to bring water to a region in the Himalayas.

Featured Skills: grammar, usage, and mechanics

ROOT POWER        

“A Star’s Secret”

Students learn about the Greek prefix auto through a graphic-novel-style story.

Featured Skill: vocabulary acquisition

POEM

“Ode to El Molcajete”

Students read a poem by Gary Soto and then use it as a model to write their own.

Featured Skill: analyzing and writing poetry

Text-to-Speech