Penguin Books
The Omnivore’s Dilemma, Young Readers Edition
As the saying goes, you are what you eat. A useful set of lesson plans encourage young readers to take a second look at their eating habits. Pre- and post-reading questions bring in reflective writing and discussion while extension...
University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Step Inside the Brain
Before digital microscopes, scientists hired artists to draw the things visible in the microscope. Through training in neuroscience and art, Cajal revolutionized the way we view the beautiful brain. The third activity in a series of four...
Beyond Benign
Got Gas
How much gas does it take to drive around town? The class uses a variety of mathematical procedures to take a look at the use of gas for transportation. Class members use a different unit to determine the cost of driving a car as opposed...
EngageNY
Mid-Unit Assessment: Close Reading of Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle: Bullfrog Life Cycle
The sixth lesson plan in this Bullfrog at Magnolia Circle unit assesses your third graders' ability to read and understand informational text. The included assessment asks learners to take notes about the main idea and supporting...
Illinois Department of Natural Resources
Section Three: What's the Status of Biodiversity?
Biodiversity is essential for every habitat, but many species are at risk due to pollution and other factors. Explore several different species native to Illinois in a gallery walk with posters that learners have created after research...
University of Minnesota
Beautiful Brain: Brain Inspiration
"Neuroscientists consider Cajal as important to their discipline as Einstein is to physics." The first of four lessons has scholars view Santiago Ramon y Cajal's drawings of neurons. They reflect and respond to the art through writing...
Curated OER
Alliance to Save Energy's Green Schools Program
First graders, in groups, discover which colors absorb heat and which colors best reflect heat. They do this using the scientific method.
Curated OER
The Listening Walk
Young scholars play instruments that reflect sounds in the story: hoots, toots, creaking, shrieks, clacking, crunching, whooshing, etc. They make vocal sounds from the story: whispered, sniffled, sigh, giggled, croaked, laughed. ...
Ahisma Summer Institute
The Power of One - Math in a Different Angle
In this 2-day lesson focused on exponents, middle schoolers will cross the curriculum by engaging in science, history and language arts activities. Exponential growth will be explored using grains of rice on a chess board. Exponential...
Curated OER
Exploring Arizona's Biotic Communities Lesson 3: A Day in the Life
Junior ecologists examine Arizona's biotic communities and research an animal or plant that is found in this community. In this lesson, learnerss write a narrative essay about their assigned animal or plant. They research online and in...
Channel Islands Film
Once Upon a Time (Saxipak’a): Lesson Plan 4
How did the environment and natural resources found on the Channel islands influence the culture of the Chumash? Archaeology meets technology in an activity designed for middle schoolers. After viewing West of The West's documentary Once...
Curated OER
Sink or Float
Second graders explore floating and sinking and make predictions about whether certain objects are likely to sink or float. They read the story Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen. Pupils loacate rhyming words and discuss the events of...
Curated OER
Dinosaur Dictionary
Students utilize a web site to search for a dinosaur related word that begins with a specific letter. The words and their definitions are placed into a dictionary page which is then compiled into a class book.
Beyond Benign
Plastic Bags
Paper or plastic? Explore the environmental effects of using plastic bags through mathematics. Learners manipulate worldwide data on plastic bag consumption to draw conclusions.
Curated OER
Cloudy With a Chance of...
Second graders will write a story. In this writing and meteorology lesson plan, 2nd graders read the story Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, then use KidPix to create a weather picture. The picture is imported into a word processor and...
Curated OER
First Grade Goes to the Zoo
First graders summarize their trip to the zoo. In this summarizing lesson plan, 1st graders will study animals that they may see at the zoo including their characteristics and habitats. Once the trip is done, they create a word document...
Curated OER
A Recipe for Reading: Asian Style Rice and Eggs
Learners read, write about, and cook with rice in this home economics lesson. They reflect on the experience eating rice at home or in other ethnic foods.
Curated OER
Exploring the Night Sky: Fall/Winter
Students explain how moon phases occur. They explain three ways that the night sky has been used through history. Students locate some of the constellations in the night sky. They discuss stories and myths surrounding stars.
Curated OER
Kaleidoscope of Color
Students study the history of the invention of the kaleidoscope by Sir David Brewster. They create a kaleidoscope using art supplies.
Curated OER
Seeing through Touch
Pupils explore solid objects using touch. In this art lesson, students are blindfolded and given a 3 dimensional object to explore with their hands. After the object is removed, pupils draw what they think the object looked like. The...
Curated OER
Which Colored Filter Will Decode a Secret Message?
Students investigate how to create secrete messages through filters. They view pictures with red and green filters and discuss what they observe. They select the color filter that works best to read secret messages. They view pictures...
Curated OER
Reading a Local and National Weather Map
Students examine weather maps. They examine icons and map symbols. Students explore vocabulary words related to weather. Students analyze and evaluate information provided on the weather map.
Curated OER
Aluminum Can Drive
Second graders complete a recycling project to clean-up their school. In this service project lesson plan, 2nd graders assess their campus for litter, set up a recycling project, clean up their campus, and recycle the trash. Students...
Curated OER
Vibrant Animals: Using an Actor's Body for Character Attributes
Students identify and portray specific character attributes through uprigth movement, creating a portrayal of an animal. They use vibrant, upright movement to convey the characteristics and temperament of specific animals. Finally,...