Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
A Century of Plastics
After reading about polymer materials, engineer trainees examine how plastics have been integrated into everyday products. In groups, they compile a list of products made entirely without plastics and then, as a closing activity, try to...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Biomimicry in Engineering
Take a look with your class at how nature supplies inspiration to engineers. In cooperative groups, youngsters research biomimicry and then develop a system that would help support people living on the moon. Each team also considers...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Fun with Speedboats!
After reading about marine engineers and naval architects, it's all hands on deck to design and test a speed boat. This instructional activity is designed for the Next Generation Science Standards in engineering and can be a centerpiece...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Waterproof that Roof!
Stop the raindrops from getting into the house! Eager engineers learn about roofing history and waterproofing by nanotechnology. They get into groups and work on designing a waterproof roof for a small model house. The accompanying...
Odyssey of the Mind
Odyssey of the Mind Curriculum Activity: HEALTHY HUMOR
This instructional activity is hilarious! To understand how to investigate a topic, collect data, and evaluate the results, learners research the effects of laughter on health. Each group is assigned a research task, which they will turn...
Curated OER
Textual Analysis Lesson: Segregation: Past or Present?
Are your scholars reading Jerry Spinelli's Maniac Magee? If so, use this textual analysis packet and lesson plan guide to drive deeper thinking about the characters, create personal connections, and apply historical contexts to the text....
Curated OER
Letter of Complaint
Learners analyze this letter of complaint to the city council by answering nine short-answer questions. They examine author's purpose, word choice, claims, rhetorical questions, and general observations. There is a focus on constructive...
Curated OER
My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View of Washington, D.C.
Although this legislative process lesson is designed to accompany a specific text, it is valuable independently. Young learners participate in a picture walk (worksheet included) through My Senator and Me: A Dog's-Eye View of Washington,...
Beacon Learning Center
Beacon Learning Center: What Caused It?: Student Web Lesson
Students are asked to be detectives while they read and to look for the cause/effect sentences in the paragraphs. In this activity, students read paragraphs and answer questions about it by either typing in their responses or selecting...
Other
Peoples Education: Make Inferences in Science [Pdf]
This online textbook selection focuses on how scientists make inferences from evidence. Students are given a reading passage about underwater exploration and are asked to make inferences based on the text. The passage is followed by...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Writing With Scientists
After students investigate a topic through research, hypothesizing, observing, and experimentating, teachers can use this lesson to help their students prepare short science reports and publish them online. The Writing with Scientists...
University of South Florida
Fcat Express: Cause and Effect
Site provides extensive assistance in preparing 4th grade students for Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. This section helps students identify cause and effect in literature.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Writing Workshop: Persuasive Writing
This site has a great unit that leads students all the way through the writing process while composing a persuasive paper. Includes a teacher guide, mini-lessons, assessment rubric, and worksheets to help out at each step of the way.
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Research Building Blocks: Examining Electronic Sources
This lesson helps elementary students identify the important components of web site evaluation. It includes a website evaluation question sheet.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Is That Legal? A Case of Acid Rain
The goal of this activity is to understand how techniques of persuasion (including background, supporting evidence, storytelling and the call to action) are used to develop an argument for or against a topic. Students develop an...
Polk Brothers Foundation Center for Urban Education at DePaul University
De Paul University: Center for Urban Education: Think Clearly: Analyze Support a Position[pdf]
This Center for Urban Education resource provides a downloadable worksheet. Students will read a nonfiction article and then write about scaffolded prompts that will help them determine the strength of evidence presented in the argument.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Determining Importance & Summarizing Informational Text
These teacher resources focuses on why it is important to teach elementary students to determine the importance and to summarize informational text. It leads an activity to help teachers experience when and how we use these strategies.
Sophia Learning
Sophia: Argumentative Essays
This tutorial focuses on argumentative essays, longer writings on a well-researched topic with the writer arguing one side of the topic, free of fallacies, and providing several claims. A short YouTube clip of Monty Python shows the...
FNO Press
Fno.org: Inspired Investigations
An article at From Now On about how to help students do better research by changing the focus of research assignments and teaching students to ask essential questions. Some suggestions include using mind mapping, and using Inspiration to...
Scholastic
Scholastic: So That's the Reason! [Pdf]
Simple, one-page printable activity to introduce your students to cause and effect. Gives one set example, and has space at the bottom to apply to any story you read.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Questioning the Text
In this magazine article originally featured in Instructor, the reading strategy called "questioning the text" is explained by the renowned literacy consultant and staff developer, Stephanie Harvey. The steps included for questioning the...
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: I Wanna: Writing a Persuasive Letter
In this lesson, students will experiment with word choice as it relates to persuasion.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Creative Convincing
In this instructional activity, students will create a friendly letter taking on the persona and voice of a persuasive animal.
Curated OER
Mc Graw Hill: 4th Grade Use Details and Examples
When reading a story learn how to recall specific examples from the text to answer comprehension questions. In addition, you can also use story details to make inferences.