Smithsonian Institution
The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom
Introduce young explorers to the music and history of Jamaican culture through game songs and dances. As a bonus, class members get to play simple songs transcribed for the recorder.
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Up From the Ground
First graders sequence the development of a plant. For this plant life lesson, 1st graders listen to a story about how a plant grows, students view a PowerPoint presentation and learn new vocabulary. Finally, students sequence the stages...
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Steps to Freedom
Students complete discussion and reading comprehension activities for the novel Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheax Nelson. In this African American history instructional activity, students discuss the Underground Railroad and complete a...
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Then What Happened?
Students read the book, Diary of a Worm, by Doreen Cronin. After answering questions, the do a variety of activities such as a "Dear Diary," "Book Report Card," and/or "Animal Mural."
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Farm Frolics
Students learn about farms through literature and center activities. In this farming lesson plan, students read about farming, sing songs about it, sort materials, and do more activities related to farming.
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Order, Order
Third graders practice creative writing by making a book. In this book publishing lesson, 3rd graders investigate the steps needed to publish anything by researching the Internet. Students collaborate on a list of 5 steps to...
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TLC--Lesson Plans
Students in the grades kindergarten and 2nd grade interact with each other. They (2nd graders) faciliate one on one tutoring in the areas of reading and writing with the kindergartens. Students in the 2nd grade promote mentoring skills.
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Fall Leaves Fall
Students explore fall leaves. In this leaf instructional activity, students collect leaves to investigate. Students also measure, compare and contrast, draw and look at leaves through a magnifying glass. Students sing songs and use...
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Cool Cats Counting
Students practice number sense with the book Cool Cats Counting by Sherry Shahan. In this number instructional activity, students listen to the book and count from 1-10 in English and Spanish. They practice their alphabet,...
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Create A Question
Students explore mathematical problem solving. Given a case problem, students write a rule to solve problems involving decimal multiplication and division. They invent problems, share them with the class, and solve other student's...
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Theatre Lesson Plan- Tableau (part 2)
Students explore tableaux. In this social studies and fine arts cross curriculum lesson, students work in groups of four to create "frozen" stage pictures (tableaux) representing vocabulary and concepts from a "From Farm to You"...
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Of Mice and Men: Viewing Guide
In this Of Mice and Men viewing guide worksheet, students study movie terminology as they read brief descriptions and respond to 26 short answer questions as the watch the film based on Steinbeck's novel.
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The Journey to Civil Rights
Students explore Civil Rights. In this Civil Rights lesson, students read about Ruby Bridges and define the words segregation and supremacy. Students make a timeline of important events in Civil Rights and write a paragraph about why the...
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Dr. Seuss For a Day
Second graders brainstorm words to describe Thing One and Thing Two characters from Dr. Seuss computer program, use variety of adjectives to create descriptions, and create new set of characters, Thing Three and Thing Four, by drawing...
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Buildings in Our Community: What Do You See?
Students investigate the architecture in their hometown by visiting buildings. In this geometry lesson, students examine buildings through photographs and explain the different geometric shapes found in the architecture....
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Unit Lesson on The Gingerbread Man (Elementary, Reading/Writing)
Students sequence the main events of the story, The Gingerbread Man, into chronological order and rewrite the story changing characters and settings.
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Who's Inside the Mitten?
Students read "The Mitten", by Jan Brett. They discuss vocabulary presented in the story and sequence significant plot events. They make masks to represent several of the characters and act out the story.
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Character Education-Perseverance
Students learn what it means to stick to a task through the re-telling of the story, "The Little Engine That Could." Personal application is made to their own experiences with the completion of, "I think I can..." endings.
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Each Peach Plum Pear
First graders listen to the story, Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allen Ahlberg, then give appropriate responses to questions asked about the story. They investigate what compound words by participateing in a variety of activities.
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Johnny Appleseed
Students meet and delve into the life of the American Folk Hero, Johnny Appleseed through the activities of the eight lessons of this unit. Math and language activities offering whole and small group encounters.
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Language Arts: Retelling Leo the Longhorn
Students reinforce sequencing skills by retelling stories. After being assigned roles in the production, they create dialog, props, and costumes for retelling the story "Leo the Longhorn." Working in cooperative groups, students may also...
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Tales to Live By
Students explore the concept of theme. In this fairy tales lesson, students read several tales and complete hands-on activities, art projects, and dramatic play that lead to an awareness of the themes of the tales.
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Macaroni Quotation Marks
Students practice using quotation marks. In this writing skills lesson, students listen to a story, read quotations aloud, and use macaroni as quotation marks where they are needed in the provided sentences.
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Character Education - Self Respect, Respect for Others
Students respond the story of Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes and discuss the ways in which she showed respect for herself and for others.