Curated OER
African American Poetry: Family and Traditions
Students are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry.  As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words.   They share information on their family...
Curated OER
Write Your Own Rap
Third graders create a rap using basic AB form composition.  Evaluation of performances are based on rubric formed during the first lesson by all students.  This three to four day lesson culminates in student performances and evaluation.
Curated OER
Physical Science: Gravity
Students investigate the properties of force and gravity and their effects on everyday life. In groups, they test various balls by bouncing them on different surfaces and observe the properties. In another activity, they test marbles and...
Curated OER
ACE Expert English Homework
In this positions worksheet, students read descriptions of where the ball is around a box and then draw pictures of where a cat is beside a chair. Students draw 8 pictures and answer 16 position questions.
Curated OER
Poetry for the Elementary Classroom
Use Shel Silverstein's poem "Batty" to introduce poetry to young readers. This lesson is not formatted well, but the plan does suggest learners memorize a poem, recite the poem individually, and then recite the poem as a class. Poetry...
EngageNY
Paragraph Writing Instruction
Writing a paragraph from details found directly in a text is the central focus of this thorough and explicit lesson plan. Using the stories Nasreen's Secret School and Rain School, third graders are lead step-by-step...
Curated OER
Seeing and Feeling Sound Vibrations
Groups rotate through a series of stations and work with a partner to observe sound waves. Children describe sound in terms of pitch, volume, and frequency. To apply their new knowledge, the class considers how these observations can...
Curated OER
Cooking with the Sun
Learners explore using energy from the sun for heating and cooking as they build and compare the performance of four solar cooker designs. This excellent two-day lesson has groups of students build and test a variety of solar cookers....
Curated OER
Looking Through the Algebraic Lens
Students work with rectangles to find generalizations for adding and subtracting odd and even numbers in part one of the lesson. In part two, students use geoboards to construct polygons, look for patterns, and find a general rule.
Curated OER
Children's Literature and African American Culture
Third graders examine various stories and poems and identify characteristics that make each individual unique.  After analyzing the readings, they create their own personality poems to accompany self-portrait drawings.  The poems and...
Curated OER
Traveling on the Sea of Gold: An Adventure in Japan Through Literature
Students explore the geography and culture of Japan through the story "Sea of Gold" by Yoshiko Uchida. They draw a travel poster of Japan, label a map of Japan, use chopsticks to eat Cheerios, read and discuss various books about Japan,...
Curated OER
LIONS and TIGERS and BEARS. . .Oh My! Animals of Connecticut and the World
Students identify and list the different types of pets owned by the children in the class.
They graph the total number of each type of pet owned. They draw or cut-out a picture of an animal. Using the materials listed above, the children...
Curated OER
Ph-ocusing on Photosynthesis In and Out of the Garden
Students are introduced to the concept of photosynthesis.  As a class, they brainstorm a list of what they already know about plants and individually grow a plant on their own in the classroom.   They record their observations daily and...
Curated OER
Universal Myths and Symbols: Animal Creatures and Creation
Students examine the role of mythology in their own lives.  After reading stories, they discover the various theories on the origins of the universe and compare the symbols used by different cultures.  To end the lesson, they research a...
Curated OER
Time & Itineraries Two
Learners explore time management by participating in clock reading activities. In this itinerary lesson, students define a list of time telling vocabulary terms and practice reading analog clocks with a partner. Learners identify ways to...
Curated OER
Original Rhythm Compositions for Poetry
Students create and perform original musical compositions using poetry as a basis for the creative process.  This cross-curricular two-day lesson can be done in two 45 minute class periods.  Students evaluate performances as part of...
Curated OER
Force & Motion
Third graders are introduced to the concepts of force and motion. In groups, they travel between stations to analyze the effect of force and motion on various objects. They research how various careers use these concepts as well.
Curated OER
Minerals and Rocks
Young scholars identify and interpret various minerals and discover how to identify and classify them.  They identify and discuss how people describe objects and how scientists describe objects.  From there, students look at a set of...
Curated OER
ESL Present/Past Tense
In this ESL verb tense worksheet, students match a set of present tense verbs with their past tense counterpart, then read "Erik's Journal" and copy the sequence of steps in his day and draw a picture.
Curated OER
Family Food Favorites
Third graders conduct an interview and create a class cookbook. In this family heritage lesson, 3rd graders read Everybody Bakes Bread and discuss a dish or recipe that is a part of their family's heritage. Students interview family...
Curated OER
What would you do if faced with this problem?
Students determine how and why an individual from each of four disciplines - Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and Legalism - might respond to the same problem.
Curated OER
American Flag History
Young historians explore US culture by investigating the US flag. They will use their textbooks, prior knowledge, and sources provided by the teacher to research the history of the American flag. They will design and create a trading...
Curated OER
Mixing It Up!
Third graders identify the different states of matter. In this science instructional activity, 3rd graders describe the different components of solutions and mixtures. They create emulsions, foams and suspensions in the lab.
Curated OER
How to Incorporate April Fool's Day into Your Teaching
Celebrate the merriment of April Fool's Day without the mischievousness.