Curated OER
Bill Pickett, Bulldoggin' Cowboy
Who was Bill Picket? Interested readers work through an informational passage to find out about a famous "bulldogger" from the old West. They answer several reading comprehension questions and use a seven step process to decode new...
Curated OER
The Aztecs - Mighty Warriors of Mexico
Upper elementary learners identify the Aztecs as the builders of a great city and rich civilization in what is now Mexico. They locate the Aztec Empire and its capital on a map and place the Aztecs in the chronology of American history....
Curated OER
Seed Transport
Students explore botany by completing KWL worksheets. In this seed transportation lesson plan, students define a list of vocabulary terms associated with botany and seedlings before completing worksheets based on assigned text. Students...
Curated OER
Bug's Eye View
Investigate the life of bugs and how they interact with the environment in this integrated science and language arts lesson. Young scientists construct mini environments in cages in order to make observations. This data forms the basis...
Curated OER
All About Our Town
Pupils explore brochure writing. They work in groups to brainstorm and categorize important places in their community. In addition, they gather information from the Internet, take pictures using a digital camera, and create a community...
Curated OER
What Are the Issues?
Investigate and report on three issues related to a current election. Elementary aged learners research information about specific issues, develop an opinion, and write a persuasive essay using supporting details and evidence to support...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights in Current Events
Divided the class into pairs, each group is assigned one of the amendments. They use the internet to research current cases and issues involving their amendment. They are then lead into the introduction to some of the basic concepts of...
Curated OER
Charting History With Pennies
Students collect pennies and sort them in ascending order of dates. For the year on each penny, students research key events in history and pick a single event, explaining its historical significance. Then students use these events to...
Curated OER
Memorial Day Shoebox Parade
Learners examine the history of U.S. conflict and Memorial Day. They conduct research, develop a timeline of U.S. conflict, and create a shoebox Memorial Day parade to commemorate veterans and soldiers.
Curated OER
Parades
Third and fourth graders examine the history of parades and investigate guidelines and items needed for a parade. They listen to a speaker discuss how to organize a parade. In small groups, learners organize various items for the event...
Curated OER
Identifying Information in Nonfiction
Second graders investigate information in non-fiction texts. They review the features of a non-fiction text and read the book Nature's Food Chains: What Polar Animals Eat. Pupils discuss the text features and write down one fact they...
Curated OER
Guess That Sequence!
Students explore number sense by completing problems in class. In this patterns lesson, students examine a group of numbers and identify what the pattern is and how it should correctly continue. Students practice utilizing number values...
Curated OER
Investigate Science Using Crayfish
Young scientists discover the importance of scientific investigation by observing live crayfish. They carefully observe the patterns of crayfish in different environments. Then they discuss their conclusions and define what all living...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Comparing Fuel Economy
Compute fuel economy and gas mileage. Why? So you can teach rates and ratios, of course! Middle schoolers calculate the rate of miles per gallon for various vehicles. They research each vehicle, its mileage per gallon, and cost per...
Curated OER
Word Problems of Equal Share and Equal Groups
Explore this engaging approach to division problem solving with young scholars. They construct story problems after drawing 3 cards that give them a type of object, how many they have of that object, and the number of groups the object...
Curated OER
Exploring Place and Space
Students explore number values by completing mathematical worksheets in class. In this decimals lesson, students identify the different place values a number has and the use of decimals to represent a fraction of a number. Students...
Curated OER
The Classification Station
Second graders identify proper nouns and categorize them by subject. They apply correct principles of grammar: they write complete sentences, use correct capital letters, use correct punctuation and apply correct rules of usage and...
Curated OER
Writing a Character Sketch
Combining descriptive and expository writing skills, middle schoolers create a character sketch about someone they know well. They use a graphic organizer to help them discuss a model character sketch and organize/write one of their own....
Curated OER
Edward Lear, Limericks, and Nonsense
Introduce your class to the delights of nonsense poetry and explore literary devices with the writing of Edward Lear. Learners identify rhyme and meter as well as figures of speech, alliteration, and onomatopoeia in "The Owl and the...
Curated OER
Text Structure: Organizational Patterns
Explore plot structure by analyzing text samples with writers. They define terms such as problem and solution, cause and effect, and story arc. They also identify the sequences used in modern stories by reading samples and determining...
Curated OER
Japan: Traditions and Culture
A series of four activities explores Japanese culture and traditions. Learners participate in a re-enacted tea ceremony; examine sketches of Asian figures by Canadian artist Robert Harris, discuss symbols, investigate Japanese mon, and...
Curated OER
Duck Detectives
Students explore biology by completing animal activity pages in class. In this bird characteristics instructional activity, students discuss the different types of birds that exist in North America and identify their migration habits....
Curated OER
Columbus Day (Native American Perspective)
Teach your class the perspective Native Americans had on Christopher Columbus. They will examine the effects of Christopher Columbus' exploration on the Native Americans using a reading theater and a carousel brainstorming activity. They...
Curated OER
Stories in Quilts
Have your class analyze the narrative art in quilts. They identify elements in this domestic art and the stories they tell. They define a story quilt, view an example, and analyze the work of Harriet Power. This is a great lesson to...