Critical Thinking Cooperative
Doing Our Share
Whether at home or in the classroom, each member of a community has certain responsibilities they must tend to. With the help of the children's story Piggybook by Anthony Browne, kids learn how to assign jobs in a fair and safe manner...
Novelinks
The Martian Chronicles: Response Writing
Follow the format of Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles with a journal-writing activity. Readers choose a character and examine the character's life and circumstances through brainstorming, research, and discussion before writing a...
Curated OER
Chocolate Fever
Students study plants in the rainforest. They complete a variety of activities surrounding the subject of chocolate. They create new candy bars, invent learning games and write poetry--all focusing on chocolate.
Curated OER
Are You Sure You've Got the Right Answer?
Young researchers work through the research cycle. They question, plan, gather, sort, synthesize, and evaluate the materials they collect at the library. There are web supplements for this lesson.
Curated OER
Mensa For Kids: The Moon
First graders explore space science by completing an arts and crafts activity. In this moon lesson, 1st graders explore the geography of the moon and discuss the importance it has for people living on Earth. Students create a replica...
Curated OER
Density of a Gas
Eighth graders investigate the mass, volume, and density of a gas by producing it in a chemical reaction. The entire Density of a Gas Lab and L section of the K W L chart be formatively assessed.
Curated OER
Ways of Thinking
Students explore all the different avenues of the concept of different ways of thinking by involving the views of several great minds of history to thinkers of Western Civilization. They assess questioning, life, work, skepticism,...
Curated OER
Animals
Students investigate classifying animals. In this animal classification lesson plan, students choose three animals that use camouflage and list three facts about that animal. Students create a story about the animal, present it to the...
Curated OER
Oh, Let the Rain Fall Down
Fifth graders explain the three phases of the water cycle in a narraive paragraph where they describe the journey of a single raindrop. They are introduced to five science vocabulary words and personfication.
Curated OER
Give a Hoot About Owls
Learners research basic information about owls. They complete a class KWL chart, and conduct research on owls using the Internet and a variety of resource books. Next, they write an owl acrostic poem and a report using their research...
Curated OER
Healthy Eating
Young scholars explore how they can make healthy food choices and assess how "eating healthy" requires knowledge and planning ahead. They review and discuss The Edible Pyramid as well before they complete this project online. Each...
Curated OER
Airing Our concerns: I Can See Clearly Now
Students research specific answers to questions about air pollution. For this air pollution lesson, students share information to fully understand the causes of air pollution. Students role play individuals from different groups to...
Curated OER
Language Arts Exploration
While an interesting lesson idea involving the exploration of a story about an Asian American boy named Imduk, a teacher would need to have assess to the Scott Foresman reading program to make this work. If not, a teacher could use...
Fluence Learning
Writing About Literary Text: Pygmalion and Galatea
Is it crazy to fall in love with your own work, or is that the purest love of all? Compare two renditions of the classic Greek myth Pygmalion and Galatea with a literary analysis exercise. After students compare the similarities and...
Fluence Learning
Writing About Literature: What Is Happiness?
Jack London's heart for adventure has come to define the spirit of America and its frontier. Selected passages from the foreword The Cruise of the Snark take eighth graders through London's construction and voyage of his ship before...
Fluence Learning
Writing Informative Text: Did Shakespeare Write Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare penned some of the richest and most fascinating works of literature—or did he? Middle schoolers read three brief informative passages and conduct additional research to evaluate the claim that Shakespeare did not...
Curated OER
Fairy Tales
Once upon a time are four words most children are familiar with when reading a fairy tale. But do they know that fairy tales are a great way to learn the literary elements of reading and writing? Use a thorough fairy tale unit to teach...
Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy
A Search for Symbolism in The Great Gatsby
After reading The Great Gatsby, groups return to the text and note passages where Fitzgerald uses symbols and color imagery in his narrative. They then develop a presentation that explains the context, the implications, and possible...
Curated OER
Take a Tour of a Biome
Students study five different biome types including aquatic, desert, forest, grassland, and tundra. They create a travel website of a simulated trip to one of the biomes.
Curated OER
Take a Tour of a Biome
Explore the five biomes: aquatic, desert, forest, grassland and tundra by using online resources to investigate one of the five biomes and use MediaBlender to create an informational web site for a tour of that biome. Note: Other...
Curated OER
Exploring the Galapagos
Students explore the species found in the Galapagos Islands and practice descriptive writing skills by creating a sample journal. They create a fictional journal that documents the places they visit and the species they encounter.
Curated OER
Ocean Expedition with Jacques Cousteau
Young scholars role play that they are on an ocean voyage with Jacques Cousteau as they study plant, and animal species and adaptation. They write a five page journal, create artwork of the expedition.
Curated OER
Online Planetary Tour
Students develop an interactive presentation about the planets for their fictional interplanetary travel agency. They demonstrate their knowledge of internet research techniques and the Solar System through their interactive planetary...
Curated OER
Eye On the Environment Essay
Students analyze the impact of human activity (e.g., population density, pollution) to a country where the target language is spoken. They prepare a three paragraph essay and describe the impact of pollution on the environment and the...