Curated OER
Elements of a Mystery
Students write mystery stories. In this writing lesson, students review the definition and components of a mystery. They look at a photo and write a mystery to explain the picture.
Curated OER
Ingredients of a Mystery
Students explore the concept of mysteries. In this mystery genre lesson, students identify the common characteristics of mystery books and use a story map to identify these characteristics in a given book. Students also discover the...
Curated OER
Picture the Process!
Students read "Chasing Vermeer," and then study the author's writing process. They make connections between the book and the author's real life experiences. They then write an original mystery story, following the writing process.
Curated OER
A Medieval Mystery: Can you decode the dark secrets of this cartoon?
Students discover coding in medieval cartoons. In this medieval mystery lesson, students view cartoons from history to see if they can identify the clues or solve the mystery.
Curated OER
MYSTERY PICTURES (Following Oral Directions)
Students draw pictures while following simple instructions. They discuss the importance of following directions explicitly. They discuss the differences between each child's work. They follow a second set of directions.
Curated OER
A Map Mystery
First graders solve a mystery by following map clues. In this map clues lesson plan, 1st graders follow a computer program called Neighborhood Map Machine. In this program, it gives students directional and spatial clues in order to...
Curated OER
Write It, Read It, Solve It
Writers create an original mystery and have a chance to put it into movie format. The classic elements of a mystery must be present: the crime, the suspects, the motive, the solution and clues. Use iPhoto and Quicktime Movie to integrate...
Curated OER
The Mysteries of Harris Burdick
Fourth graders read and discuss the book, The Mysteries of Harris Burdick. They create an original story that follows the Harris Burdick formula, and illustrate the story in the style of Chris VanAllsberg.
Curated OER
Who Took the Cookies
Students find the missing cookies. For this language arts lesson, students solve the mystery of who is taking the cookies from the cookie jar. Students are read several books with the same mystery of cookies being taken from the jar.
Curated OER
Morning Message-Mystery Code
Students copy and figure out the Mystery Codeword each day. They copy Mystery Code into journal. They match the number with the letter to decipher the code word. They draw a picture to match code word. At the end of the week, the...
Science 4 Inquiry
The Classification of Living Things
It's a classification sensation! Demystify why we classify using an inquiry activity that helps your class sort things out. Groups begin by classifying a variety of shoes before they research organisms and design their own dichotomous...
Curated OER
Merging New Technology with Old Stories
Is your city's history a mystery to your class? Ever wonder if your county contains a bounty of folklore? Young computer scientists incorporate technology with time-honored tales during a project with both individual and group...
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The Envelope Guessing Game
Students work with a partner by using the symbol bracelets from lesson #1. They that has the number #1 look at the object keeping it hidden from student #2. Student number 2 then ask questions in order to determine the qualities and...
PBS
Sea Surface Temperature, Salinity, and Density
Earth's vast ocean is full of mysteries! Science scholars discover the big-picture properties that influence its characteristics at different latitudes using a lesson from PBS's Weather and Climate series. After completing a background...
Curated OER
Crime School Investigations
Students solve a mystery at their school. In this classifying instructional activity, students find suspects who committed the crime. Students categorize them into race, sex, and fingerprint type. Students show their results in graphs.
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The Mystery Seed
Second graders create a short descriptive story describing a mystery seed they have planted. They incorporate needs that must be met in their story for a seed to grow. They create an original picture using the Kid Pix software program.
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The Mystery of the Disappearing Tracks
Fifth graders watch as the teacher projects a series of pictures on the wall showing bird tracks heading toward each other but not meeting, two tracks converging into one, and two tracks converging and then being scuffed up. They write...
Rainforest Alliance
Protecting the Critical Habitat of the Manatee and Loggerhead Turtle
Explore ocean habitats with a instructional activity that showcases the home of manatees and loggerhead turtles in Belize. Here, pupils compare and contrast the homes of ocean animals to those of humans, listen to an original short story...
Curated OER
Mysterious Footprints
Students, after observing and responding to two pictures, consider the interaction of two unknown animals by examining the pattern of their footprints. They make observations, draw conclusions and propose possible explanations for the...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Tribal Origin Stories
The teacher reads and retells Californian tribal origin or creation stories that come from the traditions of a variety of California Indian tribes. Then, pupils get together in groups and retell the stories they just heard; just as the...
ReadWriteThink
Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Narrative Structure
A picture is worth a thousand words, but a comic strip combines both images and words for the ultimate narrative effect. After reading The Three Little Pigs and deciphering the plot elements, elementary readers work through four...
Curated OER
Ecology Integration Using IMovie
Amazing! Any 5th grader would be more than willing to participate in this project. Students are broken into groups, each group reads one book from a list of five. They use their book as the basis for choosing an animal and environment to...
Curated OER
Microscope Mania
Students examine parts of a microscope and how to use a microscope at five lab stations. They identify parts of a microscope by describing the differences between low power and high power. They visit Internet sites (included in the...
Curated OER
The Learning Book (Part 2)
First graders examine and discuss the skills needed to be an effective learner. They sing "The Learning Song" to the tune of London Bridge is Falling Down, and complete a Learning Book activity sheet. Each student draws a picture of the...