Curated OER
Determining the Age of Fossils
Students examine the concept of radioactive dating. In this radioactive dating lesson, students investigate how to determine the ages of fossils and rocks as they learn about half-life radioactive decay.
Scholastic
Midnight Magic Discussion Guide
This discussion guide accompanies the fiction book Midnight Magic written by Avi, enforces story elements, inferences, and theme/plot. Have the class work on it over time, it will engage even your reluctant readers.
Curated OER
Revising Your Mystery Story
Students edit and improve their short stories by examining character description, dialogue, and plot elements. In peer editing groups they correct gramatical and spelling errors. they read aloud their new story drafts.
Curated OER
Living With Risk: The Human Element of Natural Disasters
Seventh graders research the Internet and the given websites to complete this lesson. In this investigating natural disasters lesson students complete several activities about natural disasters.
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Tribal Origin Stories
The teacher reads and retells Californian tribal origin or creation stories that come from the traditions of a variety of California Indian tribes. Then, pupils get together in groups and retell the stories they just heard; just as...
Curated OER
Comparing or Contrasting Two Books
Students compare two pieces of literature. In this literary comparisons lesson, students read 2 books that they personally select and then compare and contrast the literary elements of each in a comparative essay.
Curated OER
Musicians and Vampires
Students practice techniques and strategies for understanding the parts of a story to help them remember what they've read. They review and analyze the elements of a story and how to find them first in a paragraph and then in a book.
Community Resources for Science
Spring Mechanics
Scholars practice calculating spring constants before performing hands-on experiments. They compare data for parallel and series springs. Finally, they learn how spring mechanics find applications in biotechnology, such as prosthetic limbs.
Curated OER
Spaceship Earth
Students develop an understanding of our planet as a system by designing a very-long-duration space mission in which the life-support system is patterned after that of earth.
Curated OER
Enigmas
Students research "mystery" topics such as Easter Island, Bermuda Triangle and the Loch Ness Monster. Students brainstorm mysteries and explore the one of their choosing. They write a short report and share what they have learned with...
Curated OER
Cuentos
Students revise Spanish mystery stories. They sequence the events from a group's mystery story and suggest revisions for the setting. They revise their stories using the suggestions from classmates and describe characters in folktales....
Curated OER
Critic's Choice
Third graders read three to five genres and choose one as a favorite. They write an essay persuading the class to read the genre. This lesson serves as a nice introduction to different styles of literature.
Curated OER
Pic-A-Fic: Choosing Fiction for Every Taste
Sixth graders examine and categorize a selection of title representing fiction genres. In this fiction genres lesson, 6th graders analyze and identify a variety of titles in the fiction genre. Students then find these types of fiction...
Curated OER
A Fairy Tale: Italian Folklore
Students work in groups to write an original fairy tale in Italian. They research the components of a fairy tale, compare and contrast fairy tales with myths and follow an outline to write a complete, 15-20 page fairy tale.
Curated OER
The Sound of Calm
Students examine the relationships that exist between ocean currents, wind and climate. Using those relationships, they discuss how they affect the oceans. They create their own music to represent the sounds of the ocean and share them...
Curated OER
Enigmas
Students research various "mysterious" elements of literature, math, science, technology and life itself.
Curated OER
Modesto City Schools Library Lesson Plan
Students read and understand a variety of genres in a library setting. In this library activity lesson, students act as detectives and use clues in text and pictures to hypothesize the title of the missing book for the library reading...
Curated OER
Cluing into Symbols Robert Frost
Learners use the Internet and video to discover how find evidence in poetry in order to discover the theme(s) of the poems. They are able to define poetic devices like simile, metaphor and repetition. Students identify themes in...
Curated OER
What is That White Stuff?
Fifth graders identify, through experimentation, what properties of substance are, determine what variables tested will be, identify constants and variables of experiment, conduct experiment to conclusion with measurable, recorded...
Curated OER
Chromosome Fusion
Students see how patterns can reveal events of the past, thereby merging elements of both experimental and historical science.
Curated OER
Chemicals, Chemicals, Everywhere
Students divide substances into categories: made of chemicals/not made of chemicals, synthetic/naturally occurring, and toxic/nontoxic. They observe a mystery chemical and determine what precautions they need to take when handling an...
Curated OER
I am the Greatest
Students participate in a game blending skill with chance to enhance students' understanding of the concept of place value. They explain that the value of a number increases when digits farthest to the left have greatest value.
Curated OER
Natural Indicators: How Do They Work?
Students describe characteristics and common uses of acids and bases. They describe the role of natural indicators in the chemistry of acids and bases after testing and making observations on a variety of plant extracts. Students observe...
Curated OER
In Search of Cosmic Rays
Students compare rates to altitude. They conduct a class discussion about the results.