Curriculum Corner
"I Can" Common Core! 1st Grade Writing
Simplify first grade Common Core writing standards with this series of printable I can statements. A great tool for providing young writers with clear learning objectives.
California Academy of Science
Notice and Wonder
Pint-sized zoologists practice the art of observation. They take notes, pictures or written, as they observe an animal for a period of time. This can be done at the zoo, with a visiting classroom animal, or perhaps at the humane society....
Curated OER
Exploring Owls
What can young scientists discover from dissecting an owl pellet? Explore the owl food chain, beginning with an introduction to these predatory birds. Suggested strategies here include creating a podcast and purchasing a poster, however...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Christopher Columbus
Take some time to focus on Christopher Columbus, his three ships, the purpose of his voyage, and the new land he discovered. Pay special attention to the included additional materials, they are the real value in this resource.
Live Oak Media
Activity Guide: Joseph Had a Little Overcoat
Enhance a reading of the Caldecott Medal-winning children's book Joseph had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback with this collection of learning activities. Starting with general background information about the book and author, this...
BrainPOP
Migration Activities for Kids
For as long as there has been life on earth, animals, including humans, have used migration as a means of survival. This collection of activities supports young scientists as they learn about this behavioral adaptation, encouraging them...
Curated OER
As the Kids Come and Go: Mapping a Classroom
Map the classroom with your kids to help them understand how maps work and how to read them. The lesson starts off with a story about animals living and moving around the globe, and then kids create maps of their classroom to show how...
Curated OER
Mighty Oaks from Little Acorns
What does it mean to grow? To germinate? For the plan detailed here, class members investigate the growth process of an oak tree while focusing on the beginning stages of planting and germination. They plant seeds and record observations...
Curated OER
Fishing for Facts!
First graders visit the library or media center to research sea creatures using encyclopedia. They find two facts and research the Internet to find a picture of the sea creature. They create a class sea creature booklet.
Common Sense Media
ABC Searching
Students explore English by completing an interactive computer activity. In this alphabet lesson, students research the Internet to create a picture dictionary which they share with classmates. Students locate digital images of words...
Curated OER
Mighty Earth Movers
Note that although the publisher lists almost all of the Common Core standards for both math and language arts, you will most likely want to take the general topic and choose which area to focus on. Regarding math, pupils measure worms...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Writing Across the Curriculum
Designed by groups of Nevada teachers, this collection of modules and lesson plans is continually growing. Find suggestions for incorporating good writing practices in non-language arts areas of the curriculum from history to science.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Draw a Story: Stepping From Pictures to Writing
Help young learners move from drawing pictures into writing simple stories. Good plan for having students put pictures in sequential order and teaching them about sequential order.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Reading Topics a to Z: Scientific Language in Primary Grades
Research on the importance of teaching scientific language usage, ideas for utilizing scientific language, and rubrics for assessing student use of scientific language in grade schools.
Unite for Literacy
Unite for Literacy: Community: I Am a Scientist
This book shows some of the many different types of scientists. Includes audio narration in 6 additional languages with text in English.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Ocean Research Project
Research paper writing is a lofty goal for kindergarten young scholars, but this lesson will expose them to the process without being overwhelming. Students will divide into teams to learn about ocean creatures and then write a research...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: I Learned It Online
Preparing the new generations for college and career readiness absolutely requires us to ensure our children are competent and comfortable in the use of a variety of digital tools. Young scholars will be learning about a topic online and...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: And the Author Is...using Digital Tools for Writing
Empower students to recognize that they are thinkers and writers! They will collaborate on a writing piece to brainstorm, organize and publish ideas with a digital tool. This lesson highlights different website creations as examples of...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Investigate Sources to Look for Answers
Students will practice locating and investigating resources to answer questions on a topic using the FINDS research process. FINDS is an acronym describing its five-step research process: Focus, Investigate, Note, Develop, and Score. A...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Reading Basics: Writing
Provides articles, parent tips, research briefs, and a video on how to teach children to write.
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Using Collaborative Strategic Reading
In this article, the Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR) technique is explained, along with research to support the use. The technique teaches students to use comprehension strategies, while working cooperatively, as they engage in the...
Queen's Printer for Ontario
Ontario Education: A Guide to Effective Instruction in Writing
This comprehensive guide is designed to provide classroom teachers of Kindergarten to Grade 3 with practical approaches and resources for delivering an effective writing program. Sample lessons are included for each topic discussed.
Other
Story Jumper
Students can create their own storybooks using this website. They can add backgrounds, props, characters, personal photos or artwork, text, and their own voices. Free registration is required in order to save their work. There is a cost...
Reading Rockets
Reading Rockets: Looking at Writing: First Grade
First graders write many times a day to express their interests - they are writing with a purpose through stories, letters, and lists. In this section, you'll find writing assessment resources, writing strategies, and additional tip...