Curated OER
Illustrations in Report Writing
Students create a short report using all the steps in the writing process including a bibliography. They explore different pictures that relate to their topic and download an image for the internet into their report. A helpful rubric is...
Curated OER
Preparing a Business Plan to "Be Your Own Boss"
Do your scholars strive to work for themselves some day? Help young entrepreneurs create a business plan for an original idea and present it to a "board of directors." They complete online research (some links provided) and put...
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Commemorating a Tragedy
Young scholars read newspaper articles and watch segments on the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. In groups, they discuss how each media outlet presented the material and decide which one was more productive. As a class, they...
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Writing the Newspaper Article
The class reads several newspaper articles and analyze them for purpose, style, tone, length and organization. They interview each other about important events in their lives and write journalistic articles.
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To Whom It May Concern! Writing for a Variety of Audiences
Elementary learners write friendly letters with the same subject to two contrasting readers or audiences. They choose words and phrases that will be the most effective for the audience they are trying to reach. They read both letters and...
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Problem Solution Writing
Students, after brainstorming possible problem solving activities, choose from one of the many and write what the problem is and a solution to solve it.
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Young Voters Make A Difference
Young scholars research recent statistics on voting by those 18 to 24. They survey senior students to determine their intent to vote in the next election. Young scholars display the data in charts and graphs. They write the results and...
Desert Discoveries
Creating a Garden Journal
Youngsters create science journals which are used to record observations from the school garden. The goal of this activity is to help kids tune into nature by making daily observations on the growth of the plants, and also to take note...
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Ocean Life: A Heavy Subject
Second graders examine The Learning Page Fact Files about ocean life and categorize the data by weight and group. They distinguish between fish, mammals, and invertebrates and which weigh the most and the least. Students record their...
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A Sailing We Will Go!
Fifth graders investigate the journey that Magellan took around the world. Small groups conduct research on a ship that went on Magellan's voyage, write the story of their ship, and create a class dance that demonstrates the route taken...
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Civil War Essay Writing
Students, in groups of three, research a topic about the Civil War. They present thier research to the class in an orally.
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How Do I Get There? Planning a Safe Route to School
One much-needed skill for young learners is direction giving. Have your class plan and draw a safe route for them to travel from home to school. They will also draw places and items that are in between home and school in order to build a...
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A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...
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Plotting A Hurricane Using latitude and Longitude
Young scholars explore map and plotting skills by tracing the movement s of hurricanes through the Earth's systems. a hurricane map is developed from daily media reports.
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Muscular Dystrophy: A Walk in Their Shoes
Health and biology learners wear five pound weights on their legs for 24 hours to simulate the extra effort required when people suffer from muscular dystrophy. They research the disability online and write about how it feels to "walk in...
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A Good Man is Hard to Find
Students, in groups, read and analyze the short story, A Good Man is Hard to Find, by Flannery O'Connor. They present their findings tot he rest of the class and then connect the various themes discussed to outside material, events...
Tompson Solutions
Be a Reporter (The 5 W's and an H)
Teach your class how to investigate research sources. You can start out with this presentation, which lays out a easy strategy for asking questions and taking down answers that cover the important information.
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Your Day as a Cycle
Fourth graders examine a variety of cycles. They take a look at life cycles of plants and animals, the cycle of the moon and tides, and other sequences of events in their daily lives. An interesting part of the instructional activity is...
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Creating a Consumer-Awareness Information Campaign
Students work across grade levels to research and design a community awareness campaign on the benefits of purchasing fair trade chocolate. They develop print advertisements, conduct research, write letters, make posters and prepare oral...
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Growing a Seed
Seeing how seeds grow into plants is such an enjoyable for students! They plant lima bean seeds and take pictures to record the growth of their plants. Students write in a journal to describe their daily observations of their plants, and...
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Describing a Chemical Reaction: Playing with Copper
Three experiments involving pennies help young chemists see the chemical reactions between copper and other elements. The first experiment is rhetorical (it prompts students to leave a bright penny out for a year) but the second two...
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Writing a News Article
In this writing worksheet, students learn the essentials about how to write a newspaper article in journalistic style. Students read about style, headlines, bylines, first, middle and ending paragraphs. After reading this, students will...
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Pizza Biography
A biography writing lesson with a tasty twist! Kids create a "visual biography" in which each pizza slice represents a paragraph, and toppings represent supporting details. They learn research techniques, note-taking skills, and how to...
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Nine Planets
What are characteristics of a planet? With this plan, learners investigate the characteristics of the planets in our solar system. They gather research of the nine planets by using the Internet and other research tools. Then they create...