ALEX Resources

Title: "Shape Up or Ship Out"
Description: In this activity, students will identify shapes that architects use to build houses. Students will then explore these shapes by building a model "dream" home.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science University, GEMS-U Project.
Standard(s):
[MA2015] (1) 20: Compose two-dimensional shapes (rectangles, squares, trapezoids, triangles, half-circles, and quarter-circles) or three-dimensional shapes (cubes, right rectangular prisms, right circular cones, and right circular cylinders) to create a composite shape, and compose new shapes from the composite shape. (Students do not need to learn formal names such as "right rectangular prism.") [1-G2]

Title: "Fantastic Fractions"
Description: The students will use sugar-free Gummy bears to identify fractional parts of the whole.  The students will create a graph using the information obtain.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science University, GEMS-U Project.
Standard(s):
[MA2015] (2) 26: Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares; describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of, etc.; and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, or four fourths. Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape. [2-G3]

Title: Searching Solid Shapes
Description: Students will identify solid shapes and work in groups to search for solid shapes (sphere, cylinder, cube, and cone) that have been hidden on the playground. They will create a photostory about their shape to be displayed on the class's webpage.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science University, GEMS-U Project.
Standard(s):
[MA2015] (2) 24: Recognize and draw shapes having specified attributes such as a given number of angles or a given number of equal faces. (Sizes are compared directly or visually, not compared by measuring.) Identify triangles, quadrilaterals, pentagons, hexagons, and cubes. [2-G1]

Title: "The Lorax"- An Environmental Issue
Description: Students watch "The Lorax" as an introduction to environmental issues. Students need not have prior knowledge of terms. This lesson follows the learning cycle. Students design a plan to make the Truffula trees sustainable and economically viable.This lesson plan was created as a result of the Girls Engaged in Math and Science, GEMS Project funded by the Malone Family Foundation.
Standard(s):
[TC2] CA2 (9-12) 12: Use digital tools to publish curriculum-related content.

Title: Stop The Bullying
Description: During this lesson, students start to recognize the different types of bullying, causes, and ways of dealing with it. Through literature and the Internet, students learn how to handle bullying. Students will develop presentations to teach other how to handle bullying.
Standard(s):
[TC2] (3-5) 8: Collect information from a variety of digital sources.

Title: Everyday Heroes
Description: Following a unit on Greek mythology and mythological heroes, students design and maintain a website that features everyday heroes. Students submit candidates based on their everyday encounters with people in the community.
Standard(s):

Title: Leaders of Our School
Description: During the first weeks of school, students will be introduced to the administration and faculty within the school. Students will conduct an interview to determine the role of each individual in creating and maintaining a thriving learning environment. Using a digital camera and presentation software, students will record each interview, along with a digital photograph, of the school leader. Students will present the slideshow presentation during Open House. From this lesson, students will better comprehend the importance of the leadership and teamwork within our school.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 39: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.4.2]

Title: This Business Called Learning: Advertising
Description: After analyzing the techniques of propaganda in commercial advertising, students work in cooperative "business" groups to create an advertising campaign for a new product called Giggle Gum. Campaigns include a press release, slideshow presentation, print ad, and radio commercial.
Standard(s):
[AED] VA (6-8) 7: Describe historical and cultural influences on works of art.

Title: Let's Be Friends
Description: Buddies, pals, amigos - whatever you call them, friends are an important part of life. These beginning-of-the-year unit activities will give kindergarten students an opportunity to consider what friendship is all about.
Standard(s):
[CE] (0-12) 24: Loyalty

Title: What Can We Learn From Pigs?
Description: This thematic language arts lesson uses a variety of beginning reading books about pigs to help special education/early elementary students learn about character traits and concepts. The wide use of graphic organizers introduces beginning readers to early reading strategies.
Standard(s):
[MA2015] (2) 23: Draw a picture graph and a bar graph (with single-unit scale) to represent a data set with up to four categories. Solve simple put-together, take-apart, and compare problems using information presented in a bar graph. (See Appendix A, Table 1.) [2-MD10]

Title: What's In a Penny?
Description: The purpose of this lesson is to highlight the value of group and team efforts and to demonstrate the importance of details.
Standard(s):
[CE] (0-12) 8: Cooperation

Title: Character Education - Respect for Self, Property, Others and The Environment
Description: This lesson will be implemented as part of a character education unit on respect for self, property, others and the environment, an essential quality of good character. Students will apply research skills, open-ended discussions, keyboarding skills, digital photography, and cooperative learning experiences to investigate and internalize the meaning of respect. This lesson will also aid students in understanding how respect is viewed in other cultures.
Standard(s):
[TC2] (3-5) 8: Collect information from a variety of digital sources.

Title: The Diary of Anne Frank: How Would I Survive?
Description: After reading the Pulitzer Prize-winning play, The Diary of Anne Frank, by Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett, student groups examine the coping strategies of the people in the Secret Annex. Then, each student develops a personal survival plan to be included in a group slideshow presentation which addresses this question: How would I survive if I experienced the same stressful situation? Additionally, the students discuss current world situations that necessitate coping strategies.
Standard(s):
[TC2] (6-8) 12: Use digital tools to communicate and collaborate at all levels from interpersonal to global.

Title: Stop Cyberbullying
Digital Tool: On-line Interactive Website
Web Address URL: http://learninglab.org/
Standard(s):
[TC2] (6-8) 12: Use digital tools to communicate and collaborate at all levels from interpersonal to global.
Digital Tool Description: Infinity Interactive Learning Lab provides a interactive training site for teaching them how to prevent cyber bullying to students. Students watch a video and apply the concepts they have learned.

Title: Today is the International Day of Peace.
Description: Students brainstorm a list of current conflicts and why people fight. Groups discuss and present possible solutions and create posters that promote their particular solution.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (12) 25: Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects to answer a question, including a self-generated question, or solve a problem; narrow or broaden the inquiry when appropriate; synthesize multiple sources on the subject, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. [W.11-12.7]