ALEX Resources

Title: The Great Depression
Description: 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.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 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]

Title: The Slave Experience: A Look at a Slave's Life in the Nineteenth Century
Description: 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.
Standard(s):
[TC2] (3-5) 12: Create a product using digital tools.

Title: Alabama Fever!
Description: 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.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 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]

Title: Book Boxes: Analyzing Elements of a Story
Description: 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.
Standard(s):
[TC2] (3-5) 12: Create a product using digital tools.

Title: Alabama's Prehistoric Indians
Description: In this seven-day lesson, students will explore, in depth, the lives of prehistoric Indians who lived in Alabama. Then students, working in cooperative groups, will choose one tribe to focus on as they create a musical parody about the tribe they have chosen.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] ALA (4) 2: Relate reasons for European exploration and settlement in Alabama to the impact of European explorers on trade, health, and land expansion in Alabama.

Title: The Slaves Have Gotta Go!
Description: In this lesson, students will explore the events leading up to the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation.  Students will work collaboratively to research and report their findings.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] USS5 (5) 11: Identify causes of the Civil War, including states' rights and the issue of slavery.

Title: Montgomery Field Trip Tour Book
Description: During this lesson, students explore the functions of our government through the Internet, slideshow presentations, and by visiting Alabama's capital city of Montgomery. Students will use their field trip as a guide to create a tour book of the government in Montgomery.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] ALA (4) 14: Analyze the modern Civil Rights Movement to determine the social, political, and economic impact on Alabama.

Title: What Do You See When You Look in the Mirror? Examining Character Motivation
Description: During this unit, students will ask “Why do we do what we do?” They will read different novels to analyze character motivation. Throughout the unit they will debate whether they think characters made smart choices and why. They will also become more familiar with story elements.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 3: Describe in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text (e.g., a character's thoughts, words, or actions). [RL.4.3]

Title: A Tour of Birmingham: WebQuest
Description: This inquiry-based project will provide opportunities for students to learn about the history of Birmingham. Students will discover the variety tourist attractions in Birmingham, Alabama.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] ALA (4) 15: Identify major world events that influenced Alabama since 1950, including the Korean Conflict, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and the War on Terrorism.

Title: You, Too, Can Be an Inventor!
Description: How have inventions changed the world? This unit focuses on the importance, the process and the creativity involved in inventing. Through the study of inventions and inventors, students learn how inventions are created and the characteristics that inventors share. They will create a slideshow presentation on an invention/inventor of their choice. Students will work through steps to come up with their own unique inventions. Finally, they will develop brochures to promote their inventions.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 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]

Title: Author Study
Description: During this lesson, students will learn more about their favorite authors by researching them on the Internet and presenting to the class, school, and community. Students will see that authors are real people thereby developing an appreciation for reading and writing.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 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]

Title: Story Elements
Description: During this lesson, students will analyze what distinguishes the stories they love. Reading and reviewing their favorite books will help students begin to identify elements of a story. Students have the opportunity to navigate the Internet and create a presentation to demonstrate what they have learned about elements of a story.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 39: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.4.2]

Title: Top Ten Books
Description: During this lesson students review their favorite books from the present school year. They navigate the Internet to locate information about the author of their favorite book and write a summary. Students compile their information in a slideshow presentation and show it to younger students to motivate them to read.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 39: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.4.2]

Title: Animal Environment and Adaptation
Description: In this lesson students will enjoy different activities focusing on how animals adapt to their environments. They will begin by researching two animals, their environment, and the ways the animals adapt to this environment. In small groups students will invent a new animal, including its environment and adaptations. Using presentation software, students will introduce their new animals to the class.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 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]

Title: Newberry Award
Description: This unit will introduce the history of the Newberry Award to students. The selection process will be discussed. Students will also visit websites and the library to select a Newberry book to read. Finally, students will give book talks to accompany slideshows they have created.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 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]

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: Memories of the Great Depression
Description: This hands-on lesson combines social studies, language arts, and technology. Fourth grade students begin by researching and collecting information from a variety of sources. Students develop an appreciation of the difficulties endured by many people during the era of the Great Depression.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] ALA (4) 12: Explain the impact the 1920s and Great Depression had on different socioeconomic groups in Alabama.

Title: Using Vivid Adjectives
Description: This upper elementary lesson focuses on the use of vivid adjectives to enhance student writing. Students will explore vivid adjectives in a variety of activities including thesaurus use and story development software.
Standard(s):
[TC2] (3-5) 8: Collect information from a variety of digital sources.

Title: Exploring the World of Cinderella Tales
Description: Students will read three different Cinderella tales, including tales from Africa, China, and America. Upon completion of a Venn diagram comparing the similarities and differences of these tales, the students will complete and present multimedia presentations showing their results.
Standard(s):
[TC2] (3-5) 10: Use digital environments to collaborate and communicate.

Title: The Big Dropper – The Life Cycle of a Raindrop
Description: Students will research the Internet, Alabama Virtual Library, online and printed encyclopedias, and other reference material to gather information on the water cycle. Students will then use the gathered data to create a slideshow presentation and a newsletter demonstrating their understanding of the water cycle.
Standard(s):
[TC2] (3-5) 8: Collect information from a variety of digital sources.

Title: Famous Alabamians: Helping Me Learn How I, Too, Can Make a Difference!
Description: In this unit, students will work to create their choice of a presentation on an Alabama citizen who has made a difference in the state, as well as the nation.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] ALA (4) 15: Identify major world events that influenced Alabama since 1950, including the Korean Conflict, the Cold War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War, and the War on Terrorism.

Title: Alabama Biographies of the 20th Century
Description: 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.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] ALA (4) 14: Analyze the modern Civil Rights Movement to determine the social, political, and economic impact on Alabama.

Title: Alaska Native Stories: Using Narrative to Introduce Expository Text
Description: Tradition and technology come together in this lesson in which students learn about Alaskan animals through Native American tales and their own online research.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 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]

Title: Comics in the Classroom as an Introduction to Narrative Structure
Description: This lesson uses comic strip frames to define plot and reinforce the structure that underlies a narrative. Students finish by writing their own original narratives.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 40: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. [L.5.3]

Title: What Makes a Hero?
Description: In this unit of eight lessons, from EDSITEment, students explore heroes and the traits that make them heroic. Students begin by thinking about their own heroes and list the character traits their heroes possess. Students then explore kid heroes, adults heroes, local heroes, and heroes from history, before completing one of several suggested culminating activities.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] USS5 (5) 8: Identify major events of the American Revolution, including the battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Yorktown.

Title: Demonstrating Comprehension Through Journal Writing
Description: Students demonstrate comprehension by responding to open-ended questions based on the Newbery Honor book Mr. Popper's Penguins, and then draw from the text and their personal experiences to create journals.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 40: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. [L.5.3]

Title: Webcams in the Classroom: Animal Inquiry and Observation
Description: Students observe animals using one of the many webcams broadcasting from zoos and aquariums around the United States and the world, with a focus on observation, discussion, questioning, and research.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 39: Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.5.2]

Title: Technical Reading and Writing Using Board Games
Description: Students celebrate a novel they have read and get hands-on experience with technical writing by creating a board game based on the novel and writing the instructions for it.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 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]

Title: Artistic Elements: Exploring Art Through Descriptive Writing
Description: Paint a vivid picture in your reader's mind with good descriptive writing! Artwork provides the perfect starting point for practicing descriptive writing that conveys color, shape, line, and mood.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 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]

Title: Research Building Blocks: Skim, Scan, and Scroll
Description: In this lesson from a research skills unit, students read informational text, looking for supporting details. They practice skimming and scanning print resources, and scrolling through electronic resources.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 36: Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes. [SL.5.5]

Title: Thundering Tall Tales: Using Read-Aloud as a Springboard to Writing
Description: Imagination and application are key to this tall tale lesson in which students take what they know about tall tales to spin a yarn of their own.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 40: Use knowledge of language and its conventions when writing, speaking, reading, or listening. [L.5.3]

Title: Developing Inferential Comprehension Through DL-TA and Discussion Webs
Description: Students will love unwrapping this lesson about before, during, and after reading activities based on Margaree King Mitchell's book, Grandaddy's Gift.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 37: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See Grade 5 Language standards 38 and 40 for specific expectations.) [SL.5.6]

Title: Q is for Duck: Using Alphabet Books With Struggling Writers
Description: A is for zoo? Q is for duck? The alphabet as students know it is transformed when students create a class book that contains clever associations for each letter of the alphabet.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 36: Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes. [SL.5.5]

Title: Using Science Texts to Teach the Organizational Features of Nonfiction
Description: Students explore organizational features of nonfiction science. Students then work together to create a two-page spread using those features to present information about their local environment.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 43: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal contrast, addition, and other logical relationships (e.g., however, although, nevertheless, similarly, moreover, in addition). [L.5.6]

Title: Readers Theatre
Description: Students develop scripts, perform, and use their voices to depict characters from texts, giving them the opportunity to develop fluency and further enhance comprehension of what they are reading.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 43: Acquire and use accurately grade-appropriate general academic and domain-specific words and phrases, including those that signal precise actions, emotions, or states of being (e.g., quizzed, whined, stammered) and that are basic to a particular topic (e.g., wildlife, conservation, and endangered when discussing animal preservation). [L.4.6]

Title: The Preamble to the Constitution: How Do You Make a More Perfect Union?
Description: In this unit of five EDSITEment lessons, students investigate the purposes of the U.S. Constitution, as identified in the Preamble to the Constitution. They also study fundamental values and principles as they are expressed in the Preamble.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 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]

Title: Where I Come From
Description: In this lesson, from EDSITEment, students take research into their heritage a step beyond the construction of a family tree, traveling through cyberspace to find out what's happening in their ancestral homelands today and explore their sense of connection to these places in their past.
Standard(s):
[SS2010] USS5 (5) 10: Describe political, social, and economic events between 1803 and 1860 that led to the expansion of the territory of the United States, including the War of 1812, the Indian Removal Act, the Texas-Mexican War, the Mexican-American War, and the Gold Rush of 1849.

Title: Beatrix Potter's Naughty Animal Tales
Description: In this unit of four lessons, from EDSITEment, students gain insight into the unusual, solitary world of Victorian childhood and compare and contrast it with their own world to understand why Beatrix Potter wrote simple stories and why she wrote about animals rather than people. Students can also learn the difference between an author and an illustrator and practice some of the same artistic techniques used by Potter to create masterpieces of their own.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 30: Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. [W.5.9]

Title: A Nepalese Village and Your Town: What's the Difference?
Description: This lesson, from Xpeditions, introduces students to some of the cultural customs of rural Nepal and asks them to consider the differences between Nepalese culture and their own. They write letters as if they were Nepalese young people, describing their culture and lifestyle. They then write additional letters that they might send to Nepalese pen pals, describing the similarities and differences between North American and rural Nepalese cultures.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 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]

Title: Using Snowflake Bentley as a Framing Text for Multigenre Writing
Description: Using Snowflake Bentley as a model, students create a working definition of multigenre text and then use that definition to create their own multigenre piece about winter or another theme.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 34: Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is supported by reasons and evidence. [SL.5.3]

Title: Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
Description: In this series of lessons, from EDSITEment, students learn about the 19th-century author Hans Christian Andersen, who created vivid characters, and hear and read the original texts of several of his stories. The colorful characters, strong emotions, and engaging language of Andersen's tales offer rich imaginative experiences for students, as well as opportunities to analyze themes and ideas.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 36: Include multimedia components (e.g., graphics, sound) and visual displays in presentations when appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes. [SL.5.5]

Title: Using Historical Fiction to Learn About the Civil War
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.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 41: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on Grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. [L.5.4]

Title: 'Leap, plashless'': Emily Dickinson and Poetic Imagination
Description: In this lesson, from EDSITEment, students read and explore one of Emily Dickinson's nature poems, A Bird came down the Walk--through interaction with other art forms. First, they listen to clips of a hymn to help them hear Dickinson's meter. Then, they view 19th-century bird images and describe what they see, just as a poet would. They observe how a poet plays with language and imagery to create a scene by acting out verse lines. Finally, they write a brief poem of their own, using what they have learned and their own observations.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 37: Adapt speech to a variety of contexts and tasks, using formal English when appropriate to task and situation. (See Grade 5 Language standards 38 and 40 for specific expectations.) [SL.5.6]

Title: I Covered It!
Digital Tool: Book Cover Creator
Web Address URL: http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/book-cover-creator-30058.html
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 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]
Digital Tool Description: Students can use this tool after they have read a book within a small group.  They will create a book cover depicting their own interpretation of the main idea and create illustrations that they believe represent the book.  Students will have the option to use different formats, depending on their preference of front/back/side covers.  Students can print their covers and share them within their small groups.  This way, students can hear different views and thoughts on one story.  

Title: I Have a Dream
Digital Tool: Civil Rights Movement Video
Web Address URL: http://www.schooltube.com/video/02831c44b39940f193f9/I%20Have%20a%20Dream:%20Martin%20Luther%20King%20Day
Standard(s):
[SS2010] ALA (4) 14: Analyze the modern Civil Rights Movement to determine the social, political, and economic impact on Alabama.
Digital Tool Description: 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.  

Title: Birmingham was Bombed
Digital Tool: Wonderopolis- Write a TV Script
Web Address URL: http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-do-you-write-a-tv-script/
Standard(s):
[SS2010] ALA (4) 14: Analyze the modern Civil Rights Movement to determine the social, political, and economic impact on Alabama.
Digital Tool Description: Wonderopolis is a tool for engaging students using wonder about the world around them. Daily "wonders" create exploratory learning. The "How Do You Write a TV Script" wonder will be used to help students as they prepare to write their own mock newscast based on the event of the Birmingham Sixteenth Street Church bombing in 1963, as read about in the novel by Christopher Paul Curtis, The Watsons go to Birmingham, 1963. After reading the novel and exploring information about life in the 1960s, students will imagine what a news report from that day would have looked like. They will view this resource to understand the important components of a script before getting into small groups to write their own newscasts. The teacher will combine the scripts and students will create a short film either independently or with teacher assistance and present their newscast during Black History Month. 

Title: Celebrate Halloween!
Description: Students research information on Halloween, create masks or costumes from a text they are reading, or write a narrative essay describing their best Halloween ever.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (8) 29: Write routinely over extended time frames, including time for research, reflection, and revision, and shorter time frames such as a single sitting or a day or two for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. [W.8.10]

Title: April is National Poetry Month!
Description: Students are assigned to be '' poets of the day'' and are provided several models to create, illustrate, and present their different poems to the class.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (8) 29: Write routinely over extended time frames, including time for research, reflection, and revision, and shorter time frames such as a single sitting or a day or two for a range of discipline-specific tasks, purposes, and audiences. [W.8.10]

Title: Find favorite book picks in the Children's Choices.
Description: Students create lists of their favorite books and then the class creates a '' Top Picks'' class booklist. Students can use the Book Cover Creator to create a book jacket for their favorite book.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (8) 26: Conduct short research projects to answer a question (including a self-generated question), drawing on several sources and generating additional related, focused questions that allow for multiple avenues of exploration. [W.8.7]

Title: November is National American Indian Heritage Month.
Description: Students explore Native American heritage through the study of pourquoi tales, write their own original pourquoi tales, and use the ReadWriteThink Printing Press to publish them.
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (5) 41: Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on Grade 5 reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies. [L.5.4]

Title: The Impact of the Great Depression on the Lives of Alabamians
Standard(s):
[ELA2015] (4) 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]


Unit Plan Overview:   The unit will incorporate research and investigation into the impact the 1920s and the Great Depression had on different socioeconomic groups in Alabama.  After exploring various texts related to the topic, students will determine the causes and effects of the Great Depression on the social, political, and economical impact on the lives of Alabamians.  As a culminating activity, students will write a five paragraph essay explaining their findings. This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.