Historically speaking! Students will build comprehension skills as they learn about important historic events and people of the early 19th Century. Twenty stories about the growing pains of the U.S. and significant events that occurred in other parts of the world are presented. From “Lewis and Clark Explore the West” in 1804 to “Samuel Morse: The Telegraph” in 1844, students will be exposed to sound historical information. Overall, this unit presents an integrated view by including achievements in science, music, world events, and exploration. Comprehension questions follow each story. Time-line activities are included so students can visualize the interaction of events.

Historically speaking! Students will build comprehension skills as they learn about important historic events and people of the latter 19th Century. Twenty stories about the dawn of the modern age are presented. From “Vincent Van Gogh” in 1853 to “The Horseless Carriage” in 1892, students will be exposed to sound historical information. Overall, this unit presents an integrated view by including achievements in science, music, and world events. Comprehension questions follow each story. Time-line activities are included so students can visualize the interaction of events.Reading Level 5

Historically speaking! Students will build comprehension skills as they learn about important historic events and people of the middle 20th Century. Twenty-four stories about the era that brought technology into everyday life are presented. From “Pearl Harbor: America Enters the War” in 1941, to “Television Takes Over” in 1955, to “The Astronauts: New American Heroes” in 1961, students will be exposed to sound historical information. Overall, this unit presents an integrated view by including achievements in science, music, art, and world events. Comprehension questions follow each story. Time-line activities are included so students can visualize the interaction of events.Reading Level 5

Historically speaking! Students will build comprehension skills as they learn about important historic events and people of the early 20th Century. Twenty stories about the era that brought the world into the age of mass media and communications are presented. From “The Panama Canal” in 1914 to “Sigmund Freud: New Treatments” in 1923, and “World War II Begins” in 1939, students will be exposed to sound historical information. Overall, this unit presents an integrated view by including achievements in science, music, art, inventions, and world events. Comprehension questions follow each story. Time-line activities are included so students can visualize the interaction of events. Reading Level 5

Reading Comprehension | Social Studies | Fiction/Nonfiction Pairing | Civil War Supports Best Practices in Reading by Pairing History-Based Nonfiction Stories with Fiction Stories on the Same Topic! Each exciting and fact-filled story is accompanied by a dynamic, colorful, realistic illustration that brings the story to life and enhances the content. The nonfiction story gives a detailed, historic explanation of the topic. The matching fiction story makes the topic relatable to everyday life. Reading Skills Follow-up questions and activities help build important comprehension skills and strategies shared by and unique to nonfiction and fiction stories. By reading the stories and completing the accompanying activities, students will have a much greater understanding of these two key genres of reading. “Civil War” The nonfiction story sets up the fiction story with sobering facts about the tragedy of the war between the North and the South and the fight to end slavery. “Escape to the North” The fiction story tells about a young Southern boy who helps a young runaway slave. Questions & Activities Each story is followed by who, what, when, where, why, and how type questions. Additional skill-specific questions for each story include: Main Idea, Locating Information, Fact or Opinion, Sequencing, Cause & Effect, Conclusion, Inference, Summarizing, and Picture Interpretation. Vocabulary activities include: vocabulary matching, word search, and context. Details: Each short story is between 300 and 360 words and is written at a 2.8 to 4.8 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 2 high-interest, illustrated, short stories • 10 pages of questions and activities • Glossary • Answer Key • 18 total pages

Reading Comprehension | Social Studies | Fiction/Nonfiction Pairing | Transcontinental Railway Supports Best Practices in Reading by Pairing History-Based Nonfiction Stories with Fiction Stories on the Same Topic! Each exciting and fact-filled story is accompanied by a dynamic, colorful, realistic illustration that brings the story to life and enhances the content. The nonfiction story gives a detailed, historic explanation of the topic. The matching fiction story makes the topic relatable to everyday life. Reading Skills Follow-up questions and activities help build important comprehension skills and strategies shared by and unique to nonfiction and fiction stories. By reading the stories and completing the accompanying activities, students will have a much greater understanding of these two key genres of reading. “Transcontinental Railway” The nonfiction story sets up the fiction story with historical facts about the difficulties, danger, and destruction, as well as the exciting advantages, that came along with connecting the East Coast with the West Coast of America by a transcontinental railroad. “An Exciting Journey” The fiction story tells about the beginning of a young man’s thrilling adventure into the unknown on the transcontinental railway. Questions & Activities Each story is followed by who, what, when, where, why, and how type questions. Additional skill-specific questions for each story include: Main Idea, Locating Information, Fact or Opinion, Sequencing, Cause & Effect, Conclusion, Inference, Summarizing, and Picture Interpretation. Vocabulary activities include: vocabulary matching, word search, and context. Details: Each short story is about 340 words and is written at a 3.3 to 5.0 reading level according to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. The interest level is grades 4 and up. Contents Include: • 2 high-interest, illustrated, short stories • 10 pages of questions and activities • Glossary • Answer Key • 18 total pages