An emergent reader is a young child who is in the early stages of learning to read. They are developing foundational reading skills and becoming aware of how written language works. Emergent readers rely on visual cues, context, and basic letter-sound knowledge to make sense of the text as they gradually build their reading abilities.  Emergent reading is defined as all of the behaviors and understandings of learners of any age that precede and develop into conventional reading. (Koppenhaver, Coleman, Kalman & Yoider 1991; Sulzby, 1985)Emergent reading strategies include providing opportunities for shared reading, self-selected reading, accessing various types of text, and building background knowledge. What if a student cannot hold a book and turn the pages of a book?  What if a student is non-speaking, how will they participate in reading experiences?  This module provides ideas for removing these barriers to provide rich emergent reading experiences for ALL students.

This is a 5th grade writing unit focusing research and informational writing on ugly and weird animals.

This module is designed for 3rd through 5th graders to explore their names, identity, immigration and cultural lore to find heroic moments in their family history. Using Icelandic immigration, both historical and current, as a model to explore: the meaning and uses of names, the difficulties of language, belonging and identity, and historical storytelling through "Egil's Saga", the student creates a personal definition of a hero. After learning basic interview techniques, the module includes interviewing a family member and identifying a heroic moment to portray through a student created comic. A gallery of comics is displayed for the community viewing including artists statements.

Students often struggle to find theme in literature--one that is not a bumper sticker, a "moral to the story," or anything that could be applied to more than one story.  Understanding what theme is, an implicit argument the author is making, is the first step.  Then it gets more complicated as they realize that there are wrong answers (the ones that don't make sense with the story), there are undeveloped answers (ones that don't get far enough past motif but are on the right track), and there are many possible correct answers that can be explained and supported with the text. This activity uses the Generate-Sort-Connect-Elaborate strategy in small groups to help students focus on the details of the story and how they contribute to the overall point of the story.  It can be used with any piece of literature you deem appropriate for your students.

This lesson is a follow-up to learning the CRAAP strategy (or some other evaluation strategy) and allows students to put it into practice.  This lesson is part of a media unit curated at our Digital Citizenship website, "Who Am I Online?"

Folk tales and fairy tales are of interest to and part of the language arts curriculum for young learners. This lesson supports the study of this genre and the study of irregular patterns and letter-sound relationships related to decoding and spelling. After reading the folk tale Jack and the Beanstalk, students discuss the word giant and its beginning sound. Students then create their own lists of words that begin with the same sound. Then, students are introduced to words with the soft g sound and create a new list of words with this beginning sound. As a culminating activity, students work individually or in groups to categorize animal names into groups according to their beginning g sound.

Students learn the skill of lateral reading to help identify potential bias in online resources. Students focus their investigation on famous cases involving counterfeiting and fraud - a forensics tie in.

Students learn about homeostasis and create models by constructing simple feedback systems using Arduino boards, temperature sensors, LEDs and Arduino code. Starting with pre-written code, students instruct LEDs to activate in response to the sensor detecting a certain temperature range. They determine appropriate temperature ranges and alter the code accordingly. When the temperature range is exceeded, a fan is engaged in order to achieve a cooling effect. In this way, the principle of homeostasis is demonstrated. To conclude, students write summary paragraphs relating their models to biological homeostasis.

In this lesson students use a Tuning Protocol to give and receive peer-to-peer feedback on student writing in a structured, safe environment.

Lesson Title:  Using Setting to study the meaning of Home in The One and Only Ivan Grade level: 6 Standard: RL 6.2, 6.6 Time: Objectives: Students will analyze the elements of setting in each of Ivan’s homes throughout the novel.Students will work in groups to find textual examples and evidence.Students will use setting analysis to write a paragraph about the meaning of Home in the novel. Materials: The One and Only Ivan novelsPoster board (1 per pair of students)Markers, crayons, colored pencils of choicePaper and writing utensils Procedures: Assign students their partner pairings, and have them spread out around the room, sitting with their partners.Pass out poster boards (one per pair).  Students should draw two lines through the center of the poster, one horizontally and one vertically to create four equal quadrants on the poster.In a large group discussion, students should help identify the four settings described in the novel which served as HOME for Ivan at some point.  They should then label each quadrant with one of the settings (Mack’s house, jungle, circus, zoo)Give them time to work with their partners to identify as least four textual examples describing each of the four settings.  (four examples x four settings = at least 16 textual references) Students should record these examples in the corresponding quadrant of the poster.  They should also create a drawing or visual representation of each setting in the corresponding quadrant.Students will then present their posters to the class, sharing at least one example for each setting, so as not to take up too much class time and become too repetitive.Discuss as a full group those details that made each setting either positive or negative.  Have students reflect on what they think HOME means to the author that is conveyed through the character of Ivan.Assign students (individually, no longer in partners) a paragraph writing assignment describing the meaning of HOME in the novel.  They should reference at least four textual examples from their partner projects in their paragraphs.

What images symbolize hatred, peace, freedom, or confinement? What feelings do these images evoke in the viewer? What power do images have? These and many other questions provide the framework for students to use technology to explore symbolism in Elie Wiesel's Night. Students begin with a discussion of everyday symbols, such as street signs and hand gestures, to help them come up with their own definition for symbolism. Students then choose and analyze a passage from Night that uses darkness as a symbol, and then brainstorm how they might reinterpret their selected passage as an image. After learning about symbolism and discussing its use in the book, students create visual representations using an interactive tool. Students then express their response to the symbolism in the book by creating a photo montage using images from multiple websites about the Holocaust, text from survivor stories, articles about hate crimes, and Night.

In this lesson students will create a graphic organizer that uses the titles and subtitles of an informational text before they begin reading.

In this lessons students identify information from text using titles, subtitles, diagrams, charts, graphs, maps, photographs, illustrations, and captions by using a preview checklist.

In this lesson designed to enhance literacy skills, students examine our growing waste problem and learn about strategies we can use to lessen the strain on our landfills and Earth's natural resources: reduce, reuse, recycle.

In this lesson students will use the core standards and an academic vocabulary template (adapted from Janet Allen and Robert Marzano) to explicitly learn the academic language they will need to understand, not only in English Language Arts, but in all content areas.

These five modules introduce secondary science teachers to a powerful resource, from the Washington State Department of Health, entitled the “Washington Tracking Network” (WTN).  This is a tool for mapping (a) the distribution of numerous factors that influence public health, and (b) the inequitable distribution of health outcomes. This wonderful system naturally invites us to inquire about the intersections of biological, societal, and environmental issues. The overarching goal of these five  modules is to support teachers to design student activities that (1) inspire and connect students to real world health & environmental data, and each other, (2) promote clean air, land, and water, (3) promote the use of the Washington Tracking Network data mapping system, (4) support equitable, 3-dimensional learning, including the use of community wisdom to solve public health issues, and (5) use science for student action and leadership in response to current and historical misuses of science. These modules were created in collaboration with epidemiologists and communications professionals from the Washington Department of Health.

Acompáñanos a observar de cerca los diferentes aviones hechos en casa con el fin de explorar sus partes y determinar sus propósitos.

Acompáñanos a observar de cerca las partes de diferentes aviones que les permiten volar y flotar.

Acompáñanos a ver de cerca las fotos de Bessie Coleman, la primera mujer piloto afroamericana con licencia, y a explorar un avión como el que ella pilotaba.

Acompáñanos a observar de cerca las imágenes de varios planetas de nuestro sistema solar.