Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "My Skeleton" by Jane Hirshfield
Jane Hirshfield's poem "My Skeleton" asks readers to pause and think about the amazing, often taken-for-granted structure that protects and gives form to human bodies. After observing the human skeleton's image, class members read the...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Heart to Heart" by Rita Dove
Take heart! Here's a lesson that will encourage learners to notice details. After listening to Sarah Vaughan singing "My Funny Valentine" and noting how the word heart relates to Valentine's Day, scholars observe a human heart image....
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “Dead Stars” by Ada Limón
Pay attention! A lesson featuring Ada Limon's poem "Dead Stars" is designed to help learners develop their noticing skills. Class members first study the constellation Orion's image and list what they notice and how the image makes them...
Curated OER
Poetry: Walking With My Iguana
Bring a little excitement to your next poetry analysis lesson plan. Using the highly energetic poem "Walking With My Iguana," learners consider poem structure and rhyme. They listen to the poem, discuss the rhythm and tone with their...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "The Shapes of Leaves" by Arthur Sze
Arthur Sze's poem, "The Shapes of Leaves," encourages young scholars to notice and speak for others who "do not speak." The lesson begins with pupils writing about a tree that they really like. The class then examines an image of...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “The Everglades” by Campbell McGrath
Florida's Everglades come alive for young environmental scientists as they watch a video taken in the park and read a poem about the watery paradise. After a careful study of the two resources, class members consider the function of the...
Smithsonian Institution
Water/Ways: The Poetry of Science
Water is the source of life. It appears in poetry in both peaceful and torrential descriptions; it appears in earth science in its liquid, gaseous, and solid states. Combine these interpretations of our planet's most precious and...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "In the Next Galaxy" by Ruth Stone
Imagine what life might be like in a different galaxy. That's the challenge young scientists take on in a warm-up activity designed to prepare them for a close reading of Ruth Stone's poem "In the Next Galaxy." After class members share...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Wonder and Joy" by Robinson Jeffers
A study of Robinson Jeffers' poem "Wonder and Joy" reminds readers to notice and rekindle the appreciation of the many wondrous aspects of life. After a close reading of the poem, scholars use the provided questions to discuss the poem.
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: "Toward the Winter Solstice" by Timothy Steele
Timothy Steele's poem, "Toward the Winter Solstice," offers scholars an opportunity to consider what poets and scientists could learn from each other's work. First, learners examine a NASA image of a star-forming region in the Orion...
Curated OER
A Garden of Verses: Poems About Class Gardens
Young scholars explore botany by participating in a language arts activity. In this garden poetry lesson, students read the classic poem "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" and discuss the imagery and rhyming methods used. Young scholars examine...
Curated OER
Traveling Through Literature
Integrate geography with literature in this interdisciplinary lesson. Begin by reading a poem such as The Time We Climbed Snake Mountain by Leslie Marmon Silko. On a large map, place push pins in the cities or states mentioned. An...
Curated OER
Splish, Splash Poetry
Students write weather shape poems and sing weather related songs. In this creative writing activity, students read the book, It's Raining, It's Pouring and list weather words they heard in the story. Students use the writing process to...
Curated OER
Ornithology and Real World Science
Double click that mouse because you just found an amazing lesson! This cross-curricular Ornithology lesson incorporates literature, writing, reading informational text, data collection, scientific inquiry, Internet research, art, and...
Serendip
Understanding How Genes Are Inherited via Meiosis and Fertilization
Bring the excitement of genetics to scholars with a dynamic hands-on meiosis modeling experience. During the activity, biologists follow step-by-step procedures to build chromosomes, model independent assortment, learn about crossing...
Curated OER
A Planting We Will Go
Even the youngest kids can make scientific comparisons using collected data. They read The Tiny Seed, then discuss the essential nutrients and elements needed for a seed to grow into a blooming plant. They plant seeds and track their...
Curated OER
Understanding Cloud Formation
Learners view a demonstration that simulates cloud formation. They read a poem about clouds, participate in a class demonstration using warm water and ice and write a paragraph summarizing their observations.
Curated OER
Preparation -- The Right Way to Help and FOrm for Poetic Reflection
Students prepare for their service learning project by listening to a representative from the Lake Michigan Federation. They volunteer their time to clean up the coast line. They reflect on the event by writing a poem about their...
Curated OER
Weather "Whys" Lesson 2 Seasons
Young scholars explore seasons. In this cross curriculum weather and seasons instructional activity, students identify characteristics of the four seasons and sequence related pictures. Young scholars listen to poems and stories about...
Curated OER
Mass Spectrometer
For this mass spectrometer worksheet, young scholars read about how a mass spectrometer determines the elements in gases around Earth. Students answer 3 questions and identify the elements in a graph found by a mass spectrometer.
Curated OER
Guess What I Came From
First graders examine items made from plants. In this plant lesson, 1st graders read Plants Feed on Sunlight and view a PowerPoint presentation regarding plant growth. Students examine products that are made from plants and draw pictures...
Curated OER
Yummy for my tummy!
First graders read the story Tops and Bottoms and identify vegetables that are eaten from the stem, root, and leaf of a plant. In this vegetables lesson plan, 1st graders learn vocabulary about different vegetable parts and write journal...
Curated OER
What We Need
First graders identify basic needs of plants. In this plant growth lesson, 1st graders observe types of plants and review the parts of a plant as well as the development of a seed. Students review related vocabulary and read The Carrot...
Curated OER
Cloudy Days Are for Reading and Writing
Learners consider a variety of well-known proverbs that refer to the weather. They research the scientific validity of these proverbs, conduct interviews about public perception of the proverbs and summarize their findings in writing.