Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Collaborative Booktalk: Sharing and Writing Development
Are dark themes in young adult novels harmful or helpful to teens? Students will explore this question and will create an argumentative writing piece based on textual evidence. Videos of the lesson in action, examples of student work,...
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Better Lesson: Cities in Mesopotamia: Understanding a Complex Text
In this lesson, 6th graders use details from a nonfiction article to create a visual representation and then, from that visual, provide evidence that demonstrates their understanding of the text. Includes samples of student work and lots...
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Better Lesson: Ways to Make 10 a Lesson on Decomposing
Students will learn what it means to represent a number in different ways and will begin to explore decomposing numbers. Included is a detailed lesson plan, link to an online game, worksheet, center ideas, and a "Ways to Make 10" chart.
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Better Lesson: Building Shapes Review of 2 D Shapes
What do students love more than building? Building with marshmallows! In this instructional activity, students get to build shapes with marshmallows and toothpicks. Included are an extensive lesson plan, a video showing examples, a...
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Better Lesson: Unknown Addend Problem
Students will solve word problems to create their own subtraction number sentences. They will use known addition facts to solve subtraction problems. A detailed lesson plan, worksheet, and pictures/videos of the lesson being modeled are...
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Better Lesson: Counting by Ones to 120
Count me in! In this instructional activity, students will learn to extend a counting sequence starting at any number. Included are a lesson plan, worksheets, number chart to 120, and a video of the instructional activity in action.
Better Lesson
Better Lesson: Going With the Flow (Map)
Students will practice retelling a story using a flow map. This lesson includes thorough directions, materials, and a video called Bear's Shadow.
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Better Lesson: Rewriting Formulas
In this lesson, students explore "real-life" resources that make use of literal equations (rewriting known formulas) to help make people's lives easier. Students will use Excel to design formulas that find a specific value like those...
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Better Lesson: Adding and Subtracting Multiples of Ten
Students will apply the idea of adding or subtracting ten to a number by adding or subtracting multiple groups of ten from a number. Included is a detailed lesson plan, videos of the lesson in action, materials and worksheets, and center...
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Better Lesson: 10 More and 10 Less
This lesson is More or Less a great lesson! Engage students in finding 10 more and 10 less than a number using these fun activities. Includes an eSpark video on place value, detailed lesson plan, copy of a hundreds chart, and practice...
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Better Lesson: Stop It! Exploring Forces on Moving Objects
Students will be able to explain what is needed to stop an object by completing a simple investigation. Students will experiment with Hot Wheel cars and record their predictions on a recording sheet. Included are videos of the lesson in...
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Better Lesson: A Change of Direction
Students will make predictions and conduct an experiment using marbles to figure out what types of things can cause a moving object to change direction. Included is a video of the lesson in action, pictures, discussion questions, and a...
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Better Lesson: A Place in the Shade an Engineering Challenge
Kindergarteners can participate in the engineering and design process in this challenge in which they try to keep an ice cube from melting. Included in this lesson are samples of student's structures, a video of a kindergarten class...
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Better Lesson: Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Come and discover ways to see in the dark! Students will conduct an investigation on light and dark. The investigation will allow students to gather evidence on how items illuminate. Using cause and effect, the students will demonstrate...
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Better Lesson: The Dark Room
This lesson allows the class to explore complete darkness to discover that objects need illumination to be seen. Students will make predictions, plan an investigation, and carry out their experiment in the classroom.
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Better Lesson: Communicating With Light: People
Who uses light to communicate? Go from sea to shining sea as we visit a lighthouse, board a Navy ship, and take a stroll on the red carpet! Students will investigate different ways of communicating with light and at the end of the lesson...
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Better Lesson: Communicating With Light and Sound: Fire!
Sound the alarm! Fire alarms and fire trucks are perfect examples of communicating with light and sound. Students will begin to understand the engineering principles behind why fire alarms and fire engines use both light and sound to...
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Better Lesson: Translucent, Transparent, Opaque Oh My!!
Can you block the beam of light? Students will investigate what happens to light beams when you put objects in its way. These tests will allow them to learn new vocabulary (translucent, transparent, opaque) and discover how these terms...
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Better Lesson: The Fossil Mind Map Unfolds
Students develop an organized mind map of facts they have learned about fossils from reading and visual content.
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Better Lesson: Animal Groups Benefits and Disadvantages
Third graders read short passages about animals that live in groups and participate in a discussion about how groups benefit some (but not all) animals.
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Better Lesson: Who's Your Animal Parent?
Do all animal babies look like their parents? Let's explore animal babies and find out the answer to this scientific question! Learners will explore animal parents and animal babies through a matching game. Included in this activity are...
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Better Lesson: Who's Your Plant Parent?
In this instructional activity, we observe our own plants to discover the answer to this big question: How are plants like their parents? Learners will observe pre-planted seedlings and compare them to photographs of their parent plants....
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Better Lesson: Birds Help Their Young Survive (Bald Eagles)
Birds protect their young in some cool ways! See how our national bird cares for its chicks. Students will read a National Geographic article about Eagles becoming extinct, and will watch a video on Iowa Bald Eagle cameras. Students will...
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Better Lesson: Introducing Engineering
There is something gross under the cafeteria table. Do you pick it up? Gross! How about we mimic a bird's beak to solve the problem of picking up our trash? This lesson models walking through the first few steps of the Engineering Design...