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Exploring Ecosystems
Fourth graders investigate ecosystems. In this ecosystem lesson, 4th graders explore producers, consumers, and decomposers and study the interdependence of each.
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Mud Tortillas
First graders read a story entitled, "Mud Tortillas." After reviewing the book, 1st graders predict what will happen. They review methods and strategies for decoding unfamiliar words. A Venn diagram is created for students to compare...
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Pioneer Scramble
Students explore the concept of Manifest Destiny. In this Westward Movement lesson, students study why Americans emigrated west in the 1840s and 1850s. Students create interactive timelines, write exploration reports, and complete an art...
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I See Shapes
Learners explore shapes through literature. In this language arts lesson, students read stories about shapes and discuss the shapes they see in the stories. Learners find shapes around the room.
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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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A Birthday Basket for Tia
Students practice reading and math skills using technology. In this main idea lesson, students retell the important events of A Birthday for Tia in sequence using Kid Pix. Students create a bar graph using The Graph Club and use...
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Phonological Awareness and Rhyming
Students listen to a story and chime whenever they hear rhyming word pairs. Students generate other rhyming words that rhyme with each pair from the story. Students draw and/or paint illustrations to go along with a rhyming song given....
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At The Firehouse With Dad
Students participate in a guided reading of the children's book "At The Firehouse With Dad" They improve reading comprehension skills with the use of independent practice. The students then answer discussion questions while reading the...
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I'm Heading To the Rodeo
First graders read a realistic fiction book entitled "I'm Heading To The Rodeo." They predict what may happen in the story from observing the picture. After reading the book, 1st graders discuss the story and connect it with their own...
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The Nile
Learners recognize the Nile River played an important role in the lives of ancient Egyptians and still does today. They prepare a newspaper written in English and produced with advanced technology centered around researched information.
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Origin of the Modern Summer Games
Students research the ancient Olympic Games. In this Olympic Games instructional activity, students discuss Pierre de Coubertin, Greek culture, and ancient Olympia. Students complete two readings. Students write an essay about the spirit...
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The Secret School-Chapter 4
Fourth graders read The Secret School. In this language arts lesson, 4th graders discuss the characters in the story and read aloud using fluency while reading. Students write a summary of the chapter.
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Day Eight Lesson- The Whale Rider
Students examine cultural differences through the reading of The Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera. In this language arts lesson, students work in groups to analyze chapters 11 and 12 of the novel; these chapters highlight cultural...
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Frog Metamorphosis
Students play 20 Questions with animal characteristics and then view an animation of how a tadpole changes into a frog. They consider the importance of camouflage to frogs and write out the story of a frog from tadpole to adult.
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A Special Day
Students participate in a lesson that focuses on the guided reading of, A Special Day while performing correct fluency with the help of picture/ text matching. They read using the patterned sentence repetition, and this helps students to...
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Forensic Detectives: Who Did It?
Students explore forensic science and its uses in criminal investigations. They solve a fictional crime by identifying and analyzing the fingerprints, strand of hair, and thread samples for evidence. After completing charts for each,...
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Ants Have Feelings, Too!
Students consider how they show respect for others. For this service learning lesson, students listen and respond to literature from different perspectives.
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The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Overcoming Adversity
Students examine the photographs of Russell Lee and identify the obstacles faced by Mexican-Americans in Texas during the early and mid-20th century. They discuss the ways they overcame these obstacles and relate it to obstacles in...
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Traveler's Trunk
Students analyze and interpret artifacts from the 1920s and explore the Great Migration. For this 1920s history lesson, students review background information about the Great Migration and use artifacts to study history of Chicago....
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Hard Word with the Little Red Hen
Students complete a unit using the story of the Little Red Hen to learn the storybook reading format as well as improve their reading and social skills. In this storybook lesson, students complete five lessons using the story of the...
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Essential Narrative Concepts
Students interact with the main concepts of a narrative text in the six lessons of this unit. The setting, prediction, retelling, sequencing, and the identification of the beggining, middle and end of a story are investigated.
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"Families and Schools of the Past"
First graders listen to and discuss historical fiction and bigraphies from the early American time period. They role-play, draw, write stories and dress up to re-create events from these historical characters.
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Guided Reading with I Had a Hippopotamus
Students discuss animals that would make good pets and a kind of pet that might scare someone in their family. They view the cover of the book and predict what the book might be about. They tell the story based on looking at the...
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Where Am I? Determining Relative Location
Students use position words to describe where their teacher is sitting and read a story that makes use of position words. In this spatial lesson, students make a stick puppet and play Simon Says focusing on using position words in the...