Adolescent Literacy: Reading Strategies
This long list of reading strategies will help you with reading comprehension. By using different kinds of strategies, you can find what works best for you. Some of these ideas are geared toward teacher instruction, but many are very accessible to the middle school and high school students to use on their own. For teachers, there is an explanation of the procedure for implementing each strategy as well as an example of what it looks like. Many of the ideas use partners or small groups, and several are suitable for whole-class instruction. A great strategy for a student to use independently is TOAST, test, organize, anchor, say, test, which can be used for reviewing vocabulary.
http://www.learningpt.org/literacy/adolescent/strategies.php
The Why Files: The Science Behind the News
You can spend a lot of time browsing through this site from the University of Wisconsin. The home page has a section on science in the news that delves into current topics that are covered exhaustively. In addition, there are hyperlinks to questions about weather, book reviews, great images, and archives of articles back to 1996, which are arranged by subject and by theme. There is also a section that correlates Why File stories with National Science Education Standards. The classroom activities include interactive games, lesson plans, and discussion questions. This is a treasure trove of current science topics. Don’t miss this terrific resource for both students and teachers.
http://whyfiles.org