Special Collection: Top Articles for Teaching Central Ideas & Details
Teacher-approved articles, lesson plans, and activities for exploring central ideas and details in your classroom
Day of Disaster
A 14-year-old boy. A dangerous coal mine. And a horrific accident that would change America forever.
Learning objective: to identify key ideas from an article about a historical disaster and to write a speech commemorating the anniversary
The Bear Attacks That Changed America
On a summer night in 1967, a tragedy in Glacier National Park would transform the way we care for wild places.
Learning objective: to learn about how the relationship between grizzly bears and humans has changed over time
Island of Sorrow
The true story of a 15-year-old boy who kept hope alive in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria.
Learning objective: to explain how the idea that anyone can make a difference is supported in the article
A Business That’s Sweet in All Kinds of Ways
In this interview, Michael Platt explains how he turned his love of baking into Michaels Desserts, a business that lifts up people in need.
Learning objective: to turn a Q&A into a three paragraph article
Day of Disaster: from American Experience, “The Mine Wars,” copyright 1996–2019 WGBH Educational Foundation; The Bear Attacks That Changed America: Scott E Read/Shutterstock.com; Island of Sorrow: Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The Washington Post via Getty Images; A Business That’s Sweet in All Kinds of Ways: Eric Kayne/AP Images for Scholastic Inc; Why You Should Sing: Photodisc/Superstock