Roller Coasters - History, Design, and Function - Science Reading Article

Roller Coasters - History, Design, and Function. Reading Comprehension - Disciplinary Literacy. Tackle literacy and science by having your students read and answer questions from a scientific article. Questions include knowledge (direct from the paper), thinking, connecting and open-ended varieties.

This resource covers the following topics:

• History and design
• Wooden vs. Steel roller coasters
• How they work
• Energy conservation
• Efficiency

Buyer Comments:

- "This was a perfect way to discuss mechanical energy. I paired it with an interesting video on roller coasters and why they don't have circular loops anymore. Thanks for this resource!"

- "Engaging informational text!"

- "Perfect for my needs!"

- "Nice for enhancement and a highlighting activity."

- "Love this article great for literacy and Science!!!"

- "Clearly written for middle school. Thank you."

Google Classroom and Distance Learning Ready

• This resource is perfect for in-class or distance learning and integrates seamlessly with Google Classroom.
• Automatically creates a copy of the reading and puts it directly into your Google Drive with a single click.
• Purchase --> Open --> Click --> Assign to your students
• The reading also includes a Microsoft Word and PDF version.

Having all three options allow you to assign the reading to your students without worrying about formatting issues as all the work has already been done for you. It also allows you, as well as your students, to access everything no matter where you are or what kind of equipment is being used.

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The Problem You Face - Not having the time to properly teach scientific literacy (disciplinary literacy) or improve your students reading comprehension and analysis skills.

The Solution

This fully editable, NO PREP reading comprehension article is composed of relevant, applicable and engaging reading activities which can be used to:

• introduce your topic

• improve your students reading comprehension and scientific literacy skills

• improve your students' analysis skills

• provide an extension activity to students who move at a faster pace

• provide extra credit to students in need

• measure your students literacy skills

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This resource will take your students between 50-75 minutes to complete and includes some open-ended questions. An answer key is also included for your reference.

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You might also be interested in the following individual reading comprehension articles:

Health:

• The Common Cold

• The Flu

• Exercise and its Importance for Health

• Stem Cell Therapy: The Future of Medicine?

• Concussions

• Poliomyelitis - Polio

• Smallpox

• The Measles

• Genetics and Gene Therapy

• Heart Diseases

• Cancer

• The Effects of Caffeine

• Down syndrome

• HIV/AIDS - Informing the Public and Dispelling the Misconceptions

• The Effect of Stress on the Brain

• The Effect of Sugar on the Body

• Whooping Cough

• Asthma and Asthma Attacks

• The Immune System

• Farming: Organic vs. Conventional

• The Dangers of Smoking

• Parkinson’s Disease

• Protective Equipment - Keeping you safe

• Fats

• Tinnitus – Ringing in the Ears

• Cystic Fibrosis

• The Effects Of Binge Drinking On Teenagers

• Multiple Sclerosis

• Painkillers

• Diabetes

• Radioactivity

• Scarring

• Allergies

• Carbohydrates, Lipids, and Health

• The Placebo Effect

• The Nervous System

Earth and Space:

• The Northern and Southern Lights

• The Limitations of Space Travel

• Why is the Sky Blue? An application of light waves

• Stars - The Element Factories of the Universe

• Solar and Lunar Eclipses

• The Different Types of Clouds

• How Weather Works

• Natural Disasters

• Thunderstorms

• Fossils

• Geologic Time

• Watersheds

• Hurricanes

• Planets

• Phases of Water

Energy:

• Fossil Fuels

• Nuclear Energy: Fission and Fusion

• Hydroelectric Energy Production

• Solar Energy Production

• Wind Energy Production

• Renewable Energy Production

• Hydraulic Fracturing - Fracking

• Biofuels - Food or Fuel?

• Electric House

• Energy Use and Conservation

Physics:

• Magnets and Electromagnets

• Roller Coasters - History, Design, and Function

• How Do Boats Float?

• Optical Phenomena

• The Effects of Everyday Forces

• Hydraulics

• Hot-Air Balloons

• Simple Machines

• Automobile Safety

• Pneumatics

Chemistry:

• The Chemistry of Explosions

• Plastics: A Marvel Of Innovation

• The Chemistry of Paint

• Water Softeners and Hard Water

• Cleaning up Acid Spills

• The Accumulation of Plastic in the Ocean

• Chemistry of Cooking

• Chemistry of Cosmetics

• Blood Analysis and Forensics

• Radioactivity

• Desalination for Drinking Water

• Rust-Proofing

Biology:

• Fermentation and Food

• DNA Paternity Tests

• Laser Eye Surgery

• Physical Adaptations

• Muscle Growth

• Genetically Modified Organisms

• Mosquitoes And The Diseases They Spread

• Twins

• GERD and Acid Reflux - A Digestive System Disease

• Bats – Misconceptions, Importance, and Facts

• Superbugs - The Super Villains of Modern Medicine

• Heart Attack and Stroke

• Why Leaves Change Color In The Fall

Ecology and the Environment:

• Invasive Species

• Ecosystems

• Pesticides

• The Importance of Bees

• Coral Reef Ecosystems and their Future

• Climate Change

• Hydraulic Fracturing - Fracking

• Farming: Organic vs. Conventional

• Oil Spills and Their Consequences

• Bioaccumulation and Biomagnification

• RuBisCO - Earth's Most Important Protein

• Symbiotic relationships between plants and insects

• Smog - Its Causes and Dangers

• Ocean Acidification

• Pollution Control Devices

• Tap vs Bottled Water

• Predator Prey Relationships

• Greenhouse Effect

Natural Disasters:

• Volcanoes: The Benefits and Devastation

• Earthquakes Part 1

• Earthquakes Part 2

• Tsunamis

• How the Dinosaurs Died

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Praise For My Reading Comprehension Resources:

"Perfect for informational text reading standards! Thanks!"

"I teach middle school science and need to include informational text in my classroom. These readings are great for independent reading for my grade level and upper-level readers. The articles address CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.1 (Citing specific textual evidence to support analysis of science and technical texts.) and CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.6-8.10 (By the end of grade 8, read and comprehend science/technical texts in the grades 6-8 text complexity band independently and proficiently.). The leveled questions allow you to subtly assign the questions to different ability students working in a group.

Topics are relevant to the students and current. Graphics draw the students into the article.

I'm going to have one printed and waiting in for my substitute folder too!

THANKS!"

"Thanks for putting together a wonderful resource."

"I teach Special Education high school science in Maryland in a special school for children with learning disabilities/Autism. I liked the readings and I think students could relate to the topics. I know these are too high a reading level for most of my students and I would read it out loud and highlight the important information together. I would not be able to use the higher order thinking questions (which I like) with these kids. For my high students (very few of these in my school :), I really like these especially how you noted where you got the information which if they were inclined, they could go back to the original source. I like that you have scaffolded the questions and I would only be able to use these with a handful of students, but I think in a regular high school classroom (I spent many years in regular ed) these are spot on. Thank you for sharing."

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Each summary is rich with age appropriate content (grades 8 and up) and is 2.5-3 pages long (13-font). Following each is a list of 8-13 questions along with the answer key, which will help guide your students understanding.

How this product will help your students:

- Improve their scientific and disciplinary literacy skills

- Improve their reading comprehension and scientific knowledge

- Give them insights into important scientific concepts

- Provide an extension activity for your faster moving/more gifted students

How this product will help you:

- Allow you to meet the NGSS, TEKS and Common Core Standards

- Provide you with a concise introduction to your topic

- Provide you with an engaging and easy to leave substitute plan which will keep your students engaged and on task

- Prove you a means of measuring your students' literacy skills

We don't spend enough time teaching scientific literacy to our students. This is either because we don't have the resources to do so effectively or we don't have the time. However, teaching our students to become scientifically literate is vital if we want them to succeed in life. We need them to know about the world they live in and about the issues they face. Even issues as simple as the common cold are misunderstood and can lead to the misuse of antibacterial drugs eventually rendering them ineffective.

It can be used as a tool in your teaching arsenal on a regular basis, an extension activity for your faster learners, left for a substitute in an emergency or planned absence or as an extra bit of information for a topic.

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For free resources, useful teaching tips, and tools, please visit my blog - TeachScienceWithFergy.com

If you have any questions please feel free to send me an email - devon@teachwithfergy.com