LAFS.2.W.3.8Archived Standard

Students will run a relay race imitating parent Wood Storks feeding their babies; one team during the wet season, the second team during the dry season. Students will draw connections from this relay to what happens to aquatic life as the waters in the Everglades dry.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this second grade MEA Lesson, Science will be a focus as students work collaboratively to decide what air conditioning cooling refrigerant brand will be the primary choice for an air conditioning company.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about different types of habitats as they gather information based on research questions. Students will summarize the information from their research in an expository paragraph and create a diorama to present their habitat to their peers.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use the book Stellaluna, along with informational text, to create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting bats and birds. They will then compare and contrast two other similar animals using the text A Whale Is Not a Fish and Other Animal Mix-ups, completing a Venn diagram and writing an expository paragraph that describes the similarities and differences between the two animals.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this model eliciting activity, students are asked to help the International Olympic Committee rank prospective host cities for upcoming Summer Olympic Games. Students are provided with data about a list of applicant cities and then must rank the cities and write a proposal to the IOC explaining their rankings. At the end of the MEA, the students will write an opinion piece for the International Olympic Committee that tells their final decision about which city should be the next host of the Summer Olympic Games.

Type: Lesson Plan

This MEA asks students to decide which factors are important in choosing the best cookie in a cookie contest. Students will take on the role of cookie critics to provide feedback to a teacher whose grade level is deciding which cookie to use for a fundraiser. They will rank order their choices from the best to worst cookie. Students will provide a detailed written explanation for how they decided to rank factors and their solution. They will show their work while adding up to 4 two-digit numbers to calculate the total number of votes.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will help choose the best value of connecting blocks by developing a procedure based on the following criteria: color, ease of use, variety of blocks, and number of blocks per set. They will reassess these blocks during the twist incorporating a new type of block. They will need to calculate the total costs of each set of blocks.

Students may arrange the criteria based on their teams’ interpretation of most important to least important. Students may have to make trade-offs based on these interpretations (i.e., price versus the other criteria in the data sets).

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Although, chocolate sales in America have continued to grow, due to the increased awareness of childhood obesity, there is major concern about the nutritional value of chocolate candy bars. Chocolate Delight, a chocolate bar company, wants to improve its sales to elementary students by creating a healthy chocolate bar. They have tested 5 new recipes and need to determine which candy bar is best for children. The students will rank the recipes from best to worst based on the following criteria: healthiness, taste, and nut allergies and make a recommendation of the healthiest recipe to Chocolate Delight.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn to compare and contrast texts about life cycles using a Venn diagram. Then, using the Venn diagram, students will write an expository paragraph including an introductory sentence, comparing/contrasting sentences, and a concluding sentence.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this 2-3 part session, students will manipulate printable objects and sort them into the three states of matter-solid, liquid and gas. They will also participate in a hands-on group investigation and record their observations into their Science Notebooks. A quiz on the content is also provided.

Type: Lesson Plan

This resource was completed on a general lesson plan template, but also includes the 5E lesson model. The lesson allows for students to use Reading, Writing, Science and some Math skills. It is an interactive lesson that includes an outdoor exploration, if you do not have the ability of taking your students outdoors you can complete the lesson by having an ant farm in the classroom available for student observations (we have an ant habitat from Steve Spangler Science that includes space aged gel allowing students to get a close up look at the ants and their tunneling).

Type: Lesson Plan

This model eliciting activity is based on the book The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney. In the story, Mrs. Brisbane's class spends a fun filled school year with their class pet, a hamster named Humphrey. In this MEA, Mrs. Brisbane needs the students' help getting Humphrey ready for the summer. First, the students need to design a cage for Humphrey and create a shopping list of all the supplies he will need to make it through the summer months. Then they need to sort through all of the applications Mrs. Brisbane receives to choose the best summer home for Humphrey the hamster.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is the first lesson in a series about ants. In this lesson, students will create a KWL chart. New learning will occur as the students read an informational text about ants and talk about how text features help readers while they highlight important details. Students will complete an exit ticket to show their knowledge at the end of this lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

Now that your students have become interested in this amazing animal, it is time to learn more by starting a research project. Students will use multiple sources and a graphic organizer to record new facts about ants in preparation to complete an expository writing piece in the next lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this multi-day lesson, students will read informational text on germs, learn how germs are spread, and ways to avoid getting sick. They will identify the key details of the text and use the images (diagrams, photos, charts) in the text to help them understand the key points. The students will create a detail web using evidence from each text and will then write an explanatory paper explaining what they have learned. The students will also participate in a guided class discussion. The students will learn the guidelines and procedures for successful discussion and will also learn how to come prepared for discussion by providing supporting information from the texts they have read.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn various contributions made by famous African Americans throughout history. They will answer questions about informational text while identifying the central idea and relevant details in the text. They will then write about two famous African Americans and the contributions they made, using information from the text.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will identify and describe story elements and compare and contrast two versions of fairy tale Cinderella. Students will write an expository paragraph describing the similarities and differences of the two texts and provide textual evidence for support.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this activity, students will use resources to answer questions about a topic. They will use a graphic organizer to record their research.

Type: Student Center Activity