Santa Clara County Office of Education
The Rainbow Fish: Activities for Parents to Do with Children at Home
The Rainbow Fish, Marcus Pfister's award-winning story about the joys of sharing, is the inspiration for this resource loaded with fun. Suggestions for language and language arts, math, science, and social studies activities are...
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Nothing But Problems
Here is a fabulous lesson on problem solving in the mathematical world. In it, third and fourth graders get lots of great coaching on how to approach word problems, and how to best find a solution. They watch an episode of Reading...
Illustrative Mathematics
Making a Clock
Have a fun time teaching children to read analog clocks with this whole-group math activity. Using large sets of the numerals 1-12 and 0, 5, 10...55, the teacher creates a large clock on either the carpet or the white board, explaining...
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Lady Liberty
If you're looking for a fantastic cross-curricular lesson on the Statue of Liberty, then this lesson is for you! Learners watch a Reading Rainbow episode which focuses on the Statue, then gather facts about the creation, construction,...
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Rainbow Fish: The Copycat Fish Lesson Plan
Students explore the concept of copying one another. In this early childhood lesson plan, students discuss what a copycat is and why people copy one another. Students then discuss the story Rainbow Fish: The Copycat Fish, recording...
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Rainbow Number Line
Guide your kindergartners to create memorable, colorful number lines that they will use throughout the school year. Using sentence strip and a black marker or card stock printed in a teachers font, create traceable numbers from 1 to 20...
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Rainbow Fish Graphing
Students graph different colors of rainbow fish scales after participating in a shared reading of The Rainbow Fish. They answer questions based on the graph. They practice making graphs independently using colored cereal circles.
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Coral Reefs: Gardens Under the Sea
Students discover the wonders of coral reefs while listening to a book about them. In a Reading Rainbow video activity, they simulate a dive, check equipment and explore a reef. Role-playing as marine biologists, students uncover...
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Swimmy's Friends
Students solve problems using various strategies. In this problem solving instructional activity, students read the book Swimmy by Leo Lionni. Students make fish swimming patterns, measure how many goldfish crackers it takes to make a...
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Luis' Painted Desert
In this solving math questions worksheet, 1st graders read the short story, "Luis' Painted Desert", and answer 4 short answer questions relating to the story.
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Spring Lesson Plans
Students complete activities for spring such as counting petals, tracing spring words, and going on nature walks. In this spring lesson plan, students also read spring stories.
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Working Together
Students work together to solve problems. In this math lesson, students apply math skills of graphing to work on an assignment together and at the same time, learn to problem solve. They walk away learning to work well in groups.
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Wax Resist Fish
Students review what a pattern is and they create a pattern on a fish. They are reminded that patterns do not change halfway through and they paint over it with watercolor paints. They display their fish on the walls.
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4 Step Approach to Problem Solving
Students explore problem solving. In this middle school mathematics instructional activity, students investigate the four-step approach to problem solving. Students solve word problems by employing the four-step process and...
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Beautiful Bugs
Students investigate the life cycle of ants, ladybugs, and butterflies. They list the four stages of the butterfly life cycle, define symmetry and observe how ants make homes in dirt.
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Here's the Pitch
Students define pitch, measure varying amounts of water into containers, make predictions about the sounds made when striking the containers, put containers in order from highest to lowest pitch, and create their own sound patterns with...
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Would You Believe Your Eyes?
Students study the parts and functions of the human eye. They create dodecagons which are twelve-sided figures with twelve equal angles and share these with the class so that each student can begin to see how many different illusions can...
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Planetary Place Value
Third graders explore place value to the ten thousands place. This incredibly thorough, 24-page lesson has learners construct, order, and compare numbers to 9,999. This three-day lesson includes reteaching and extension activities...
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St. Patrick’s Day
Combine math, creative writing, and leprechauns in a fun St. Patrick's Day activity! Using a bag of gold coins and marshmallows, kids write a math story about a leprechaun that includes a multi-step equation to solve.
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Snuggle Up To Pattern Blocks
Young scholars view and discuss a video about the use of pattern block shapes to form pictures. They, in groups, form garden and quilt designs using pattern blocks and then decorate the room with their art.
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Hop To It!
Students explore the aspects of a frog's anatomy that allow it to be such a good jumper and jump and record the length of each jump to determine which style of jumping allows them to jump the farthest.
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Birds, Baths And Oil Spills
Students examine effects of an oil spill on birds and animals that inhabit marine or freshwater ecosystems, and simulate procedures used by rescue workers who rescue and rehabilitate birds and other animals coated with oil.
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Math-Measurement
First graders examine measurement. In this measurement instructional activity, 1st graders practice using nonstandard units to help in measuring objects. Students listen to How Big is a Foot and complete an activity using unifix cubes to...
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Second Servings
Second graders understand the appropriate sizes for food portions. In this food groups lesson plan, 2nd graders create and measure a meal using correct portion sizes and correct measurements.