ALEX Classroom Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (0) 9 :

9 ) Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. [RL.K.10]

[ELA2015] (0) 23 :

23 ) Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding. [RF.K.4]

[ELA2015] (0) 32 :

32 ) Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. [SL.K.2]

[ELA2015] (0) 35 :

35 ) Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. [SL.K.5]

[ELA2015] (1) 2 :

2 ) Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. [RL.1.2]

[ELA2015] (2) 21 :

21 ) Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. [RF.2.4]

a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. [RF.2.4a]

b. Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. [RF.2.4b]

c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. [RF.2.4c]

[ELA2015] (2) 25 :

25 ) With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. [W.2.5]

[ELA2015] (2) 27 :

27 ) Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). [W.2.7]

[ELA2015] (2) 29 :

29 ) Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about Grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. [SL.2.1]

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). [SL.2.1a]

b. Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. [SL.2.1b]

c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion. [SL.2.1c]

Recognizing problems and identifying solutions are skills that help students develop an awareness of themselves and their surroundings. After reading the book Officer Buckle and Gloria by Peggy Rathmann, students explore potential safety problems and then devise possible solutions. Each student creates a safety tip poster similar to the ones in the book to present a solution to one of the identified safety problems. Students communicate their safety messages to others by displaying the posters around the school or in the community. This lesson could easily be adapted for use with older students.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (0) 9 :

9 ) Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. [RL.K.10]

[ELA2015] (0) 23 :

23 ) Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding. [RF.K.4]

[ELA2015] (0) 32 :

32 ) Confirm understanding of a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media by asking and answering questions about key details and requesting clarification if something is not understood. [SL.K.2]

[ELA2015] (0) 35 :

35 ) Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. [SL.K.5]

[ELA2015] (1) 2 :

2 ) Retell stories, including key details, and demonstrate understanding of their central message or lesson. [RL.1.2]

[ELA2015] (2) 25 :

25 ) With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. [W.2.5]

This unit introduces the concept of cause and effect with Trinka Hakes Noble's books about Jimmy and his boa constrictor. Each lesson begins with the teacher reading a new story about Jimmy and his boa and the chaos they bring to each place they visit. Class discussions about each event and its cause are followed by tasks for the students to help illustrate understanding of the concept. Students create cause-and-effect pictures, puzzles, and flow charts as they explore the genre. As a culminating activity, students write their own book with causes and effects, which are assessed with a rubric.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (0) 3 :

3 ) With prompting and support, identify characters, settings, and major events in a story. [RL.K.3]

[ELA2015] (0) 9 :

9 ) Actively engage in group reading activities with purpose and understanding. [RL.K.10]

[ELA2015] (0) 23 :

23 ) Read emergent-reader texts with purpose and understanding. [RF.K.4]

[ELA2015] (0) 26 :

26 ) Use a combination of drawing, dictating, and writing to narrate a single event or several loosely linked events, tell about the events in the order in which they occurred, and provide a reaction to what happened. [W.K.3]

[ELA2015] (0) 29 :

29 ) Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., explore a number of books by a favorite author and express opinions about them). [W.K.7]

[ELA2015] (1) 1 :

1 ) Ask and answer questions about key details in a text. [RL.1.1]

a. Make predictions from text clues. (Alabama)

[ELA2015] (1) 3 :

3 ) Describe characters, settings, and major events in a story, using key details. [RL.1.3]

[ELA2015] (2) 24 :

24 ) Write narratives in which they recount a well-elaborated event or short sequence of events, include details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings, use temporal words to signal event order, and provide a sense of closure. [W.2.3]

[ELA2015] (2) 25 :

25 ) With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. [W.2.5]

After exploring a variety of circle plot storybooks, students identify, explore, and apply the elements of circle plot structures to their own stories. "Reading like writers," students will explore the ways that stories are structured; then, "writing like writers," students explore organizational structures in their own writing. Students first examine the attributes of circular shapes and brainstorm things with a circular pattern, such as seasons. After exploring how Cynthia Rylant's Long Night Moon might be a circular story, students listen to a circle story read aloud. Students discuss why the story is called a circular story and make connections to Rylant's book. They then read several more examples and, using circle plot diagrams as their tools, students write their own circular plot stories. Finally, students share their work with peers, revise their work using a checklist for self-evaluation, and compare their self-evaluation to teacher assessment.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (2) 10 :

10 ) Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. [RI.2.1]

[ELA2015] (2) 12 :

12 ) Describe the connection between a series of historical events, scientific ideas or concepts, or steps in technical procedures in a text. [RI.2.3]

[ELA2015] (2) 19 :

19 ) By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts, including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the Grades 2-3 text complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range. [RI.2.10]

[ELA2015] (2) 21 :

21 ) Read with sufficient accuracy and fluency to support comprehension. [RF.2.4]

a. Read on-level text with purpose and understanding. [RF.2.4a]

b. Read on-level text orally with accuracy, appropriate rate, and expression on successive readings. [RF.2.4b]

c. Use context to confirm or self-correct word recognition and understanding, rereading as necessary. [RF.2.4c]

[ELA2015] (2) 23 :

23 ) Write informative or explanatory texts in which they introduce a topic, use facts and definitions to develop points, and provide a concluding statement or section. [W.2.2]

[ELA2015] (2) 25 :

25 ) With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. [W.2.5]

[ELA2015] (2) 27 :

27 ) Participate in shared research and writing projects (e.g., read a number of books on a single topic to produce a report; record science observations). [W.2.7]

[ELA2015] (2) 28 :

28 ) Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question. [W.2.8]

[ELA2015] (2) 30 :

30 ) Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media. [SL.2.2]

If you have ever had your class interrupted by a thunderstorm or by a bug crawling across the carpet, you know that students naturally question the world around them. This lesson encourages second-grade students to ask questions about a specific topic, choose a particular question to explore in detail, and research the question using a variety of resources. Students organize their information on a "What we think we know," "What we have confirmed we know," and "New facts we have learned through research" (TCF) chart. They then collaborate to write a class scientific explanation.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (0) 35 :

35 ) Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. [SL.K.5]

[ELA2015] (1) 39 :

39 ) Determine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on Grade 1 reading and content, choosing flexibly from an array of strategies. [L.1.4]

a. Use sentence-level context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. [L.1.4a]

b. Use frequently occurring affixes as a clue to the meaning of a word. [L.1.4b]

c. Identify frequently occurring root words (e.g., look) and their inflectional forms (e.g., looks, looked, looking). [L.1.4c]

d. Apply alphabetical order to the first letter of words to access information. (Alabama)

[ELA2015] (2) 25 :

25 ) With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. [W.2.5]

These lessons challenge students to write original stories using alphabetical order. For students who are still developing a basic understanding of alphabetization, the entire class can write one story, beginning each page with a new letter. Challenge more advanced students to write their own stories or to compose the words in each sentence in alphabetical order. Students can illustrate their texts in class or at home with their families. Although this lesson was primarily written for a first- or second-grade class, modifications can be made to allow kindergarten students to have success with alphabetizing as well.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2015] (0) 31 :

31 ) Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. [SL.K.1]

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion). [SL.K.1a]

b. Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. [SL.K.1b]

[ELA2015] (0) 35 :

35 ) Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions as desired to provide additional detail. [SL.K.5]

[ELA2015] (1) 31 :

31 ) Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about Grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. [SL.1.1]

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). [SL.1.1a]

b. Build on others' talk in conversations by responding to the comments of others through multiple exchanges. [SL.1.1b]

c. Ask questions to clear up any confusion about the topics and texts under discussion. [SL.1.1c]

[ELA2015] (1) 37 :

37 ) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. [L.1.1]

a. Print all uppercase and lowercase letters. [L.1.1a]

b. Use common, proper, and possessive nouns. [L.1.1b]

c. Use singular and plural nouns with matching verbs in basic sentences (e.g., He hops; We hop). [L.1.1c]

d. Use personal, possessive, and indefinite pronouns (e.g., I, me, my; they, them, their; anyone, everything). [L.1.1d]

e. Use verbs to convey a sense of past, present, and future (e.g., Yesterday I walked home; Today I walk home; Tomorrow I will walk home). [L.1.1e]

f. Use frequently occurring adjectives. [L.1.1f]

g. Use frequently occurring conjunctions (e.g., and, but, or, so, because). [L.1.1g]

h. Use determiners (e.g., articles, demonstratives). [L.1.1h]

i. Use frequently occurring prepositions (e.g., during, beyond, toward). [L.1.1i]

j. Produce and expand complete simple and compound declarative, interrogative, imperative, and exclamatory sentences in response to prompts. [L.1.1j]

[ELA2015] (1) 38 :

38 ) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English capitalization, punctuation, and spelling when writing. [L.1.2]

a. Capitalize dates and names of people. [L.1.2a]

b. Use end punctuation for sentences. [L.1.2b]

c. Use commas in dates and to separate single words in a series. [L.1.2c]

d. Use conventional spelling for words with common spelling patterns and for frequently occurring irregular words. [L.1.2d]

e. Spell untaught words phonetically, drawing on phonemic awareness and spelling conventions. [L.1.2e]

[ELA2015] (1) 40 :

40 ) With guidance and support from adults, demonstrate understanding of word relationships and nuances in word meanings. [L.1.5]

a. Sort words into categories (e.g., colors, clothing) to gain a sense of the concepts the categories represent. [L.1.5a]

b. Define words by category and by one or more key attributes (e.g., a duck is a bird that swims; a tiger is a large cat with stripes). [L.1.5b]

c. Identify real-life connections between words and their use (e.g., note places at home that are cozy). [L.1.5c]

d. Distinguish shades of meaning among verbs differing in manner (e.g., look, peek, glance, stare, glare, scowl) and adjectives differing in intensity (e.g., large, gigantic) by defining or choosing them or by acting out the meanings. [L.1.5d]

[ELA2015] (2) 25 :

25 ) With guidance and support from adults and peers, focus on a topic and strengthen writing as needed by revising and editing. [W.2.5]

[ELA2015] (2) 29 :

29 ) Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about Grade 2 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups. [SL.2.1]

a. Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., gaining the floor in respectful ways, listening to others with care, speaking one at a time about the topics and texts under discussion). [SL.2.1a]

b. Build on others' talk in conversations by linking their comments to the remarks of others. [SL.2.1b]

c. Ask for clarification and further explanation as needed about the topics and texts under discussion. [SL.2.1c]

[ELA2015] (2) 35 :

35 ) Demonstrate command of the conventions of Standard English grammar and usage when writing or speaking. [L.2.1]

a. Use collective nouns (e.g., group). [L.2.1a]

b. Form and use frequently occurring irregular plural nouns (e.g., feet, children, teeth, mice, fish). [L.2.1b]

c. Use reflexive pronouns (e.g., myself, ourselves). [L.2.1c]

d. Form and use the past tense of frequently occurring irregular verbs (e.g., sat, hid, told). [L.2.1d]

e. Use adjectives and adverbs, and choose between them depending on what is to be modified. [L.2.1e]

f. Produce, expand, and rearrange complete simple and compound sentences (e.g., The boy watched the movie; The little boy watched the movie; The action movie was watched by the little boy). [L.2.1f]

Students are likely to know many more words than they use in their writing. This lesson is designed to help students better use their vocabulary by teaching (or reviewing) what verbs are and to help them access verbs they already know and use them in sentences. Students work together to brainstorm and create lists of verbs for each of the letters of the alphabet. Then, choosing one verb for each letter, they create pages for an Action Alphabet book. Each page includes an illustration and a sentence using the verb in context. The project can be adapted according to age level and language ability. Students in kindergarten may work together on a class book, while older students may work in small groups or individually. Similarly, the complexity of the example sentences will vary depending on students' writing levels.