Special Collections
Each of these multi-genre text sets centers around a theme or topic.
Gratitude
What is gratitude? How can I cultivate gratitude in my everyday life? How is gratitude expressed? What are the effects of expressing gratitude?
Black History: Stories from the Scope Collection
We have pulled together some of our most beloved stories for Black History Month, from a powerful play about a teen who led a series of sit-down strikes to a gripping nonfiction article about the co-discoverer of the North Pole.
Stories of World War II and the Holocaust
Stories and activities for teaching World War II and the Holocaust
Women’s History: Stories of Trailblazers
What is a trailblazer? What effect does discrimination have on society? What does it take to change society?
Earth Day Every Day
How do humans affect the natural world? How can environmental problems be solved? How can we protect wild places? When it comes to conservation, what lessons can we learn from the past?
Stories for Halloween
Why do we like scary stories? How do authors create suspense in their writing? Do you believe in ghosts?
The Wonders of Space
What is the universe, and what is Earth’s place in it? What drives humans to explore? What is the value of space exploration? Are we alone?
Courage and Resilience
How do we cope when bad things happen? How do we grow and change as people? How do we find our courage? What does it mean to be resilient?
Finding Your Voice
What does it mean to find your voice? What obstacles stand in the way of using your voice? Why is it important to speak up? What does it take to be yourself?
What Makes a Good Leader?
What does it mean to show leadership? What are the qualities or traits of a good leader? What are the consequences of poor leadership? How does having power affect people?
Our Digital Lives
How do we balance digital media use in our lives? How can social media affect our well-being? Our identity? Our relationships?
What Makes a Hero?
What is a hero? What qualities or traits make someone a hero?
Exploring Our World—And Beyond
What drives humans to explore? What is a trailblazer? What is the appeal of a mystery?
Taking a Stand
What does it mean to take a stand? What responsibility do we have to stand up for what’s right? What is an upstander and a bystander? Why is it important to speak out against injustice? What does it take to change society?
Amazing Histories
What drives innovation? How do inventions come about?
How does something become popular?
Photo Credits: Courage and Resilience: Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images for IOC; Earth Day Every Day: iStockPhoto/Getty Images;Taking a Stand: AP Images;What Makes a Good Leader?:Allan Davey;What Makes a Hero?:Shane Rebenschied;Finding Your Voice: Illustration by Carolyn Ridsdale; Exploring Our World—And Beyond: Illustration: Randy Pollak; Marcel Jancovic/Shutterstock.com; Black History: Artwork by Greg Ruhl from The Superkids Reading Program: Wilma Rudolph © Zaner-Bloser, Inc. Used with permission from Zaner-Bloser, Inc. All rights reserved.; Women’s History Month: Stories of Trailblazers: Randy Pollak; Our Digital Lives: Shannon Greer; Gratitude: Meg Takamura/IZA Stock/Getty Images (candy); Shutterstock.com (all other images); Amazing Histories: Photo Illustration by Matt Herring; Ashmolean Museum/Heritage Images/Getty Images (headrest); Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images (basketball player); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (all other images); Stories of Labor Movements: from American Experience, “The Mine Wars,” copyright 1996–2019 WGBH Educational Foundation; Stories for Veteran's Day: L Archive/Alamy Stock Photo (background); Science History Images/Alamy Stock Photo (pigeon); The Wonders of Space: Thom Baur/AP Images; Celebrating Native America Heritage: Art by Marlena Myles; AANHPI Heritage: Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images: Hispanic/Latine Heritage: Shutterstock.com (background); Clemente Museum (Roberto Clemente); Avishek Das/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images (crowd)