Curated OER
Following a Monster
Students follow tracks of a monster who has walked through their classroom to see what he has done. They discuss sequencing vocabulary before using computer software students sequence the monster's visit using a concept map. In a word...
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Charlotte's Web
Students read the story of Charlotte's Web. They discuss what it means to be a friend. Students discuss the way Fern and Wilbur's fiendship began. They answer the following questions: How was Fern a friend to Wilbur before she had even...
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Air
Students complete a KWL chart on what they know about air. Reading a poem, they compare published definitions of air with the ones they created. They write the definition of air on a bullentin board. They also write their observations in...
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Great Questions for Tic Tac Toe
Fourth graders plan their own activities to reinforce the concepts being taught in school. The tic-tac-toe grid is used to help students create innovative learning activities to generate ideas.
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Twisters
Students differentiate between the terms 'tornado watch' and 'tornado warning' and simulate the conditions that produce tornadoes. They read "Night of the Twisters" by Ivy Ruckman and conduct an experiment using two-liter plastic...
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Point of View
Students participate in an inkblot test to discuss how what they see is different than their classmates. After viewing various artifacts, they write down what they believe the object is and then they are placed into a group to discuss...
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Where Did That Come From?
Fourth graders participate in a scavenger hunt. They locate specified items, finding the country origin. Students collect and organize the data, marking each country on a map. After researching the results, 4th graders write an analysis...
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Costa Rican Ecosystems
Young scholars read about the Cloud Forests in Costa Rica and then answer critical thinking questions about how to prevent loss in this forest and how to slow down global warming.
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Shelter
Fourth graders listen as the teacher reads out loud "A House Is A House for Me". Each day for five days the students choose one activity out of two or three to complete. Conclusion arrives when all the students describe and write about...
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Protecting the Past: Give a Hoot, Don't Loot
Students discuss the looting and vandalism of various archeological sites. In pairs, they read and complete a worksheet and review their answers as a class. In groups, they role play a artifact preservation skit and perform it to their...
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Independent - To Be or Not Top Be: Say It Again, Uncle Sam
Fourth graders revise and edit an oral presentation on the American Revolution based on peer feedback. They refine their oral presentation style and pinpoint areas in need of improvement.
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Classroom Conservation
Fourth graders suggest ways paper and other natural resources can be used and recycled in the classroom. Students conduct a investigation into paper use and make distinctions among observations, conclusions (inferences), and predictions.
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Where Do Green Plants Get Energy?
Fourth graders realize that plants need light, water, and carbon dioxide to carry out photosynthesis. They participate in groups of 4 to plant (with materials provided) a test group of beans to compare to the control group, write a...
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Writing a Cooperative Class Story (3+)
Learners write a beginning of a story, or as much as they can in 5 minutes. They pass their papers in a given order, then read the other student story and continue it for another 5 minutes.
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Pop Up Fables
Learners read a fable and create a pop-up book of the fable. Students add the moral of the story to the back of the book.
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Tony's Spelling Troubles
Students are introduced to the given problem and describe in their own words the situation represented in a bar chart and tally chart. They then use a bar chart and tally chart to make sensible predictions.
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Same, But Different
Students compare and contrast specific characters in the book, "Old Henry." They discuss similarities and differences between people and define character traits. They assess one's own character traits and have a class discussion about...
Channel Islands Film
Eminent Domain
After viewing the documentary The Last Roundup, a documentary about the transitioning of Santa Rosa from a privately own island to a National Park, class members debate the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment that permits the...
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Scientific Method: How Many Drops of Water Fit on a Coin?
Young investigators conduct an experiment using the scientific method. They see how many drops of water fit on a coin; have them conduct several different trials. This involves making a hypothesis, looking at controls, and introducing...
Channel Islands Film
Magic Isle: Lesson Plan 1
What are the factors that limit growth and expansion? As part of their study of Catalina Island, class members view the West of the West's documentary Magic Isle and research William Wrigley and the Santa Catalina Island Company. After...
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Early Americans - Their Culture and Law
Students examine the laws, food, clothing, and shelter of early American Indian cultures. They conduct research, answer questions, and plan and map out an early American Indian village.
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Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers
Learn about the events that helped shape the United States of America. Elementary schoolers explore the Civil War with six different activities. Each activity has a different focus: literature connections, primary sources, vocabulary,...
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Northwest Hawaiian Islands
Students compare and contrast places around the world. Students analyze the effects of human activity on the physical environment and devise plans to address the consequences. Students also focus on geographical topics such as formation...
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Air Pressure is Powerful
Students make a barometer and write a paragraph describing how they did it.