This cluster includes the following access points.
Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Name |
Description |
| Creating a Classroom Constitution: | The teacher will present both Preambles of the US and FL Constitution worded in kid-friendly language. Students will identify the similarities and differences between both texts. Students will create a Classroom Constitution based on the perspectives of all students’ perspectives on appropriate laws and rules. Students will compare and contrast their classroom constitution to the US Constitution. |
| Responsible Citizen: | Teachers will read a fiction book with a main character that shows various responsible character traits. After the story is read, the students will turn and talk to their shoulder partner using words and examples of how the character showed responsibility traits. The teacher will record responses on a class chart. In this integrated lesson plan, the students will then draw and/or write about a time they showed responsible traits in their own lives. |
| Who Will Help the Little Red Hen?: | The Little Red Hen is a classic folktale that children always enjoy. Students will be exposed to new vocabulary, identify story elements, and then write a paragraph retelling the story. There are certainly some important lessons learned by the characters in this folktale. Students will identify the moral of this story and add these lessons to their writing. |
| A Chilly Feeling: | In this reading lesson, the students will analyze the poem "It Fell in the City" by Eve Merriam. They will read the poem, identify words or phrases that show feelings or appeal to the senses, describe the place in the poem and add drawings to express their feelings. They will also write an opinion paragraph about how the poem made them feel after reading it. |
| Character Traits with Chrysanthemum: | During this reading lesson, students will analyze the text Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes. The students will determine the moral or lesson of the story, be exposed to new vocabulary, and demonstrate knowledge about the character, Chrysanthemum. The students will choose one character trait of Chrysanthemum to write about using textual evidence. This writing can be attached to an art project celebrating this wonderful story about friendship and believing in yourself. |
| Let's Go to the Outback: Mem Fox's Possum Magic: | Your primary students will love this magical adventure with Possum Magic by Mem Fox. This wonderful Australian folktale shares delicious academic vocabulary that allows students to interact with context clues and discussion questions throughout the story. Students and teachers alike will be charmed by multi-tiered activities and extensions that will keep their interest throughout the entire lesson. |
| A Young Bird's Quest: A Study of Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman: | Children will be delighted by the funny and sweet book, Are You My Mother? by P. D. Eastman. They will participate in discussions about what happens, retell the story through drawings, and participate in an activity to identify the main story elements of this book. |
| Anyone for Mouse Soup?: | In this lesson, the teacher will guide the students multiple readings of Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel. This will be done as a read-aloud. Students will practice identifying story elements and learn new vocabulary words. For independent practice, students will retell this delightful story through writing. |
| A Close Reading of The Little Red Hen: | In this lesson, the students will listen to the teacher read aloud the folk tale The Little Red Hen. The students will collaborate with their teacher and peers during a close reading in order to determine the story elements and the moral or lesson that the story teaches. The students will work in pairs to describe the characteristics of the Little Red Hen and write a sentence about it. |
| It’s Mine! A Book About Sharing and Cooperation: | In this lesson students will use details from the story It's Mine! by Leo Lionni to describe story elements, determine unknown words, and understand the moral or lesson of the text. This will be done with teacher support, in pairs, and by working independently. The lessons will conclude with a piece of opinion writing to show students’ perspective on the text. |
| Be Brave and Fearless: A Closer Look at Sheila Rae, the Brave: | In this reading lesson, students will identify and describe story elements and retell the major events in the story Sheila Rae, the Brave by Kevin Henkes. Students will also identify the moral or the lesson learned in the story and write an opinion paragraph about the main characters as they explore the concept of bravery. |
| Let's Talk About the Three Little Pigs: | During these lessons, students will read two stories: The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka. Students will complete a variety of activities to help them identify the story elements and compare and contrast the two main characters of the story. Students will write an opinion piece explaining which version they think is the real version. |
| Mr. Duck Means Business: A Reading and Writing Lesson: | Students will be engaged with the adorably illustrated and written children's book, Mr. Duck Means Business. They will discuss the story elements, practice retelling it, and create an expository writing piece about how the main character changed from the beginning to the end of the book. |
| Caps For Sale, Come and Get Them!: | In this lesson, students will work with the text Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina. They will identify and describe the characters, settings, and major events using a graphic organizer. The students will then have an opportunity to retell the story by recalling the sequence of events. Finally, the students will write a narrative of the text using their own words to explain what happened first, next, then, and finally to the peddler. |
| Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge Finds a Memory: | After students read the delightful book Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, they will discuss the story elements and retell this tale. As the teacher guides the class through activities and discussion, students will learn about the significance of memories and the importance of friendship. The students will write an opinion piece about their definition of a memory. |
| Well-Defined Word Choice: | In this lesson, students will practice identifying and using descriptive words in their writing. Students will use photographs and text to study the concept of using descriptive words in writing. |
| From Good to Great!: | In this lesson, students will be able to identify and use descriptive words and phrases to write about various types of balls and marbles. Students will be able to work independently as well as in cooperative learning groups to transform "good" sentences into "great" descriptive sentences. |
| Adding Umph into My Narratives: | This series includes two lessons focused on descriptive writing. Students will recognize the importance of descriptive words in writing by adding their own descriptive words and phrases to a basic sentence in order to enhance meaning and by engaging in a sorting activity containing descriptive and simple sentences. Then students will improve their writing by revising their previously written narrative pieces to include adjectives to add meaning and detail to their writing. |
| Describing Words Make Our Writing Exciting: | This lesson is designed to teach students about adding description to their writing. They will be exposed to the word adjective as they practice adding descriptive words to enhance nouns in their writing to make it more exciting! Students will play a noun/adjective matching game and also complete descriptive paragraph with partner. |
| Is That How It Happened?: | In this lesson, students will participate in various sequencing activities using a teacher selected text. With a partner, students will recall events from the text to complete a graphic organizer that outlines the beginning, middle, and end of the story being read. Students will independently sequence pre-selected pictures from the text and write sentences that describe the pictures. |
| Reading with Our Eyes, Fingers, Toes, Ears and Nose: | In this lesson, students will practice identifying descriptive words in their reading. Students will identify describing words based on the five senses. Students will create a riddle using descriptive words and add it to a digital class presentation. |
| All about Alliteration: | In this lesson, students will become familiar with alliteration. Students will have an opportunity to listen to and read alliterative sentences and short stories. Students will create alliterative sentences with a partner and again independently. Students will also work through the different stages of the writing process as they pre-write, write, edit, revise, and publish to contribute to a class book. |
| Bird Beaks: Determining the Topic: | This lesson focuses on writing a summary using the topic and relevant details through the reading of a nonfiction text on bird beaks. |
| Making a Splash: Comparing Two Informational Texts through Read Alouds: | In this lesson, students will compare and contrast two informational texts through read alouds and use of a Venn diagram graphic organizer. The lesson uses Swimming by JoAnn Macken and Let's Swim by Carol Lindeen. Students will also write to summarize the similarities and differences between the two texts. |
| What is a Scientist? Topic and Relevant Details: | This lesson is intended to support students in finding the topic and relevant details in a text, also exposing students to the role and importance of scientists. Using an informational text, students will read about what scientists do and why they are important. After reading about scientists, students will write a summary identifying the topic and relevant details from the text. Then, they will share their summaries with partners in the classroom. |
| Describing Characters with Rich Language: | Students will use descriptive language to describe a character's personality. This lesson uses two stories by Kevin Henkes: Julius, the Baby of the World and Lilly's Big Day. |
| Descriptive Sentences: Helping Young Writers Elaborate: | In this lesson students will learn how to make their sentences descriptive and more engaging. They will transform generic sentences into detailed and distinctive statements that allow the reader to visualize what the author wants us to "see." After writing descriptive sentences about an animal, the students will fill out a peer editing form, revise their writing, and play a guessing game. |
| Giraffes and Zebras - Oh My!: | For this lesson, students will compare and contrast two different animals presented in two separate informational texts on the topic of Grassland Animals. Students will demonstrate their understanding of the similarities and differences in Venn diagram and through a written response. |
| Lesson Learned Using the Text Jamaica and Brianna: | In this lesson, students will retell the major events of the story Jamaica and Brianna by Juanita Havill. Students will then use details from the story to identify and explain the moral or lesson learned from the story. This lesson can follow as lesson 2 in a series using the same text. |
| The Big, Bad Wolves: | In this lesson, students will read two versions of the classic fairy tale, the Three Little Pigs, as they identify and describe the characteristics of the wolf character. They will then complete a Venn Diagram to determine the similarities and differences in the characteristics of the two wolf characters. Students will complete a writing response that describes the wolf characters evidence from the text and providing a sense of closure. |
| The Topic Matters (A Lesson On Solids) 1 of 3: | This lesson focuses on the concept of topic and relevant details and writing summary about science content on solids. |
Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
