Special Collection: Top Stories for Teaching Text Evidence

Teacher-approved stories, lesson plans, and activities for exploring text evidence in your classroom

Escape From Alcatraz

In this gripping story, students learn about the infamous 1962 escape from Alcatraz prison. 

Learning objective: to evaluate evidence presented in an article

Read the Article
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Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide for teaching the article
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Guided Writing Activity
Did they make it? Students evaluate the evidence.
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Vanished

This gripping article explores one of the greatest mysteries in American history: What happened to Amelia Earhart?

Learning Objective: to evaluate the evidence for various theories about Amelia Earhart’s disappearance and to write an essay explaining which theory is most convincing

Read the Article
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Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide for teaching the article
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Guided-Writing Activity
Students evaluate theories about the disappearance
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The Choice

A gripping play based on Frank Stockton’s classic story “The Lady, or the Tiger?”—sure to inspire passionate debate in your classroom! 

Learning Objective: to draw a conclusion based on evidence in a story

Read the Play
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Lesson Plan
A step-by-step guide for teaching this play
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Featured Skill Activity
Students fill in a chart with text evidence and commentary
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Socratic seminar
Socratic Seminar
A strategy for deep discussion of the play.
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Could This Robot From Star Wars Ever Exist?: ©Lucasfilm/Entertainment Pictures/ZUMAPRESS.com; The History of Teeth: razyph/123RF.com; Escape From Alcatraz: Gary Hanna; Vanished: Smithsonian Institution/NASA; The Choice: Gary Hanna