Your focus in this seminar will be on using text features to locate and better understand information.  These “habits of mind,” gathering data, and the importance of accuracy, will be connected throughout the seminar. You will have the opportunity to read, watch, listen, and create items that will lead to an effective understanding of how text features are used in various forms to deepen understanding.StandardsCC.1.2.3.EUse text features and search tools to locate and interpret information.

Students will read from an Alabama newspaper about President James Monroe's surprise visit to Huntsville. The article discusses the purposes of the visit, the locals who welcomed and entertained the President, and his discussion of current (1819) events. This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

MLA style essay formatting: margins, font, line spacing, header, info block, title, indentation, block quote, works cited.

This article examines the reading comprehension strategy known as making connections. It involves linking what is being read (the text) to what is already known (schema, or background knowledge). The author provides links to four online resources that will help readers use the strategy in K-5 science and literacy classrooms. The article appears in the free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which integrates science and literacy instruction.

The reading strategy known as making connections can greatly enhance students' understanding of any text. This article offers resources that teachers can use to instruct K-5 students in using the strategy. The free, online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle integrates science and literacy instruction. Each issue contains lessons and activities that combine literacy and science experiences.

This article discusses the reading instruction strategy of predicting and shows how it applies to science learning in the elementary school grades. It appears in the free online magazine Beyond Weather and the Water Cycle, which provides a first introduction to the Seven Essential Principles of Climate Literacy.

Students will explore exponential growth, sustainability, population trends, and social responsibility as observed in various texts relating to U.S. Westward Expansion.

During this lesson, students will recount a Paul Bunyan tall tale, an entertaining way to identify bodies of water and landforms in the United States. Although Paul Bunyan's Tales did not focus on Alabama, students will create their own narratives after viewing photographs of major mountain ranges, rivers, and lakes throughout Alabama (ACOS 3.2). This lesson will utilize ol der maps of the United States and Alabama, which are used to remind us that this folk tale was handed down orally until the early 1900s when a newspaper printed several accounts of the tall tale. This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

In this problem-based learning module, students will examine various forms of media and the ways that it can influence personal and social behavior. They first will work in stations to examine different types of media and explore what that media is while also addressing how it makes them feel. Afterward, they will work in small groups to create their own influential piece of media which communicates a problem they feel is facing their school.

This lesson will challenge learners to critically read and evaluate news articles presenting different positions on a single issue that the learner takes interest in. The learner will then be challenged to formulate their own opinion by refining their own argument on the issue. The target audience of learners for this lesson constitute the Career and College Readiness Standards Grade Level E (9-12) in their reading and writing abilities. Learners will hone practical skills by engaging in this lesson, such as how to critically engage with news and media, being able to succinctly summarize larger pieces of information, and using information to write a structured argument based on their own opinions. These skills will have practical applications for everyday life, reading and writing the GED, and when applying for jobs that require information processing.

This lesson will challenge learners to critically read and evaluate news articles presenting different positions on a single issue that the learner takes interest in. The learner will then be challenged to formulate their own opinion by refining their own argument on the issue. The target audience of learners for this lesson constitute the Career and College Readiness Standards Grade Level E (9-12) in their reading and writing abilities. Learners will hone practical skills by engaging in this lesson, such as how to critically engage with news and media, being able to succinctly summarize larger pieces of information, and using information to write a structured argument based on their own opinions. These skills will have practical applications for everyday life, reading and writing the GED, and when applying for jobs that require information processing.

This seminar consists of a mixed review, application, and design of all the text structures you have learned in the past; Descriptive/Spatial, Compare/Contrast, Chronological Order, Sequence, Cause/Effect, and Problem/Solution. You will be exposed to texts using all of the text structures. In addition, you will be further reminded of how text structure is applied to real life situations. Lastly, you will be given more opportunities to design your own texts which correlate to the text structures you have practiced and learned.StandardsCC.1.2.5.E Use text structure, in and among texts, to interpret information. 

"Models of Excellence is a curated, open-source collection of exemplary high-quality PreK-12 student work, along with resources to support the use of student work models to inspire and elevate teaching and learning. The purpose of this site is to catalyze the use of models to help build student skills and dispositions for success in college, careers and life."

Every student in Ms. Montgomerys class draws a picture of a monster and then writes a descriptive paragraph about it. Ms. Hoover then connects this class with another via video conference. This new class must now draw pictures based on the descriptions from the first class, who are now very aware of the importance of details in descriptive writing.

In this lesson, students will examine time lapse photos and videos to see the movement of stars during the night. Students will use star wheels to track the visibility of constellations throughout the year and graph the number of days a constellation is visible each month. Using data from the graphs, they will collaboratively construct a large-scale model of the sun, Earth, and constellations to better understand the role Earth's movement and axial tilt play in the visibility of stars. Finally, students will draw a diagram and write an explanation of the apparent movement of stars using data from the graphs and class model. This lesson results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.

Madeline Noonan meets with all of her students individually during writer's workshop. In each conference, she specifically identifies strengths and two goals. Students continue to revise and rewrite throughout the workshop process and build confidence in their writing at the same time.

Madeline Noonan starts every class day with a morning meeting. Students use vocabulary to describe how they're feeling, practice speaking in front of peers, and gain trust by sharing a little about themselves. A daily "greeting" adds a bit of fun.

Madeline Noonan uses "The Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss as a touchstone text creating a shared experience with the class that can be referred back to again and again. In this lesson, the touchstone text teaches students about looking for metaphors and symbols across an entire text rather than just a phrase or sentence.

In this seminar, you will be learning how to use context clues to help determine the meaning of a word that has multiple definitions. By classifying and comparing meanings of words, you will be able to choose the correct meaning of a word in a passage. This will help you comprehend what you are reading and gain a full understanding of the text you are reading.StandardsCC.1.2.4.K/ 1.2.5.KDetermine or clarify the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases based on grade-level reading and content, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies and tools.

In this seminar, you will be focusing on developing a “better beginning” to a narrative writing piece. The purpose of narrative writing is to entertain, and the beginning of your piece is an important first step. You will learn how to “hook” your reader in the beginning. Some ways you can do this is by introducing developed characters, establishing an exciting or relatable setting,  and creating the mood of your piece. In this seminar, you will work on improving all of these to create a “Better Beginning” to your narrative writing.StandardsCC.1.4.4.M/ 1.4.5.MWrite narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events.