Student Texts
Bookmarked 249 times

Our searchable library of short texts offers a diverse mix of stories and perspectives. This multigenre, multimedia collection aligns with the Common Core's recommendations for text complexity and the Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards.

Choose from informational and literary nonfiction texts, literature, photographs, political cartoons, interviews, infographics and more. You can also filter by text type, grade level, subject and topic.

“The leveled texts have really helped me engage students and introduce them to complex topics in a way they can understand.”

Filter Texts
Text Type
Grade Level
Social Justice Domain
Subject
Topic

343 Texts

Literature

An Angry Black Woman on the Subject of the Angry White Man

Jordan's poem takes on an sarcastic tone as she describes the duties, punishments, emotions and false promises endured by African Americans since slavery in response to Bill Clinton's description of affirmative action as "a psychologically difficult time for the so-called angry White man."
by
June Jordan
Grade Level
Subject
History
Economics
Social Justice Domain
July 7, 2014
Informational

Race Matters

Adam Liptak details a recent affirmative action case before the U.S. Supreme Court. He also looks at affirmative action's history, the debates around the policy and considers possible effects of the Court's ruling.
by
Adam Liptak
Grade Level
Subject
Civics
History
Social Justice Domain
July 7, 2014
Literature

Seventeen Syllables

Rosie's mother and father did not marry out of love, and her mother writes haiku as an escape. After entering a contest, a man comes to deliver her prize—a framed picture. Angered by this intrusion, Rosie's father destroys the picture. In her anguish, Rosie's mother explains her marriage to her daughter.
by
Hisaye Yamamoto
Grade Level
Subject
History
Geography
Social Justice Domain
July 7, 2014
Informational

Marcus Garvey and the Universal Negro Improvement Association

This segment examines black nationalist leader Marcus Garvey and his organization, the Universal Negro Improvement Association. Best known for his leadership in a "back to Africa" movement, Garvey's ideas would influence later black nationalist thought.
by
NBC Learn
Grade Level
Subject
Civics
History
Social Justice Domain
July 8, 2014
Informational

Decision No. 633: Promoting Tolerance and Media Freedom on the Internet

Committed to promoting tolerance and the right to "receive and impart information," the OSCE reaffirms the need to report hate crimes on the Internet. Among other suggestions, the OSCE recommends that states review their laws regarding Internet hate speech.
by
Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Permanent Council (OSCE)
Grade Level
Subject
Civics
History
Social Justice Domain
October 30, 2014
Literature

The Jungle

From a novel that raised public consciousness about conditions in the meatpacking industry, these excerpts provide a glimpse into early 20th century industrialization from labor's vantage point.
by
Upton Sinclair
Grade Level
Subject
History
Economics
Social Justice Domain
July 3, 2014
Informational

The Negro's Place in World Reorganization

This essay introduces the Universal Negro Improvement Association and some of its core beliefs, such as the idea that all African-descended people should work together to achieve preservation and independce from whites at home and abroad, particularly in Africa.
by
Marcus Garvey
Grade Level
Subject
History
Geography
Social Justice Domain
July 3, 2014
Informational

The Reich Citzenship Law of September 15, 1935

The Nuremberg Laws embedded many of the racially based ideological principles held by the Nazi party into written law. The German Reichstag passed this set of laws on September 15, 1935, initiating a period of legal discrimination against those the German government deemed racially inferior. The Reich Citizenship Law is one of the Nuremburg Laws.
by
German Reichstag
Grade Level
Subject
Civics
History
Social Justice Domain
July 3, 2014