ALEX Lesson Plans

Subject: Social Studies (2 - 10)
Title: UNDERGROUND RAILROAD, ROUTE TO FREEDOM
Description: This activity will require the teacher and student to travel throughout the school and its buildings as they travel the underground railroad. As they travel they will stop at safe houses, rest and eat before they proceed finally crossing the Ohio River to freedom.

Subject: Character Education (K - 12), or Social Studies (4), or Technology Education (3 - 5)
Title: Never, Ever Give Up!
Description: This lesson plan introduces the importance of perseverance. Students will discover that success comes through perseverance. Students will also have the opportunity to research Abraham Lincoln on the Internet to document examples of perseverance.

Subject: English Language Arts (4), or English Language Arts (4), or Social Studies (4 - 5), or Technology Education (3 - 5)
Title: The Underground Railroad
Description: The Underground Railroad of the 1800's inspired talented writers of all ages. This lesson will integrate some of these famous writings to encourage students to develop their questioning techniques for analysis of literature while furthering their knowledge of this era in American history. As an extension of this study, students will create a class quilt to illustrate the depth of their research.

Subject: English Language Arts (4), or English Language Arts (4), or Social Studies (4), or Technology Education (3 - 5)
Title: Rabbit Tales
Description: During this lesson students will be exposed to different types of writing. Students will have the opportunity to create their own story based on the characteristics of the literature they have read. Students will also learn the history of trickster tales and their significance.

Thinkfinity Lesson Plans

Subject: Language Arts
Title: Using Historical Fiction to Learn About the Civil War Add Bookmark
Description: Students in grades 4 and 5 discuss inferential comprehension and visualization as they use a think-aloud questioning strategy to develop a deeper understanding of a historical novel.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 3,4,5

Subject: Language Arts,Social Studies
Title: Slave Narratives: Constructing U.S. History Through Analyzing Primary Sources Add Bookmark
Description: In this lesson, from EDSITEment, students research narratives from the Federal Writers Project and describe the lives of former African slaves in the U.S., both before and after Emancipation. From varied stories, students sample the breadth of individual experiences, make generalizations about the effects of slavery and Reconstruction on African Americans, and evaluate primary source documents.
Thinkfinity Partner: EDSITEment
Grade Span: 3,4,5

Subject: Language Arts,Social Studies
Title: Fables and Trickster Tales Around the World Add Bookmark
Description: This unit of four lessons, from EDSITEment, introduces students to folktales, such as fables and trickster tales, from around the world. Students become familiar with different folklore traditions and genres, as well as the process of the oral transmission of culture and history.
Thinkfinity Partner: EDSITEment
Grade Span: 3,4,5

Subject: Foreign Languages - Cultural Awareness - Social Studies - Geography
Title: Cultural Connections: The Tapestry of Life Add Bookmark
Description: In this Xpeditions lesson, young students use a variety of media to explore culture as the sum of learned patterns of behavior, institutions, values, and belief systems. Students learn how to identify, compare, and appreciate the cultural characteristics of different regions and people.
Thinkfinity Partner: National Geographic Education
Grade Span: 3,4,5

Subject: Language Arts
Title: Escaping Slavery: Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt Add Bookmark
Description: Students read Sweet Clara and the Freedom Quilt by Deborah Hopkinson, create a problems/solutions/events chart, and create a map with a key, compass, and landmarks surrounding their home and school.
Thinkfinity Partner: ReadWriteThink
Grade Span: 3,4,5

Subject: Social Studies - Geography - Social Studies - United States History
Title: Quilting: The Story of the Underground Railroad Add Bookmark
Description: In this lesson, from Xpeditions, students use the Internet to research the dangers that escaping slaves faced along the Underground Railroad and the factors that helped the slaves make it to freedom. They conclude by designing quilts describing what they have learned.
Thinkfinity Partner: National Geographic Education
Grade Span: 3,4,5