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Introduction to Genealogy
Students investigate their own family's genealogy by conducting oral interviews and doing Internet research. In a series of activities, students acquire inquiry and research skills, develop an appreciation of their heritage, and classify...
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Great Questions for Tic Tac Toe
Fourth graders plan their own activities to reinforce the concepts being taught in school. The tic-tac-toe grid is used to help students create innovative learning activities to generate ideas.
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LIFE IN SPACE Human Body: An Un-Earthly Home
Students examine an effect of zero gravity on the human body using a baby food jar, balloons and a jar with a large mouth.
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History Detective: The Case of the Mysterious Trunk
Students role play as history detectives. In this historical inquiry lesson, students discuss what detectives do, analyze a trunk of "artifacts" and make conclusions about its fictional owner. Students complete six pages of related art,...
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Language Arts: A "Perfect" Lesson
Students read "Be A Perfect Person in Just three days," and participate in a host of activities. Connected to technology, they use online sources to create word searches and puzzles from vocabulary words. In addition, students create...
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Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God
Learners read Zora Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God and explore her life history as well as novel analysis activities. In this novel analysis instructional activity, students identify elements in the novel and its overall literary...
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Digging for Dinosaur Information
Students explore how to locate dinosaur information. They read the book, Catch Me If You Can! and discuss the popularity of dinosaurs among children, identify various kinds of dinosaurs and select a dinosaur to research. TAs they...
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Cloud Databases
Learners complete a unit on clouds and a report about one type of cloud. They collect data through observation about different types of cloud cover and then create a spreadsheet to reflect their observations over a 2 week period.
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The Life Cycle of the Butterfly
Students examine the life of a butterfly. They write a biography from the point of view of a caterpillar using new vocabulary. They use magnifying glasses to examine butterflies and caterpillars.
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Amazing Grazing
Students discuss their experiences on a ranch. As a class, they tell the best part of their experiences or one thing they gathered from being on the ranch. They listen to the story and identify five items to focus on in the reading and...
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Constellations
Learners explore constellations. They read trade books about constellations and write notes including their locations, origins, and names. They research and report on one constellation in the Northern Hemisphere and share their report...
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Fish and Oxygen
Pupils explore what factors affect population dynamics, identify factors affecting fish populations, and use Stella to model how dissolved oxygen affects fish populations.
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Is It A Crime To Be Gay?
Students stage a parliamentary committee hearing in the newly independent Eastern European country of Boldovistan. Role playing characters with differing attitudes towards homosexuality, students testify on legislation to abolish laws...
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Lessons From the Lorax
Pupils read and discuss Dr. Seuss's The Lorax. They explore the changes the characters could have made to preserve the environment and relate the plot to real-world places and events.
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Archaeology as a Career
Fourth graders read about archaeology as a career. They develop a list of questions they would like to ask an archaeologist and then actually interview an archaeologist on the future of archaeology as a career.
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I am the Walrus
Students research walruses using the library and the Internet, then write an essay from what they find in their research. In this investigative instructional activity students view a video on walruses then write an essay after...
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The Cassini Robot
Learners compare the functions of a robot to that of the human body. In this technology lesson, students identify the important components of the Cassini robot that would enable it to carry out space missions. They design and build their...
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Creature Feature
Students research an animal, and create a video to share their information and pictures with the class.
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Precipitation
Fourth graders identify the conditions that create rain. They read and discuss weather records, and write a news article that includes factual information fom one of the listed weather records.
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Time to Read
Students identify how the literary elements of theme, point of view, characterization, setting, and plot illustrate the effects of a certain disease on a community. They identify the aspects of the book that are specific to the...
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Farm Animals
First graders conduct research about farm animals and what it is like to live on a farm. They explore a variety of websites and complete an online WebQuest. They select a farm animal, and write a report about their animal's...
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Differentiating for High Ability Students
You can challenge high ability students in your classroom with these differentiated lesson plans.
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A Chair for Mr. Bear
Students listen to Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and work collaboratively to create a chair for a small stuffed animal that will allow it to sit upright and withstand a short drop out of Legos. Students write about the engineering...
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Brief Encounter (Looking at Ourselves and Others)
Learners participate in a simulation game in which they realize what it is like to be from another culture. They observe and describe different behaviors. They also examine values from other cultures.