Louisiana Department of Education
Fahrenheit 451
In his 2013 introduction to Fahrenheit 451, Neil Gaiman states, “Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.” In this extraordinary unit plan, readers "explore the power of written language to educate and...
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Language Arts Written Drama Project: Creationism
High schoolers create and perform science fiction drams based upon their knowledge of the solar system. For this solar system lesson students work in cooperative groups to create a short play and will also score the play.
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What's Special About Nonfiction?
Young scholars examine the difference between nonfiction and fictional writing. They identify the characteristics of nonfiction literature and examine how a nonfiction textbook organizes information.
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Science Performance Assessment
You can use performance assessments to obtain a richer and more complete picture of what your students know.
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Busting Myths Using Science in the Classroom
Use the Mythbuster method and other exciting activities to jazz up your scientific method lessons!
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Lesson 1: Identifying Information in Nonfiction
If you are in need of a lesson on identifying information in a non-fiction text, look no further. The class learns how to use a KWL chart to identify explicit information in the book, Frogs by Gail Gibbons. They fill out the KWL...
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After I Read Strategy Sheet
After readers finish the story Deep-Sea Monster, they utilize this two-page worksheet to write short-answer responses to questions about the story. The questions posed require critical thinking, not simply recalling details from the...
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8th Grade Reading Comprehension Success
Augment your eighth grade language arts curriculum with a thorough set of reading comprehension activities and assessments. Focusing on a variety of skills, including vocabulary in context, text structure, main idea, and author's style,...
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We Like to Imagine - Animals
Young scholars describe a pretend animal. They read "The After School Monster." Students read other books and discuss whether or not the characters are real. Young scholars make a drawing of a pretend animal and of a real animal. They...
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Take the Lead — Get the Lead Out
Students research about the physiological effects of prolonged lead exposure. In this chemistry activity, students investigate the lead content of different paint, soil and water samples. They analyze data trends and share their findings...
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Alas, All Human
Students define a scientist. In this ethics and science instructional activity, students read Asimov's Alas, All Human and write responses and discuss the possibilities of imperfection within science by scientists. Students discuss what...
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Africanized Honey Bees And Society
Students investigate how information is disseminated about honey bees and other insects. They make a list of key words and phrases, or even write a brief summary of their impressions of insects and their relatives after viewing the movie.
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Butterflies, Butterflies, Butterflies
Transform your class into a butterfly museum! Research different types of butterflies, their habitat, and life cycle. Interactive components such as PowerPoint presentations, Claymation movies, and webpages add pizzaz to the museum...
Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics
Space Travel Guide
Looking to take a trip? Why not go to space? Here, scholars take on the role as travel agent to create a guide to their favorite planet including travel tips and sightseeing recommendations.
University of Colorado
Space Travel Guide
Neptune takes 164.8 Earth years to travel around the sun. In the fifth of 22 lessons, young scientists create a travel guide to a planet in our solar system. They provide tips for others on what to bring, what they see, and their...
Science NetLinks
Green Roof Design
Green roofs aren't just eco-friendly — they are literally green with trees. Groups learn about the concept of green roofs in order to be able to design one. The groups design a 5,000-square-foot green roof for a fictional apartment row...
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Discovering the Deep
Pupils explore the world's oceans. They research questions about the oceans and write a research report about an ocean animal. Students identify at least four different writing genres they experienced while reading about the ocean.
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Listen! Listen! Learn All About It!
Fourth graders view non-fiction videos. They write questions that can be answered with information in the video. Every 10 minutes the video is stopped and the class discusses the questions.
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Coral Reefs
Students examine the animals that live in a coral reef and how they adapt to their environment. In this coral lesson students write a short book on how animals inhabit the coral reefs.
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Reading to Learn
Children learn to read and comprehend non-fiction text and explore how to relate non-fiction texts to things they already know. They then examine how to stop and think about what they are reading repeatedly to make sure they understand...
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Under The Sea
In this resource lesson plan, students use non-fiction books to research ocean animals. Students discover the many features of non-fiction books and how to use these features to help them conduct research. Students then categorize...
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Do Fish Clean the Ocean?
Students analyze a reading selection. In this ocean lesson, students read a story about the ocean, ocean animals and coral reefs. Students have the option to complete internet research on coral reefs. Students write in their journals...
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Reading Research!
Learners observe the pictures in non-fiction books that focus on animals in the winter. In addition, they also listed to some read aloud books about hibernation, migration, adaptation and dormancy. Students draw pictures and write notes...
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Jack and the Beanstalk
Third graders examine a reading selection. In this fairy tale lesson, 3rd graders read Jack and the Beanstalk. Students are divided into groups and each group lists the elements of a fairy tale and writes a script for a puppet play of...