ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (4) 14 :

14 ) Describe the overall structure (e.g., chronology, comparison, cause and effect, problem and solution) of events, ideas, concepts, or information in a text or part of a text. [RI.4.5]

[ELA2015] (4) 18 :

18 ) Integrate information from two texts on the same topic in order to write or speak about the subject knowledgeably. [RI.4.9]

[SS2010] ALA (4) 12 :

12 ) Explain the impact the 1920s and Great Depression had on different socioeconomic groups in Alabama.

Examples: 1920s—increase in availability of electricity, employment opportunities, wages, products, consumption of goods and services; overproduction of goods; stock market crash

Great Depression—overcropping of land, unemployment, poverty, establishment of new federal programs

•  Explaining how supply and demand impacted economies of Alabama and the United States during the 1920s and the Great Depression

[ELA2015] (4) 32 :

32 ) Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. [SL.4.1]

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. [SL.4.1a]

b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. [SL.4.1b]

c. Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others. [SL.4.1c]

d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. [SL.4.1d]

[ELA2015] (4) 33 :

33 ) Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. [SL.4.2]

[ELA2015] (4) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.4.4]

During this lesson, students will research the social, political, and economic impact of the Great Depression on the lives of Alabamians.  Students will collaborate to create a presentation from the project-based learning activity and present it to the class.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (4) 24 :

24 ) Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events using effective technique, descriptive details, and clear event sequences. [W.4.3]

a. Orient the reader by establishing a situation and introducing a narrator, characters, or both; organize an event sequence that unfolds naturally. [W.4.3a]

b. Use dialogue and description to develop experiences and events or show the responses of characters to situations. [W.4.3b]

c. Use a variety of transitional words and phrases to manage the sequence of events. [W.4.3c]

d. Use concrete words and phrases and sensory details to convey experiences and events precisely. [W.4.3d]

e. Provide a conclusion that follows from the narrated experiences or events. [W.4.3e]

[ELA2015] (4) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.4.4]

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[DLIT] (4) 6 :

R6) Produce, review, and revise authentic artifacts that include multimedia using appropriate digital tools.

[DLIT] (4) 18 :

12) Use basic features of digital tools to communicate key ideas and details in a way that informs and/or persuades.

[DLIT] (4) 19 :

13) Synthesize complex information from multiple sources in different ways to make it more useful and/or relevant.

Students will explore two NCSS Notable Trade Books and a newspaper advertisement to develop an understanding of what life was like for slaves in the nineteenth century.  Students will use their understanding to write a narrative story about being a slave in the nineteenth century. Students will use the website MyStorybook to create and publish their stories.

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] ALA (4) 4 :

4 ) Relate the relationship of the five geographic regions of Alabama to the movement of Alabama settlers during the early nineteenth century.

•  Identifying natural resources of Alabama during the early nineteenth century

•  Describing human environments of Alabama as they relate to settlement during the early nineteenth century, including housing, roads, and place names

[ELA2015] (4) 1 :

1 ) Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. [RL.4.1]

[ELA2015] (4) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.4.4]

[ELA2015] (4) 12 :

12 ) Explain events, procedures, ideas, or concepts in a historical, scientific, or technical text, including what happened and why, based on specific information in the text. [RI.4.3]

In this lesson, students will work in small groups to examine a letter describing the environment of Alabama and identify reasons which might have encouraged settlers to move to Alabama in the early nineteenth century.   Students will choose an interesting attraction of Alabama mentioned in the letter and design a postage stamp around that attraction. 

This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (4) 18 :

12) Use basic features of digital tools to communicate key ideas and details in a way that informs and/or persuades.

[ELA2015] (4) 1 :

1 ) Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text. [RL.4.1]

[ELA2015] (4) 2 :

2 ) Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text; summarize the text. [RL.4.2]

[ELA2015] (4) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.4.4]

In this lesson, students will listen to a read aloud and view a model of the project expected related to the first read aloud.  Students will then complete a group project based on a story read as a class. (This can be done as a read aloud or in literature circle groups.)  The books used in this particular activity are Bud, Not Buddy and The Watsons go to Birmingham.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (4) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[ELA2015] (4) 19 :

19 ) By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the Grades 4-5 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. [RI.4.10]

[ELA2015] (4) 23 :

23 ) Write informative or explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. [W.4.2]

a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. [W.4.2a]

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. [W.4.2b]

c. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because). [W.4.2c]

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. [W.4.2d]

e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. [W.4.2e]

[ELA2015] (4) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.4.4]

[SS2010] ALA (4) 10 :

10 ) Analyze social and educational changes during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries for their impact on Alabama.

Examples: social—implementation of the Plessey versus Ferguson "separate but not equal" court decision, birth of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)

educational—establishment of normal schools and land-grant colleges such as Huntsville Normal School (Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical [A&M] University), Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (Auburn University), Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (Tuskegee University), Lincoln Normal School (Alabama State University)

•  Explaining the development and changing role of industry, trade, and agriculture in Alabama during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including the rise of Populism

•  Explaining the Jim Crow laws

•  Identifying Alabamians who made contributions in the fields of science, education, the arts, politics, and business during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

[SS2010] ALA (4) 14 :

14 ) Analyze the modern Civil Rights Movement to determine the social, political, and economic impact on Alabama.

•  Recognizing important persons of the modern Civil Rights Movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr.; George C. Wallace; Rosa Parks; Fred Shuttlesworth; John Lewis; Malcolm X; Thurgood Marshall; Hugo Black; and Ralph David Abernathy

•  Describing events of the modern Civil Rights Movement, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, the Freedom Riders bus bombing, and the Selma-to-Montgomery March

•  Explaining benefits of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Brown versus Board of Education Supreme Court case of 1954

•  Using vocabulary associated with the modern Civil Rights Movement, including discrimination, prejudice, segregation, integration, suffrage, and rights

In this lesson, students will recognize and examine the lives of Alabamians who have impacted the lives of others and the history of the state with their notable contributions during the first half and last half of the twentieth century. This interdisciplinary lesson relates social studies, language arts and reading. Through this inquiry study, students will choose one of the famous Alabamians, research the person's contributions, write a short biographical summary, and as an extension, create a 3-D scan picture relating to the life and times of the individual.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (6) 39 :

39 ) Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. [L.6.3]

a. Vary sentence patterns for meaning, reader or listener interest, and style.* [L.6.3a]

b. Maintain consistency in style and tone.* [L.6.3b]

[ELA2015] (6) 34 :

34 ) Present claims and findings, sequencing ideas logically and using pertinent descriptions, facts, and details to accentuate main ideas or themes; use appropriate eye contact, adequate volume, and clear pronunciation. [SL.6.4]

[ELA2015] (5) 42 :

42 ) Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. [L.5.5]

a. Interpret figurative language, including similes and metaphors, in context. [L.5.5a]

b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. [L.5.5b]

c. Use the relationship between particular words (e.g., synonyms, antonyms, homographs) to better understand each of the words. [L.5.5c]

[ELA2015] (5) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.5.4]

[ELA2015] (4) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.4.4]

[ELA2015] (4) 42 :

42 ) Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. [L.4.5]

a. Explain the meaning of simple similes and metaphors (e.g., as pretty as a picture) in context. [L.4.5a]

b. Recognize and explain the meaning of common idioms, adages, and proverbs. [L.4.5b]

c. Demonstrate understanding of words by relating them to their opposites (antonyms) and to words with similar but not identical meanings (synonyms). [L.4.5c]

Flipgrid is an online resource that allows students to produce a video recording in response to a particular topic and then share it with teachers and classmates.

This activity gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of metaphor in a personal way. Students will reflect on their personal traits/characteristics, brainstorm an animal, object, etc, that shares similar qualities and write a speech about their chosen metaphor. Then they will perform, record, and share their speeches with the teacher and classmates through the online tool, Flipgrid.

This activity was created as a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (4) 23 :

23 ) Write informative or explanatory texts to examine a topic and convey ideas and information clearly. [W.4.2]

a. Introduce a topic clearly and group related information in paragraphs and sections; include formatting (e.g., headings), illustrations, and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. [W.4.2a]

b. Develop the topic with facts, definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples related to the topic. [W.4.2b]

c. Link ideas within categories of information using words and phrases (e.g., another, for example, also, because). [W.4.2c]

d. Use precise language and domain-specific vocabulary to inform about or explain the topic. [W.4.2d]

e. Provide a concluding statement or section related to the information or explanation presented. [W.4.2e]

[ELA2015] (4) 32 :

32 ) Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on Grade 4 topics and texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly. [SL.4.1]

a. Come to discussions prepared, having read or studied required material; explicitly draw on that preparation and other information known about the topic to explore ideas under discussion. [SL.4.1a]

b. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions and carry out assigned roles. [SL.4.1b]

c. Pose and respond to specific questions to clarify or follow up on information, and make comments that contribute to the discussion and link to the remarks of others. [SL.4.1c]

d. Review the key ideas expressed and explain their own ideas and understanding in light of the discussion. [SL.4.1d]

[ELA2015] (4) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.4.4]

[SS2010] ALA (4) 14 :

14 ) Analyze the modern Civil Rights Movement to determine the social, political, and economic impact on Alabama.

•  Recognizing important persons of the modern Civil Rights Movement, including Martin Luther King, Jr.; George C. Wallace; Rosa Parks; Fred Shuttlesworth; John Lewis; Malcolm X; Thurgood Marshall; Hugo Black; and Ralph David Abernathy

•  Describing events of the modern Civil Rights Movement, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, the Freedom Riders bus bombing, and the Selma-to-Montgomery March

•  Explaining benefits of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and Brown versus Board of Education Supreme Court case of 1954

•  Using vocabulary associated with the modern Civil Rights Movement, including discrimination, prejudice, segregation, integration, suffrage, and rights

[DLIT] (4) 18 :

12) Use basic features of digital tools to communicate key ideas and details in a way that informs and/or persuades.

[DLIT] (4) 6 :

R6) Produce, review, and revise authentic artifacts that include multimedia using appropriate digital tools.

The tool used is a video from schooltube.com. The video shows students taking on the roles of influential African Americans in the United States. At the end, the students are reciting the "I Have a Dream" speech by Martin Luther King Jr.  

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (4) 35 :

35 ) Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable pace. [SL.4.4]

[ELA2015] (5) 21 :

21 ) Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. [RF.5.4]

a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. [RF.5.4a]

b. Read on-level prose and poetry orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. [RF.5.4b]

c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. [RF.5.4c]

[ELA2015] (6) 26 :

26 ) Use technology, including the Internet, to produce and publish writing as well as to interact and collaborate with others; demonstrate sufficient command of keyboarding skills to type a minimum of three pages in a single sitting. [W.6.6]

[ELA2015] (7) 24 :

24 ) With some guidance and support from peers and adults, develop and strengthen writing as needed by planning, revising, editing, rewriting, or trying a new approach, focusing on how well purpose and audience have been addressed. (Editing for conventions should demonstrate command of the first three standards in the Language strand in Grades K-7.) [W.7.5]

[ELA2015] (8) 23 :

23 ) Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are appropriate to task, purpose, and audience. (Grade-specific expectations for writing types are defined in standards 20-22 above.) [W.8.4]

In this lesson, students are given the opportunity to be imaginative and expressive through the writing of three types of poems:  acrostic, diamante, and theme. Building on their creativity, students then use Blabberize to create Blabbers of one of their poems. Sharing their Blabbers with the class and online community will make the students more excited about writing poetry as well as providing practice of technology skills.