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Front Page News
Students collect and analyze the front pages of various newspapers and perform research on the Titantic tragedy. They choose a name for their newspaper, a headline, gather photographs, and write a front page article. Using computer...
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Let's Go Fact Fishing!
Students work in pairs to research animals in the ocean. They use the Internet, encyclopedias, and resource books to complete an information sheet with a photo of the animal and three facts. They present their mini-reports to the class.
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Human Migration
Students explore human migration, refugees and human rights. They read articles about immigration, create a migration journal, and participate in a mock human rights commission meeting. After collecting information about immigration,...
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A Visit to Aunt Louisa's
Fourth graders write a diary entry. In this journaling instructional activity students examine a 1880's primary source document. Students read about a young girl visiting her Aunt in rural Indiana. Students write about what they did in...
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To Sum it all Up...
Young scholars observe and demonstrate the process of summarizing text. They read and discuss the steps to summarize text, then in small groups read and summarize an article about frogs from "National Geographic" online. Independently...
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Making a Rainstick
Students construct a rainstick. In this music lesson, students investigate the history of the rainstick by reading the book Bringing the Rain to the Kapiti Plain by Verna Aardema. Students express their feelings about the rain and create...
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Japanese Internment
Fourth graders practice their writing skills. In this reading comprehension lesson, 4th graders review baseball terminology and then read Baseball Saved Us. In this story students learn about Japanese Americans that were taken from...
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Comparing Units of Measurement
Fourth graders investigate the units of measurement used by various Native American tribes before they had contact with the Europeans. They write research questions, conduct research using a variety of resources, in small groups write a...
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Masks and Aesop's Fables
Students study and perform Aesop's fables. In this Aesop's fables instructional activity, students read and/or listen to a number of the famous fables. They make masks based on the characters and perform a fable using the masks. They...
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Equadorian Rainforest: The Tropical Supermarket
Students study the concept of sustainable agricultural practices through cocoa farming and the lives of the people who are the producers. Students watch a slide show and read a story which helps them understand the origins of chocolate,...
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Natives of Indiana
Fourth graders participate in discussions about the Native Peoples who inhabited what is now Indiana. In this Native American lesson, 4th graders discuss the social and cultural structures of these Native Americans. They locate the...
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Learning through The Duke
Students study Duke Ellington's contributions to the field of jazz. They write poetry using language that was popular in the 1920's. They listen to a piece of Duke Ellington jazz and respond with at painting.
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Compare Human-made Objects with Natural Objects
Students examine and observe how many human-made objects get their basic design from things in nature. They listen to the book "Nature Got There First," compare/contrast hollow bones with drinking straws, bird beaks and tool pliers, and...
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Pioneer America: Pioneer Living
Fourth graders research pioneer life. In this pioneer lesson, 4th graders read the book Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder and discuss what life was like for early pioneers. They research pioneers and show what they have...
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Magic School Bus
Students read The Magic School Bus Gets Baked In A Cake: A Book About Kitchen Chemistry by Joanna Cole. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of kitchen chemistry. Included are reading, art, math,...
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas-Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse
Students read Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding events of the story. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and library connections.
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Children's Literature Across the Curriculum Ideas: The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds
Learners read The Magic School Bus Plants Seeds by Janna Cole. They complete a variety of cross-curricular activities surrounding the study of plants and seeds. Included are reading, art, math, science, writing, social studies, and...
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Bag Stories
Students create a personal experience by writing and illustrating. They make a writing connection to family (or other thematic unit) and use descriptive words in writing. They write using a different perspective.
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Summarizing with Somebody Wanted But So
Teach your young readers how to summarize a text using a strategy called Somebody Wanted But So. Kids identify the character (Somebody), the motivation (Wanted), the conflict (But), and the resolution (So). The resource comes with...
ARKive
Temperate Rainforest in the Pacific Northwest
Explore the amazing temperate rainforest of the Pacific Northwest. Your class starts by investigating the animals and plants of the Northwest, specifically Washington, and then research an animal population common to the area. In small...
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Animal Report
Fourth graders explore the variety of resources available to them at the library. They utilize many of these resources to create an animal report with a set criterium.
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Summarizing is Fun with Flat Stanley!
Students read the book "Flat Stanley" by Jeff Brown. Through modeling and guided practice, as a class, they complete a story map and 1-paragraph summary of the first chapter in the book. Then, in groups, they follow the same procedure...
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So You Want to be President?
Students review the meaning of a summary and why they are important. They silently read the book, So You Want To Be President thinking about the main points in the story. When finished, each child summarizes a page from the book which...
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Bill of Rights Booklet
Young scholars design a booklet that explores the Bill of Rights. They summarize each of the rights, write a personal response to each entry and create an illustration to interpret each of the rights. Students then make a cover and title...