California Academy of Science
Notice and Wonder
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
Curriculum Corner
Fry Lists
Keep track of your learners' mastered sight words with 11 sets of words. Four columns list the words, as well as three columns for you to mark the date of mastery.
Great Books Foundation
Picture-Books in Winter
Five questions challenge scholars to make inferences after reading a poem, "Picture-Books in Winter" by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Curated OER
Paper Plate Sunflowers
A great way to recall the parts of a flower is to make one. Little learners create sunflowers out of paint and paper plates. They also discuss and label the various parts of their flowers.
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Investigation - Snack TIme
Students explore solving addition and subtraction problems. They solve real life problems. Students participate in a simulation activity to find the missing addend. They demonstrate adding and subtracting whole numbers.
Curated OER
Leaf People
Kids create leaf people out of sticks, glue, and leaves. They use their imagination to construct leaf people and then glue them onto construction paper. Tip: Extend this craft by incorporating writing. Have learners write a short story...
Curated OER
Signs of Spring Door Hanging
Pupils create their own original design for a spring door decoration. As a class, they follow specific instructions to make the decorate the door piece. They also practice using art supplies and materials correctly and complete a...
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Sports and Hobbies
Students explore vocabulary related to sports and hobbies. They consider their interests in sports and hobbies in relation to other students. They discuss music and describe a piece of music using simple adjectives.
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Is the Moon out tonight?
Learners talk or read about the way the moon travels across the sky. They then look at the picture of where the moon is and draw where it will be in the picture, later in the evening. Note: The instructional activity is intended for...
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Water Changes and Moves
Students explore the three forms of water and observe how it changes from a solid to a liquid to a gas. The concepts of condensation, evaporation and the introduction to the water cycle form the basis of this lesson.
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We Are All Authors
Students analyze the components of a book to use it as a model for the creation of their own book. The title, author, illustrator, front cover, back cover, dedication page, and author are examined in this lesson.
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Storytelling in the Classroom
What makes story telling special? Young readers demonstrate how to tell a story to others. Kindergarteners, first graders, and second graders read biographies of "Building Blocks" characters and tell a story about a character to their...
PBS
The Egg
The first stage in the butterfly's life cycle is the egg. Young entomologists discuss why different butterflies lay different eggs and what their eggs look like. Then they use the handouts to make a replica of one type of butterfly egg...
Curated OER
Garden In a Glove
Students investigate the concept of seeds and how they can germinate. They obtain seeds and isolate them in a rubber glove before transplanting them into the ground. The lesson includes a graphic organizer for observations or information.
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The Earth Moves Around the Sun
Students demonstrate that the movement of the sun causes shadows which were used as the first indicators of telling time.
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The American Revolution: A Play
No instructional activity accompanies this drama about the American Revolution. With 13 speaking roles, the short script could be used for a class production, a instructional activity on the parts of a play, or to supplement your social...
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What Do Drugs Do to the Body?
Students research the effects that drugs have on the human body. Using this information, they create a poster showing some of the effects of a specific drug. They work together to summarize the information they have gathered and present...
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Tyrone, the Horrible
Read a Hans Wilhelm story and complete creative writing activities. Start by reading Tyrone, the Horrible and discuss the behavior in the book. Then split your class into groups to create a "bully" situation and discuss possible...
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What are Dinosaurs?
Young scholars explore the attributes of dinosaurs. For this dinosaur lesson, students read books and watch videos featuring dinosaurs. Young scholars also research dinosaur traits using Internet sources.
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Class Soup
Youngsters identify the ingredients in a can of vegetable soup and record a recipe for the soup. They volunteer to bring in soup ingredients, graph the quantities of each vegetable in the soup, and make the soup with help from parents....
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Find a Cave
Students locate their own communites and the nearest caves on a United States map. They calculate the distance to the nearest cave using rough scale.
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Orienteering: Map Skills
Students use a map to locate six specific landmarks on a course using a map. They identify how maps can help us and write a paragraph describing how to get from one landmark to another on the map.
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Who's Your Favorite Author?
Imagine a kindergarten author study. Did you know that Angela Johnson writes about families while Eric Carle writes about insects and animals? In small groups, the class examines a basket of books sorted by author and records...
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Panda Goes to School
Students listen to the teacher give them the provided information about the endangered panda bear and then do a worksheet.