Curated OER
Welcome to Paradise
Fifth graders listen to Lynne Cherry's novel, The River Ran Wild. They work in two groups one of whom represents the native people and the other represents the English settlers from the book. They look at the geography of the settlement...
Curated OER
Tools Make A Difference
Students compare and contrast older and newer types and designs of tools, and examine how the change in tools affected life along the river in the book, "A River Ran Wild." They classify the tools for cooking, hunting, farming, and...
Curated OER
Clean Water Act
Learners write a letter to their legislative representative or the EPA for a copy of the Clean Water Act. They create a class mural of the Nashua River in a dead state and the river coming to life again, and discuss the role of Marion...
Curated OER
Making a Globe
Students examine the mercator projection or nautical chart and observe how global maps do not have the same distance as flat maps. They design handmade globes using the meridians and equator as guides to draw in the land. They paint and...
Curated OER
Local Area - Ecosystems
Students examine ecosystems in the Connecticut River Valley. They view and discuss photos of ecosystems within their community, and create a picture web of an ecosystem.
Curated OER
Local Area - What Is a Region?
Students examine the physical characteristics of the Connecticut River Valley. They analyze maps and pictures, identify physical characteristics of the region, and color in the Connecticut River on a map.
Curated OER
Geography Walk
Students observe the physical features around their school and the school neighborhood. They take a walk around the school, discuss how areas change according to the seasons, and create a drawing of the physical and human features of a...
Curated OER
Yesterday's Trash
Students create a trash book or individual student books using cereal boxes. They record everything thrown away and use one page for each category.
Curated OER
Go West Young Man#148
Students determine the difference between immigration and emigration. They read and listen to books about emigration westward during the Gold Rush years. They examine life in Gold Rush towns while determining why gold is so valuable....
Curated OER
The Weather and Recess #157
Students track the daily weather at recess time for a number of weeks. They design a bar graph of the different types of weather. They discuss how weather changes affect recess time. They write a list of optional recess activities for...
Curated OER
Law of the Sea/ Don't Rock the Boat
Students read Ronald Reagan's December 27, 1988 proclamation about US territorial waters. They discuss its contents to decipher exactly what it means and to complete a worksheet answering questions about the proclamation.
Curated OER
Did You Feel That? Earthquake Data Chart
Students plot earthquakes on the world map using coordinates of longitude and latitude. They designate the earthquakes magnitude with a symbol which they include in the map key.
Curated OER
Aqualung , the New Age Garden
Students examine how underwater landscape could be used for food production in the future. They discuss underwater landforms, draw a picture of an underwater landscape and a type of technology to use underwater, and write a description...
Curated OER
But They Never Told Me!
Students investigate how government legislates the protection of citizens from natural disasters such as earthquakes in California. They read the Alquist-Priolo Special Studies Act and debate its pros and cons. They discuss how much...
Curated OER
Children's Books
Young scholars explore daily dilemmas students face. They write and illustrate a story book dealing with one dilemma. Young scholars write reviews of their books. They read their books to second grade students. Additional cross...
Curated OER
The Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies
Students investigate the concept of foot soldiers with oral history. They are provided with primary and secondary resources. Students differentiate the terms of oral history versus the written record of history. They have class...
Curated OER
Glencoe Literature Themes: Legends
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes five lessons from the Glencoe Literature series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading and response activities are included for each...
Curated OER
Laws of Reflection
Students experiment with mirrors to explore the Laws of Reflection. For this experimental lesson students develop their own experiments and follow a list of assigned steps then report what happens in their activity.
Curated OER
Making Connections to Text
Making connections to text is an important skill that students can practice in fun and motivating ways.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Finding the Author's Purpose
What is autism? How does it affect behavior? Students will find evidence of the author's tone or purpose for writing the article, as well as hints that show evidence of opinion. Includes a video clip from the movie "Rainman", and an...
Read Works
Read Works: Grade 2: Three Lesson Unit: Author's Purpose
[Free Registration/Login Required] A series of three lesson plans designed to teach learners to identify author's purpose including to entertain, to inform, and to persuade. Lessons are based on the books The Adventures of Taxi Dog by...
Read Works
Read Works: Author's Purpose 3rd Grade Unit
[Free Registration/Login Required] A three-activity unit on author's purpose. In the first activity, students practice identifying the author's purpose as to entertain, to persuade, or to inform. In the second activity, students use...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Author's Purpose
Some author's purpose teaching ideas from a standardized test preparation site (Fourth Grade Reading Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test). Aligned to Florida standards, four ideas are provided including "Author's Grab Bag," "Author's...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Teaching Strategies (Reading) [Pdf]
Printable, fifty-five page PDF file of a staff development manual containing strategies for teaching reading. Includes chapters on vocabulary, main ideas and supporting details, author's purpose, chronological order, plot and conflict...