In this lesson, students will research one Native American group from each of the six main biomes in North America. Students will use their developing technology and language arts skills to find reliable sources on the internet, evaluate and integrate information from these texts, select a suitable digital platform to share their findings, and create a cohesive presentation showcasing their mastery of the learning outcomes. Students will discover the climate, landforms, water, and other natural resources available within each region and how they were used by the natives living there. Students will explore the relationships between the cultures found within each region and its resources. This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

This lesson looks at the natural resources that drew settlers to Alabama. Students will explore the 1818 letter from Joseph Noble to his friend, Samuel B. Bidgood, describing the town at Tuscaloosa Falls. Students will explain ideas within this historical text based on specific information presented in this primary source. Follow up lesson - Alabama: A Boundless Field of Speculation This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Students whose first language is not English reflect on nature through readings, a visit to a green area, and bookmaking using the writing process and peer feedback.

Students will begin by brainstorming a list of needs that must be met for an animal to survive in its habitat. Next, the students will observe an ant farm, created by the teacher prior to the lesson, and determine how the ants' needs are being met through their environment. Then, students will create a list of needs that must be met for a plant to survive in its habitat and compare this list to animals' survival needs. Lastly, the teacher will assist students in developing a plan to build a natural habitat conducive to meeting the needs of a plant. At the conclusion of the lesson, the students will construct a plant terrarium. This lesson was created as part of the 2016 NASA STEM Standards of Practice Project, a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center.

The lesson content is connected to Alabama Course of Study SS2010 (4) which will explain why significant leaders of the Creek War disrupted the Alabama Creek Indian Headsmen and the government. The disruption would be solved through negotiation. The negotiating Creek Indians did not obtain full restoration of their land, however, they did accept a compromise. This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, an early astronaut's experiences teach students that Newton's third law of motion—for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction—applies both on Earth and in outer space.

In this lesson, students will be examining primary sources pertaining to differing viewpoints of America's involvement in World War I. The students will annotate the documents, looking for main ideas and supporting details. The students will then form graphic organizers separating two opposing viewpoints. Finally, students will write a group expository essay using the data from the graphic organizer. This lesson was created as part of the Alabama Bicentennial Commission's Curriculum Development Project.

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students examine the nutritional content of different foods and learn about the health benefits and risks associated with the food choices they make.

Instructional expert Jim Knight visits first year middle school teacher Aisha Santos to discuss pacing and structure of her lessons.

The Persuasion Map is an interactive graphic organizer that enables students to map out their arguments for a persuasive essay or debate.

This lesson will utilize the talking drawings strategy, in which students will begin the lesson by drawing a picture of a plant to illustrate how they think plants make their own food. Then, the teacher will introduce the process of photosynthesis using an interactive presentation to explain photosynthesis in a pictorial format. As the teacher describes the process, the students will create a scientifically accurate drawing of a plant engaging in photosynthesis. Lastly, students will create a writing piece that will describe the process of photosynthesis and construct a scientifically accurate illustration of the process of photosynthesis. This lesson results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.

In this seminar, you will be working on developing your narrative writing. By focusing on the plot, or the series of events, in a narrative writing, you will be able to create a more engaging and interesting story. The emphasis will be on creating a story arc that includes a problem and a solution and/ or rising and falling action. You will learn about these elements by seeing examples, identifying them, and finally writing them yourself. You will also compare and classify elements of plot in multiple examples of text. This seminar is the next logical step after completing the “Better Beginnings” seminar because it focuses on the “middle and end” of narrative writing. After completing both of these seminars, you should feel ready to create a narrative writing that has a strong beginning-middle-end.StandardsCC.1.4.4.M/ 1.4.5.MWrite narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events 

This lesson will allow students to gather evidence to better understand how plants and animals provide for themselves by altering the environment. Students will observe plants and animals. Students will discuss their findings with group members. The students will write or draw about their findings. After writing with their group members, students will produce and present their knowledge to the class via Chatterpix. This lesson results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.

The Plot Diagram is an organizational tool focusing on a pyramid or triangular shape, which is used to map the events in a story. This mapping of plot structure allows readers and writers to visualize the key features of stories.

When reading a narrative, there are some key story elements to pay close attention to. The two we are focusing on in this seminar are setting and plot. You will be able to describe in depth the setting and the plot using specific details from the text. First, you will be applying past knowledge to help you identify the parts of a plot as well as the setting. Using a graphic organizer, you will be listening to audiobooks and filling in these five elements of exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. By looking closely at a story, you are learning how a story is written and how important these parts are.StandardsCC.1.3.4.C Describe in depth a character, setting or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.

Lila Gray instills her own love of poetry in her students by encouraging them to write original works and finding poems that express who they are. Her weekly open mic sessions create a perfect venue for building confidence and helping students find their voice while still hitting core standards and learning lifelong skills.

Keri McAllister uses technology, workstations, and a lot of choice to turn her students loose on a unit on poetry. In workstations students watch "poetry in motion" videos, create a podcast about their chosen poet, and post reflections on a chosen poem on their class blog.

This lesson will begin with students reviewing the steps of the scientific method, then applying the steps of the scientific method using an online interactive game. Next, students will utilize the steps of the scientific method to explore factors that caused the population of the peppered moth to change over time. The students will conduct an experiment to gather data regarding the factors that led to a population shift in the peppered moth species. Then, students will read an article about the history of the peppered moth and play an online interactive game to further explore the factors that led to a change in this species's population. Lastly, students will develop a writing piece that includes a claim related to the change in the peppered moth's population and evidence that was gathered from the experiment, reading, and online activity. This lesson results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.

The Postcard Creator helps students learn to identify all the typical parts of a postcard, and then generate their own postcard messages by typing information into letter templates. After printing their texts, students can illustrate the front of their postcards in a variety of ways, including drawing, collage, and stickers.

In this seminar, you will be discovering how adding prefixes and suffixes to root words change the meanings of the root words. Additionally, you will be learning the meaning of common prefixes and suffixes. You will also be choosing the correct prefix and suffix to add to certain root words by classifying and comparing meanings of prefixes and suffixes and accessing prior knowledge.StandardsCC.1.1.3.DKnow and apply grade-level phonics and word analysis skills in decoding words. • Identify and know the meaning of the most common prefixes and derivational suffixes.