Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Who Writes the Story? Who Does the Illustrations?
Students will learn to identify the author and illustrator on the cover of the book and orally define their role. Pictures and video of the instructional activity in action are included.
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Better Lesson: A "How To" Lesson for the Gingerbread Loose in the School
Learning to follow directions is an essential skill needed for success in school as well as in life. Through participation in this lesson, kindergartners will learn the importance of following directions in a specified sequence. Included...
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Revise and Revisit: Butterflies
Students will take a previously created paragraph and edit it to make it better by adding details, definitions, a topic sentence, or a closure to an informational paragraph. Resources include a PowerPoint presentation and pictures and...
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Better Lesson: My Name Is a Word and Is Made Up of Letters
Students will discover that names are made up of letters and will be able to identify their name and write it in a sentence. This lesson includes links to an Alphafriends video, pictures of student work, and videos of the lesson in action.
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Better Lesson: Pumpkins and Apples, Oh My!
Learners will be able to compare and contrast two non-fiction books with a similar theme - in this case, plant life cycles. Extensive resources included such as worksheets, samples of student work, assessment ideas, extension activities,...
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Better Lesson: Arctic v. Antarctic
Students will be able to identify similarities and differences between two texts on the same topic. After reading and discussing books on the Arctic and Antarctic, they will use a Venn diagram and assorted images to compare and contrast...
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Better Lesson: Factors of Weather Under Pressure
How does air affect our weather? Learners will conduct an experiment to demonstrate how air pressure and humidity work. Included are pictures and videos of the lesson in action, whole group and individualized instruction plans, and a...
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Better Lesson: What Is Wind?
The purpose of the lesson is to introduce young scholars to what causes wind and how it can be measured. Students will create a wind gauge and collect data on "wind speed". Detailed instructions are included as well as examples of the...
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Better Lesson: Add or Substitute Individual Sounds (Phonemes)
This site contains 13 lesson plans that are designed to address that standards of emergent readers. Each lesson engages students in adding or substituting individual sounds (phonemes).
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Better Lesson: Our Stars
In this lesson, students will observe and communicate how the stars are in the sky both day and night. The extremely detailed lesson includes photos and videos of the lesson in actions, examples of student's work, materials, parent...
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Better Lesson: Our Sky
What objects are in the day sky and the night sky? How do they seem to move? Come and explore with us as we discover the sun, moon, planets and stars! This detailed lesson plan includes pictures and videos of the lesson in action,...
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Better Lesson: There Is Something in Common: Finding Common Themes
Students will synthesize information from multiple historical fiction books to find common themes and support them with evidence from the text. Working with a partner who has read a different book, they will share their theme from their...
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Better Lesson: Ruby Bridges a Firsthand Account
For this lesson, we will read and understand the story "Through My Eyes" by Ruby Bridges. We will then compare and contrast this first-hand account with the secondhand account of "The Story of Ruby Bridges" by Robert Cole. A video...
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Better Lesson: Circle Graph Activity
This lesson will allow the student to work through three stations. The stations will focus on creating and analyzing circle graphs. The students will be using technology to create their graphs along with a hands-on activity using M&M's.
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Better Lesson: Comparing the Mason Dixon Memory Text With the Animation
The student will compare the text of Mason-Dixon Memory with the animation of the story. Included are an in-depth lesson plan, videos, and examples.
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Better Lesson: Rl.3.5: Refer to Parts of Stories, Dramas, and Poems
Links to 73 lessons that focus on skills within third grade reading standard RL.3.5.
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Better Lesson: Rl.3.9: Compare and Contrast Themes, Settings, and Plots
Links to 16 lessons that focus on skills within third grade reading standard RL.3.9.
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Better Lesson: Audience, Tone, and Style in Informative Text
Students will read samples of informative writing and highlight examples of how tone and style are used by the authors. Students will then apply this knowledge by writing their own informative text. Multiple examples of student work and...
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Better Lesson: Asking and Answering Questions About Our Story
A lesson plan with all resources included for asking and answering questions to strengthen comprehension.
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Better Lesson: Developing Characters and Experiences With Sensory Language
Adding sensory languages makes your writing so good you can see, hear, smell, taste and touch it. This lesson will show you how to use descriptive sensory language in order to develop and capture the experiences and characters in a...
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Better Lesson: Philosophical Chairs Discussion
Philosophical Chairs discussions allow students to make meaning of texts while developing, defending, and supporting their claims. This resource walks you through how to implement this type of discussion in your classroom. Included are...
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Better Lesson: Dylan Thomas v. Langston Hughes
Students will be given poems by Dylan Thomas and Langston Hughes and will determine the differing structure, style, and content of each poem. Included are detailed plans, copies of the poems, and examples of student work.
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Better Lesson: Exploring the Power of Allusion
Something seems familiar here: Students learn how allusion invites more into a text. Using "The House On Mango Street" students will learn about allusion by paralleling events from both the Bible and from Greek mythology.
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Better Lesson: Analyzing Text Complexity of Non Fiction Sources
This lesson plan will help middle schoolers read and comprehend nonfiction, specifically biographies, through determining criteria for text complexity. Included is a PDF and Smart Notebook titled Determining Text Complexity, and an...