Curated OER
Gathering, Evaluating,and Organizing Information for a Research Report
It's never too early to build research skills! Students locate information relevant to a subject they are doing a research project on. They take notes and sort the information under main topic headings. Through research, they gain an...
Curated OER
Main Idea in Informational Text
Readers identify main ideas and supporting details using informational texts. In this literacy lesson, they make predictions and read the text to find the main ideas. They use a table diagram to define the main idea and supporting...
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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...
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Plain Polly: Adding Relevant Details
Students use a stick figure to help them learn to write with details. In this details lesson plan, students brainstorm details to add to the stick figure 'Plain Polly.' Students then draw stick figures for their own writing and give them...
Alabama Learning Exchange
"Batty" About Bats!! (Writing)
Young writers identify the characteristics of a bat and write an essay about bats. They construct a book about bats that includes information that they have learned through print materials and online resources.
Curated OER
Summing Up the Disaster
Young scholars are introduced to news writing being a concise, factual, and informative type of writing. They assess that publishing an article in a newspaper style utilizes a word processing program. Each student researches the Titanic...
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Dog Gone Good Note Cards
Students conduct research on a chosen dog breed using the card catalog and the Internet. They create at least three note cards with information about their dog breed.
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Gathering and Evaluating Sources for the "Greatest American" Speech
Students brainstorm a list of criteria for determining credible sources for their research. They research information to include in their "Greatest American" speech. Students will evaluate all sources by applying the criteria they agreed...
Curated OER
Get Physical
Fourth graders research a physical exercise using primary source information. They analyze the information and write a report that validates, rejects, or qualifies the information.
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Tornado Brainstorming
While the focus of this lesson is on writing about tornadoes, any topic could be substituted. The lesson provides a well-thought out overview of the writing process. Learners come up with a thesis statement, supporting details, and a...
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Details and Observations IQ or the Eyes Have it
Fourth graders study Chaucer as a master of details. Then, they create a short story linking unrelated details into a logical plot with a clear setting and established characters. This instructional activity has some excellent worksheets...
Alabama Learning Exchange
The Rockin' Rock Cycle- Igneous Rock
Fifth graders recall prior knowledge about rocks. In this igneous rock lesson, learners work in cooperative groups to perform experiments to classify the properties of igneous rock. They write a detailed paragraph and illustrate the rock...
Curated OER
Underground Railroad
Students explore the Underground Railroad. In this U.S. history and technology lesson, students research an assigned topic related to the Underground Railroad, such as "abolitionist," "conductor," or "station houses." Students design a...
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Summing the Disaster
Students assume the role of a newspaper editor during the time of the Titanic disaster. They must search out the accurate answers to the questions: What? When? Where? Who? and Why? students then write their own newspaper article...
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Choosing a Family Dog
Fourth graders research types of dogs and recommend one that would make the best family pet. They work in cooperative groups of three using Kidspiration to map out the essential question before beginning their research, write reports,...
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Women's Roles: Then and Now
Fourth graders investigate women's roles during the frontier era in what is today's West Virginia. In this US history lesson, 4th graders discuss similarities and differences of women's roles in the past with what women's roles are in...
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Jeopardy Game
Fourth graders, in groups, play Jeopardy using newspaper, scissors, paper, pen, and large chalkboard with chalk.
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Colonial America
Learners discover the history of Colonial America by creating a class presentation. In this U.S. History lesson, students utilize the Internet to research one of 20 topics in which they will create a PowerPoint or other type of...
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Head, Heart, Hands, Health
Fourth graders complete a compare and contrast activity for American agriculture historical events. For this historical events in agriculture lesson, 4th graders review a timeline and complete research for agriculture in the 20th...
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FCAT Writes! Frenzy
Fourth graders experience a dress rehearsal of timed demand writing. This lesson allows students to prepare for a timed writing test in which they don't know the prompt. This lesson includes writing prompts and rubrics imbedded in the plan.
Curated OER
Connecting Characters and Themes in Julius Caesar
Fourth graders prepare for the literary analysis. They locate, interpret, evaluate and analyze the relationship between a character and the theme. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders write topic and detail sentences, then correctly put...
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Photoelectric Devices
Fourth graders view a teacher-made PowerPoint presentation on how photoelectric devices work, and then they answer FCAT-like questions on the material presented. They answer questions about what they viewed in an assignment imbedded in...
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Gripping Details
Fourth graders examine literature for examples of paragraphs that are developed with gripping details. After a lecture/demo, 4th graders utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan which gives them a chance to rate the piece of literature...
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Exploring the Personal Narrative
Students define the characteristics of a personal narrative, explain the difference between a 'memoir' and an 'autobiography', and create a reading journal in which they will log their reading activities. For this personal narrative...