Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Clap Your Hands (Cauley)
Lorinda Cauley's book Clap Your Hands is a fun way to expand budding readers' vocabulary in context (although you could use any book for this strategy). To prepare kids, introduce the following terms before...
Curated OER
Planting Rabbit King’s Carrot
Even pirates know not to steal stuff you can make yourself! Read The Pirate's Parrot Stole the King's Carrot to engage your class. Then, plant carrots with your class. If this isn't possible with your kiddos, consider cutting out paper...
Achievement Strategies
CCSS Unit Design Template for Art
Art classes, like any lab class, require extensive preplanning and set-up time. Use this planning template in the quiet before the storm to identify the equipment and materials that will be needed, the procedures and processes...
Curated OER
Rhythmic Movement
Explore how waves move in the ocean with your young learners. Fill a two-liter bottle half full with colored water, and have the youngsters move the bottle to make waves inside of it. Then have them listen to the song "Wipe Out"....
Curated OER
Kid Maps: Reading and Creating Maps with Human Characteristics
Young scholars look at maps. In this map lesson, students listen to the book My Map Book by Sara Fanelli and they see the difference between human characteristics (buildings, etc.) and natural characteristics (rivers, etc.)....
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Weather
A reading adventure pack, featuring a fiction and nonfiction book focuses on the weather. Scholars read Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett and Seymour Simon and then complete three creative activities. Participants craft...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Building
Scholars become architects in an engaging unit on building structures. The Reading Adventure Pack features Roberto: The Insect Architect by Nina Laden and Construction Zone with photographs by Richard Sobol and text by Cheryl Willis...
PBS
Reading Adventure Pack: Time
An activity packet explores the concept of time. First, scholars read two stories—The Very Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle and Telling Time: How to Tell Time on Digital and Analog Clocks! by Jules Older, illustrated by Megan Halsey....
Curated OER
Healthy Touches and Private Touches
First graders listen and share ideas. They role play situations where they would use the safety rules and share different kinds of touches that make them feel comfortable, uncomfortable or confused. They discuss what a person can do when...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Peter's Chair (Keats)
A new baby means a lot of changes for Peter! Ezra Jack Keats presents this common childhood experience in his story Peter's Chair, the context of a detailed vocabulary study. Before you read, introduce the three new words scholars...
Curated OER
Wiffle Tag
Students participate in a Wiffle Tag game. Students tag other classmates by touching a designated body part. The name of the body part changes each time someone is tagged. Students practice listening and following directions.
Curated OER
Weight Game
Learners estimate and compare grapefruit weights. In this weight measurement and literacy activity, students listen to the story Nate's Big Hair and the Grapefruit in There, then estimate the weight of a grapefruit after holding it....
Curated OER
How Fast Are You?
Students explore constructive ways of handling conflict. In this conflict resolution lesson plan, students brainstorm things that make them angry, sad, happy, etc. Students listen to a story and identify ways the characters handled...
Curated OER
Amazon Rainforest Conservation, Brazil
Students explore rain forests. In this rain forest lesson, students participate in a "BioBlitz" of their schoolyard, observing and recording every living thing in a designated area. Students visit websites about rain forests...
Curated OER
Who Takes Care of the Maya Forest Corridor?
First graders study the animals in the Maya Forest Reserve. In this conservation lesson, 1st graders create a graph to compare the environment of animals to their own. They design a 3D model of these two environments.
Curated OER
Using Planning Time Effectively
Effective time management strategies for your planning time.
Curated OER
I love My Hair
Students explore strategies to help focus on writing a personal narrative. In this personal narrative writing lesson, students read a book and discuss how the author lets readers know how they feel. Students find a moment in their own...
Curated OER
Creating a Thunderstorm
First graders contrast sounds and make a thunderstorm rhythm. In this rhythm instructional activity, 1st graders listen to Native American music and make an original rhythm with their hands and feet. Students discuss Native...
Curated OER
Tricky Nicky
Pupils recognize the short vowel i in written and spoken language. Through listening and matching activities, they discriminate the vowel sound /i/ from other phonemes. Students identify the phoneme and letter in words they decode with a...
Curated OER
Take Me to Your Reader
Students observe and demonstrate a variety of strategies for reading with expression. They listen to the teacher read different sentences with and without expression and discuss the differences. Next, in pairs they take turns reading...
California Education Partners
From Seed to Pumpkin by Wendy Pfeffer
Conduct a lesson that leads into a writing assessment. After reading an excerpt from From Seed to Pumpkin, first graders demonstrate their interpretation of sections of the passage by sketching the details from each part.
Curated OER
Water
Learners complete activities to examine the properties of water. In this water science lesson, students read a book about water's forms and study a map or globe of the Earth to investigate water. Learners discuss living things that need...
Curated OER
Arthur's Tooth
Students practice their reading comprehension by reading a story in their class. In this story map lesson, students read the Marc Brown book Arthur's Tooth and discuss the story, characters and setting. Students create a story map based...
Curated OER
Let's Make Writing Fun
First graders listen to "The Rainbow Fish" and write a story using their own experiences with friends. They use computer programs to publish their story.