Melissa Institute for Violence Prevention and Treatment
Concept Muraling
Concept muraling helps learners improve their comprehension of a text by giving them a way to organize their understanding of the key concepts in that text. Introduce readers to this process with a carefully scaffolded lesson that models...
Fluence Learning
Writing a Narrative: Two Frogs
Three options offer young writers the opportunity to read a short story, answer questions, and write a response. A handy language arts resource focuses on reading comprehension and analyziing the story's lesson: look before you leap.
National Wildlife Federation
Massive Migrations: Grades K-8
Migratory animals follow the same path every year. Learners research the path of an assigned species and create a map highlighting key landmarks along the way. As a group, they come up with a presentation to share with their class.
Curated OER
The Tiger!
William Blake's immortal poem "The Tiger!" launches a study of these magnificent creatures. After a close reading of the poem, class members compare his poem to Blake's artwork. Individuals then choose a favorite tiger species to...
Curated OER
I Am Unique
Learners study traits of organisms including genetics and inheritance. In this genetic traits lesson, students complete a shared reading and discuss the 6 traits of uniqueness. Learners sort themselves by specific traits and chart their...
Curated OER
Clouds, Rain, and Fog: A Closer Look
Second graders practice comprehension strategies to successfully process informational text for content knowledge, and describe what clouds, rain, and fog are and how they are made.
Curated OER
Fairy Dictionary
Use artwork to illicit responses in a writing journal, and then present your class with the short list of key terms provided. Can your learners add any of their own key terms? Segue for a second, and read tales such as Peter Pan or...
Curated OER
Return to the Moon
Students react to statements about space exploration, then read a news article about plans to resume manned flights to the moon. In this space science and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
Curated OER
NASA Plans Moon Base
Students react to statements about the moon, then read a news article about NASA's plans to build a permanent base on the moon. In this space science and current events lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion...
Curated OER
Colossal Squid Caught in Antarctic
Students define the word colossal, then read a news article about an enormous squid caught off Antarctica. In this animal studies and current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with dictionary and...
Curated OER
Archeologists For a Day
Students listen to a reading about fossils and go on a hunt for items with fossil characteristics. In this cross curricular fossil lesson, students will examine their fossil finds and create a graphic organizer. Students...
Curated OER
Spider Watching
Spiders are creepy, crawly - and interesting! Young entomologists learn about parts of a spider's body, their habitats, ways spiders catch their prey, and what they most like to eat. Some excellent art activities are included in the plan...
Curated OER
Dirt Babies
Dirt babies are an excellent way to show young botanists the plant life cycle. They explore the functions and industry behind grasses before growing some of their own. Use the informational text here and consider implementing some...
Curated OER
How Does a Butterfly Grow?
Students explore the stages of a butterfly. They read and discuss the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle. They draw a picture of their favorite part and create a graph. They write a letter to Eric Carle and observe a...
Curated OER
Owls and Raptors
Students investigate the predator-prey relationship of owls and raptors. They examine a variety of resources about owls and raptors, develop a list of vocabulary words, dissect owl pellets and identify what owls eat, and play a...
Curated OER
Reduce and Respect!
Students examine how to reduce trash to help the environment. In this environment lesson, students listen to the story, The Wartville Wizard, before thinking about how they can reduce trash. They decide why it is important to reduce...
Curated OER
Making Estimations in Measurement
Students explore estimating and measurement with the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. They read and discuss the story, estimate and measure their own height, circumference, and length of their foot, and draw and paint a giant using...
Curated OER
Problem Solving
Second graders practice problem solving strategies. For this problem solving lesson, 2nd graders use strategies such as guess and check, acting out, drawing pictures and looking for patterns to solve problems. Students work in groups to...
Curated OER
Back to School with Paper Quilts and Partnerships
Make a commitment to collaboration, and build classroom community by integrating art and classroom objectives to create a paper quilt.
Curated OER
Transportation with Lewis and Clark
Students listen to a PowerPoint presentation and complete a Venn diagram comparing the methods of transportation in the early 1800s with today's transportation. They experiment with the buoyancy of keelboats.
Curated OER
Art About Me- The Skin You Live In
Students read the text The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler. In this literacy lesson, students discuss the characters in the text and the various shades of skin they observed on each page. Students read the beautiful descriptions of the...
Curated OER
Sundials: Observing and Using Shadows
Students build sundials and observe changes in shadows over the course of one or more days. They identify patterns in the shadows and discuss how shadows may be used to tell time.
Penguin Books
The Very Hungry Caterpillar Activity Booklet
Enter the colorful world of The Very Hungry Caterpillar with a booklet filled with activities to celebrate Eric Carle.
Curated OER
Growing Vegetable Soup
Students use children's literature in order to think about the concept of creating a garden. This is done through conducting simple research about types of plants that could be grown in the area and how to care for them. Then the garden...