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Activity
PBS

Print Hints

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
It would be a crime not to give the lesson a chance! An inquiry-based lesson has pupils assume the role of crime scene investigators as they make observations about shoe prints. They look for patterns in the prints such as distance and...
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Activity
PBS

No Slip Grip

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
The force will be with you during an inquiry-based lesson focused on friction. Young scientists explore the effect of different surfaces on friction. They use rubber bands to measure the amount of force needed to move an object on the...
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Activity
PBS

Insulation Station

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
It's all about the material. Learners experiment with different substances as they try to keep an ice cube from melting. They draw conclusions by answering a set of questions about the types and amount of material that had the best result.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Making Inferences: What Motivated Philo Farnsworth?

For Teachers 5th Standards
Turn on the tube. Learners take a look at pages 10-13 of The Boy Who Invented TV. They work in groups and complete a first read to determine the gist of the section. They then reread the pages to  make and revise previous inferences and...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Determining Main Ideas and Summarizing: Philo Farnsworth’s Early Years

For Teachers 5th Standards
Teamwork makes the dream work! Learners work in groups to analyze pages 2-9 of The Boy Who Invented TV, The Story of Philo Farnsworth. They complete a first read to determine the gist and a second read to identify main idea and provide a...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Building Background Knowledge: The Boy Who Invented TV, “Life before Philo”

For Teachers 5th Standards
Walk through the pictures to understand the text. Scholars analyze The Boy Who Invented TV: The Story of Philo Farnsworth by taking a book walk and looking at the pictures. They then do a first read of Life before Philo to determine the...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Making Inferences About Informational Text: Science Talk on How My Insect Contributes to the Rainforest Ecosystem

For Teachers 5th Standards
We need to talk. Learners participate in a science talk by discussing the idea of how insects are important to the rainforest. They record notes about their conversations as they talk. For homework, pupils add to their field journals.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

How to Write Like a Scientist in the Field: Introduction to the Elements of Field Journals

For Teachers 5th Standards
It's time to start journaling. Scholars look at examples of science field journals. They work in pairs to examine and complete a note catcher about a field journal. They then add to an anchor chart by discussing the different features...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Reading for Details: Taking an Inventory in the Rainforest (Pages 28–31)

For Teachers 5th Standards
Take inventory. Scholars analyze pages 28-31 of The Most Beautiful Roof in the World and use a note catcher to model how Meg Lowman took inventory of the species in the rainforest. Learners then take a close look at the vocabulary in the...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Science Talk

For Teachers 5th Standards
Talk like a scientist. Pupils engage in a science talk about rainforests, using a note-catcher worksheet to record important points. Next, they work in triads to synthesize their ideas about the rainforest, adding notes to a KWL anchor...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Summarizing Informational Text: “Hawaii’s Endangered Happy Face Spider”

For Teachers 5th Standards
Put on a happy face. Using an interesting resource, pupils read an informational text about Hawaii's endangered Happy Face Spider. Next, they participate in a jigsaw discussion to find the gist of the article. 
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Building Background Knowledge: Examining the Unique Living Things of the Rainforests and the Scientists Who Study Them

For Teachers 5th Standards
Gorillas, tigers, and tree frogs ... welcome to the rainforest! Scholars complete a KWL chart to determine what they already know—and what they want to find out—about the rainforest. Next, they participate in a gallery walk, viewing...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Drafting Individual Readers Theater Scripts for a Specific Scene: Narrowing Text for our Readers Theater Scripts

For Teachers 5th Standards
Let's focus. In small groups, writers narrow text selections to produce a narrative script based on the novel Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan. Next, pupils plan their reader's theater scripts based on the text.
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Readers Theater and the UDHR

For Teachers 5th Standards
Let's make connections! Using the resource, class members make connections between the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and their readers theater scripts. To finish, they complete a worksheet to evaluate the role of narration in...
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Lesson Plan
EngageNY

Narratives as Theater: Esperanza Rising, from Novel to Script

For Teachers 5th Standards
Calling all thespians! Working in small groups, pupils practice reading and performing a readers theater script for the novel Esperanza Rising. Next, they read aloud passages from the novel and use an anchor chart to compare the script...
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Lesson Plan
J. Paul Getty Trust

Narrating a Family Tradition

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
After examining a piece of art, scholars discuss what they see, paying close attention to details and space. A read-aloud introduces the topic of family traditions. Pupils interview their family members about a tradition in preparation...
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Activity
Teaching Tolerance

Oral History Project

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Get up-close-and-personal with history using guidance for an oral history project. An engaging resource takes pupils through brainstorming through feedback for a project to interview and collect oral histories from members of their...
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Lesson Plan
Missouri Department of Elementary

Keep Finding the Positive

For Teachers 5th Standards
Group members take on roles to create a positive classroom community. Learners perform their role—leader, recorder, presenter, timekeeper, encourager, and collector—in preparation for a formal presentation of their positive thinking...
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Lesson Plan
Missouri Department of Elementary

Are You Balanced?

For Teachers 5th Standards
Balance scales create a strong visual of how an individual prioritizes one's self alongside their commitments to the community, school, and home. Scholars complete a graphic organizer then discuss their findings with their peers. A...
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Unit Plan
Purdue University

Benefits of Connecting with Nature

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Feel the healing effects of nature. Individuals learn about the benefits of nature using imagery. They begin by defining words to express how they feel emotionally and then practice using those words with hands-on activities. Once they...
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Unit Plan
Purdue University

What a Waste of Food!

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Follow the life of an apple from harvest to the consumer. A three-part lesson describes the different steps to get an apple from the farmer to your kitchen and the approximate waste that happens at each step. They discuss the process and...
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Unit Plan
Purdue University

Food Waste Solutions

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Easy doesn't always mean better. In an era with pre-packaged everything, learners consider the environmental impact of the convenient trend. They critique the packaging of food and how waste impacts cost and then look for solutions.
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Unit Plan
Purdue University

Food Waste and the Environment

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
Out of sight out of mind can be a dangerous habit. Learners investigate the life of food waste after it leaves people's homes and its impact on the environment. They complete a series of three activities that involve building a mini...
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Unit Plan
Purdue University

Trees of the Midwest

For Teachers K - 5th Standards
All trees are not created equal. A set of three wildlife conservation lessons has learners examine the characteristics of individual trees. They look at the life cycle of the tree using a story and reference a field guide to identify...