LAFS.4.W.3.7Archived Standard

Students will be able to explain the threats to animals in certain Everglades habitats and why they are threatened or endangered. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will use their knowledge of minerals and the rock cycle to analyze the rocks on three available sites for a new skate park. After analyzing each rock site, they will write a one page recommendation that will explain the classification of the rock and why it is the best for option for building. In addition, they will create a product plan that contains information on the rocks, their history and their uses. Student groups will present to fellow group members then each student will evaluate the products.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is the second lesson in a fourth grade unit on classification and categorization. In the independent practice activity, students will develop a few research questions on a topic of their choice, conduct research and use text features to identify information relevant to answering each question, take notes, and then sort and organize the information they gathered into an outline. The teacher modeling activity uses the text Animals that Hibernate by Phyllis J. Perry.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is the third lesson in a fourth grade unit on classification and categorization. Students will use an outline to create a research report. The additional lessons in the unit are attached as related resources.

Type: Lesson Plan

In the independent practice activity, students will develop three research questions, conduct research and take notes to answer each question, and then classify and categorize the information they gathered into an outline form. The teacher modeling section uses the informational text Squanto's Journey by Joseph Bruchac (text not provided) and the guided practice activity uses a text titled "Creepy Cave Crawlers" (text provided with the lesson).

Type: Lesson Plan

This is a MEA where students act as contest participants to determine the best flower to introduce to the Everglades for pollinators including those that are blind.

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 teaching idea, fifth grade students learn about the Great Depression, conduct research, and read the historical fiction novel, Esperanza Rising. After conducting interviews, students write 3rd person narratives and draw portraits of the locals who lived through that time period. This project was conducted in a Senior Center in Massachusetts and can easily be translated to a classroom in Florida.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching idea describes a fourth grade project students participated in after studying early man. Students created a magazine which included photos, drawings, text and graphics of what they researched and learned.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this lesson, third grade students access prior knowledge about water pollution before exploring the topic further using read-alouds. They then complete a sequencing graphic organizer using a story of a fish and its journey from the mountains to a polluted waterway. Finally, students' understanding of cause and effect is reinforced using a hands-on experiment, art project, and graphic organizer.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence

These activities provide a foundation for using nonfiction resources for developing and answering questions about gathered information. Using a wide variety of nonfiction literature, students learn to sort and categorize books to begin the information-gathering process. Then, working with partners and groups, using pictures and text, students are guided through the process of gathering information, asking clarifying questions, and then enhancing the information with additional details. Students complete the lesson by collaboratively making "Question and Answer" books for the classroom library. This is a high-interest foundation builder for using nonfiction literature in research as well as for pleasure reading.

Type: Unit/Lesson Sequence