ALEX Resources

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 2 :

2 ) Identify national historical figures and celebrations that exemplify fundamental democratic values, including equality, justice, and responsibility for the common good.

•  Recognizing our country's founding fathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, John Adams, John Hancock, and James Madison

•  Recognizing historical female figures, including Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Harriet Tubman, and Harriet Beecher Stowe

•  Describing the significance of national holidays, including the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Presidents' Day; Memorial Day; the Fourth of July; Veterans Day; and Thanksgiving Day

•  Describing the history of American symbols and monuments

Examples: Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, bald eagle, United States flag, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial

[SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[ELA2021] (2) -5 :

R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

[ELA2021] (2) -3 :

R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.

[ELA2021] (2) 1 :

1. Participate in conversations and discussions with groups and peers utilizing agreed-upon rules.

[ELA2021] (2) 4 :

4. Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation, using complete sentences to provide key ideas and details.

[ELA2021] (2) 27 :

27. Identify the text structures within literary and informational texts, including cause and effect, problem and solution, and sequence of events.

The lesson will focus on ordering common events by times, days, months, steps, or events. Students will work collaboratively in groups to organize five child-focused events, steps, or times. These titles, events, steps, days, and times will be cut apart so that students need to organize them into a logical sequence. Groups will rotate through the five events to practice daily schedules, holidays, school schedules, weekly events, and procedural texts. Groups may take a picture of completed events as a digital copy or the teacher may check each group for formative assessment.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 2 :

2 ) Identify national historical figures and celebrations that exemplify fundamental democratic values, including equality, justice, and responsibility for the common good.

•  Recognizing our country's founding fathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry, John Adams, John Hancock, and James Madison

•  Recognizing historical female figures, including Abigail Adams, Dolley Madison, Harriet Tubman, and Harriet Beecher Stowe

•  Describing the significance of national holidays, including the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.; Presidents' Day; Memorial Day; the Fourth of July; Veterans Day; and Thanksgiving Day

•  Describing the history of American symbols and monuments

Examples: Liberty Bell, Statue of Liberty, bald eagle, United States flag, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial

[SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[MA2019] (2) 17 :

17. Measure the length of an object by selecting and using standard units of measurement shown on rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, or measuring tapes.

[MA2019] (2) 22 :

22. Create a number line diagram using whole numbers and use it to represent whole-number sums and differences within 100.

[ELA2021] (2) -5 :

R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

[ELA2021] (2) 1 :

1. Participate in conversations and discussions with groups and peers utilizing agreed-upon rules.

[ELA2021] (2) 4 :

4. Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation, using complete sentences to provide key ideas and details.

[ELA2021] (2) 22 :

22. Use content knowledge built during read-alouds and independent reading of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through writing.

[ELA2021] (2) 28 :

28. Establish a purpose before reading literary and informational texts to enhance comprehension.

Examples: for pleasure, to identify main idea, to gather information or facts on a topic

The lesson will focus on observing and creating timelines. The teacher will show students example timelines. Students will state things that they notice from the sample timelines. The teacher will read American Symbols: The Lincoln Memorial by Terri DeGezelle. The teacher and students will work together to create a timeline based on American Symbols: The Lincoln Memorial by Terri DeGezelle. Finally, students will break into groups and work to create a timeline with other American Symbols books.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (2) 1 :

1. Participate in conversations and discussions with groups and peers utilizing agreed-upon rules.

[ELA2021] (2) 3 :

3. Demonstrate oral literacy skills by participating in a variety of oral language activities.

Examples: creating oral stories, participating in oral dramatic activities, reciting poems and stories

[ELA2021] (2) 2 :

2. Present information orally using complete sentences, appropriate volume, and clear pronunciation.

a. Use oral language for different purposes: to inform, to entertain, to persuade, to clarify, and to respond.

b. Use complex sentence structures when speaking.

c. Ask and answer questions to seek help, clarify meaning, or get information.

[MA2019] (2) 17 :

17. Measure the length of an object by selecting and using standard units of measurement shown on rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, or measuring tapes.

[ELA2021] (2) -5 :

R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.

[SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[MA2019] (2) 22 :

22. Create a number line diagram using whole numbers and use it to represent whole-number sums and differences within 100.

The lesson will focus on creating a timeline. The teacher and students will work together to collect data from teachers around the school. Using this data, students will work to complete a class timeline and formulate questions to ask others about their completed timeline. This lesson will require four 30-45 minute sessions to complete.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[MA2019] (2) 22 :

22. Create a number line diagram using whole numbers and use it to represent whole-number sums and differences within 100.

[MA2019] (2) 17 :

17. Measure the length of an object by selecting and using standard units of measurement shown on rulers, yardsticks, meter sticks, or measuring tapes.

[ELA2021] (2) -1 :

R5. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.

[ELA2021] (2) 40 :

40. Write a personal or fictional narrative using a logical sequence of events, including details to describe actions, thoughts, and feelings and providing a sense of closure.

This lesson will focus on creating timelines. Students will use important dates from their lives to create a personal 5 event timeline. Students will use rulers to measure equal spaces for their timelines. This lesson will require two one-hour sessions. The first lesson will include the lesson introduction, work on timelines, and time for formative assessments as students work. The second session will be used to complete timelines, share projects, and complete exit tickets.

This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT (0) 6 :

6 ) Compare cultural similarities and differences in individuals, families, and communities.

Examples: celebrations, food, traditions

[SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, students discover what happens when Molly's dog, Suki, finds a bone with beautiful markings on it in the 11-minute animated story “Suki's Bone” from the PBS KIDS series MOLLY OF DENALI™. (Move the cursor over the video progress bar to locate the story at 01:00.) After Grandpa Nat's archeologist friend confirms that the bone is an important Alaska Native artifact, Molly and her friends Tooey and Oscar think everything they find might belong in a museum! Integrating Alaska Native culture and history with informational text, the video shows how labels in museums help explain the exhibits, while Molly and her friends also learn about traditional Alaska Native games and tools.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] LWT2 (2) 10 :

10 ) Identify ways people throughout the country are affected by their human and physical environments.

Examples: land use, housing, occupation

•  Comparing physical features of regions throughout the United States

Example: differences in a desert environment, a tropical rain forest, and a polar region

•  Identifying positive and negative ways people affect the environment

Examples: positive—restocking fish in lakes, reforesting cleared land

negative—polluting water, littering roadways, eroding soil

•  Recognizing benefits of recreation and tourism at state and national parks (Alabama)

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, students learn about Native American winter counts in South Dakota and complete an interesting activity. This video is part of Activity Starters, which is an animated video series. In each episode an animated character introduces a concept and an activity

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] ALA (4) 3 :

3 ) Explain the social, political, and economic impact of the War of 1812, including battles and significant leaders of the Creek War, on Alabama.

Examples: social—adoption of European culture by American Indians, opening of Alabama land for settlement

political—forced relocation of American Indians, labeling of Andrew Jackson as a hero and propelling him toward Presidency

economic—acquisition of tribal land in Alabama by the United States

•  Explaining the impact of the Trail of Tears on Alabama American Indians' lives, rights, and territories

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, the kids discuss how much they learned on their adventure and their new-found excitement for Alabama history.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] ALA (4) 1 :

1 ) Compare historical and current economic, political, and geographic information about Alabama on thematic maps, including weather and climate, physical-relief, waterway, transportation, political, economic development, land-use, and population maps.

•  Describing types of migrations as they affect the environment, agriculture, economic development, and population changes in Alabama

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, students will be led on a historical adventure. After jumping through the portal into this world, the kids go on an adventure to learn more about Moundville, one of the largest Native American towns ever built.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] ALA (4) 2 :

2 ) Relate reasons for European exploration and settlement in Alabama to the impact of European explorers on trade, health, and land expansion in Alabama.

•  Locating on maps European settlements in early Alabama, including Fort Condé, Fort Toulouse, and Fort Mims

•  Tracing on maps and globes, the routes of early explorers of the New World, including Juan Ponce de León, Hernando de Soto, and Vasco Núñez de Balboa

•  Explaining reasons for conflicts between Europeans and American Indians in Alabama from 1519 to 1840, including differing beliefs regarding land ownership, religion, and culture

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, the kids continue their adventure in Old Mobile, a settlement for French colonists in the early 1700s. They view artifacts from these early settlers at the University of South Alabama Archaeology Museum.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] ALA (4) 3 :

3 ) Explain the social, political, and economic impact of the War of 1812, including battles and significant leaders of the Creek War, on Alabama.

Examples: social—adoption of European culture by American Indians, opening of Alabama land for settlement

political—forced relocation of American Indians, labeling of Andrew Jackson as a hero and propelling him toward Presidency

economic—acquisition of tribal land in Alabama by the United States

•  Explaining the impact of the Trail of Tears on Alabama American Indians' lives, rights, and territories

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, the kids head to the Tribal Archives of the Poarch Band of Creek Indians to view artifacts and records that show them more about the Creek Indians and their importance in Alabama.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] ALA (4) 1 :

1 ) Compare historical and current economic, political, and geographic information about Alabama on thematic maps, including weather and climate, physical-relief, waterway, transportation, political, economic development, land-use, and population maps.

•  Describing types of migrations as they affect the environment, agriculture, economic development, and population changes in Alabama

[SS2010] ALA (4) 2 :

2 ) Relate reasons for European exploration and settlement in Alabama to the impact of European explorers on trade, health, and land expansion in Alabama.

•  Locating on maps European settlements in early Alabama, including Fort Condé, Fort Toulouse, and Fort Mims

•  Tracing on maps and globes, the routes of early explorers of the New World, including Juan Ponce de León, Hernando de Soto, and Vasco Núñez de Balboa

•  Explaining reasons for conflicts between Europeans and American Indians in Alabama from 1519 to 1840, including differing beliefs regarding land ownership, religion, and culture

[SS2010] ALA (4) 3 :

3 ) Explain the social, political, and economic impact of the War of 1812, including battles and significant leaders of the Creek War, on Alabama.

Examples: social—adoption of European culture by American Indians, opening of Alabama land for settlement

political—forced relocation of American Indians, labeling of Andrew Jackson as a hero and propelling him toward Presidency

economic—acquisition of tribal land in Alabama by the United States

•  Explaining the impact of the Trail of Tears on Alabama American Indians' lives, rights, and territories

[SS2010] ALA (4) 5 :

5 ) Describe Alabama's entry into statehood and establishment of its three branches of government and the constitutions.

•  Explaining political and geographic reasons for changes in location of Alabama's state capital

•  Recognizing roles of prominent political leaders during early statehood in Alabama, including William Wyatt Bibb, Thomas Bibb, Israel Pickens, William Rufus King, and John W. Walker

In this video from PBSLearningMedia, three young kids venture outside their 2-D animated world to learn about early Alabama history for their upcoming school report. Aided by their hyper-intelligent robotic friend Roto and a magical portal, they visit some of Alabama’s historic sites to learn about Native American societies, early settlers, and the beginning of Alabama’s statehood. With the help of local archaeologists and historians, they just might make it back home in time to get to school and turn in their report!

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

In this learning activity, students learn about the methods and tools necessary to conduct a genealogical interview to research women's history in their family.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this activity, students learn about life in a sod house by looking at photographs (primary sources) and answering questions.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] GHS (3) 11 :

11 ) Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.

•  Comparing maps of the past to maps of the present

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

In this learning activity, students analyze newspaper advertisements (primary source) regarding runaway slaves from the Charleston Mercury, a South Carolina newspaper, to learn about the Underground Railroad.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT (0) 6 :

6 ) Compare cultural similarities and differences in individuals, families, and communities.

Examples: celebrations, food, traditions

[SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[ARTS] VISA (0) 5 :

31. Apply knowledge of grade-appropriate phoneme-grapheme correspondences and spelling rules (or generalizations) to encode words accurately.

a. Encode vowel-consonant (VC) and consonant-vowel-consonant (CVC) words, while using some knowledge of basic position-based rules for spelling English words in closed syllables.

Examples: /k/=k before i, e, or y as in kit; /k/= c before a, o, u, or any consonant as in cup, cat, cop; /k/= -ck after an accented short vowel as in duck, back, rock, pick, deck

b. Encode consonant-vowel (CV) words using knowledge of open syllable patterns.

Examples: he, me, she, go, no

c. Encode words with two-consonant blends in beginning position, including blends that are commonly confused with other spellings, by distinguishing the placement and action of the lips, teeth, and tongue during articulation.

Examples: cl, bl, sl, tr, cr, sk, st, sl, sm, sn, sp, sw, dr, br, bl

Note: Many students spell the tr blend with digraph ch because of the confusion of the coarticulation of the /t/ and /r/ sounds. Many students spell the dr blend with the letter j because of the confusion of the coarticulation of the /d/ and /r/ sounds.

d. Encode words with consonant digraphs using knowledge that one sound may be spelled with two letters.

Examples: sh, th, ch, wh, ng, ck

e. Encode words with vowel-consonant-e syllable patterns.

Examples: hike, spike, joke, dime, make

f. With prompting and support, encode words with the common vowel teams and diphthongs.

Examples: ee, ea, oa, ai, a, au, aw, oi, oy, ou, ow, oo, igh

g. With prompting and support, encode words with vowel-r combinations ar, or, er, ir, and ur.

h. With prompting and support, encode words with final /ch/ sound spelled -ch and -tch.

Examples: /ch/= ch after a consonant, vowel-r, or vowel team as in munch, bunch, porch, smooch
/ch/= tch after a short vowel sound as in hatch, crutch, ditch

i. With prompting and support, encode words with final /f/, /l/, and /s/ sounds in one-syllable base words by doubling the final consonant when it follows a short vowel sound.

Examples: cliff, hill, pass

j. Encode words with final /v/ sound, using knowledge that no English word ends with a v.

Examples: have, give, save

k. Encode grade-appropriate high frequency words that follow regular phoneme-grapheme correspondences.

Examples: am, at, can, he, we, be, in, it, came, like

l. Encode grade-appropriate high frequency words that follow regular phoneme-grapheme correspondences and patterns in all but one position, pointing out the part of the word that does not follow the regular pattern.

Examples: said, are, to

m. Encode words with suffixes -s, -es, -ing, -ed, -er, and -est.

Examples: dogs, wishes, jumping, jumped, faster, fastest

n. With prompting and support, encode words with common prefixes re-, un-, and mis-.

o. With prompting and support, encode frequently confused homophones, using knowledge of English and meaning to facilitate learning.

Examples: hear/here; for/four; to/too/two.

Note: To is a preposition which begins a prepositional phrase or an infinitive. Too is an adverb meaning "excessively" or "also." Two is a number. Many other words in English which reflect the number two are spelled with tw: twin, twice, between, tweezers.

[ARTS] VISA (2) 14 :

14) Create works of art about events in home, school, or community life.

In this learning activity, students will learn about women's history and making quilts. Students will make a quilt square in honor of a person who is important to them.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT1 (1) 6 :

6 ) Compare ways individuals and groups in the local community and state lived in the past to how they live today. (Alabama)

•  Identifying past and present forms of communication

Examples: past—letter, radio, rotary-dial telephone

present—e-mail, television, cellular telephone

•  Identifying past and present types of apparel

•  Identifying past and present types of technology

Examples: past—record player, typewriter, wood-burning stove

present—compact diskette (CD) and digital video diskette (DVD) players, video cassette recorder (VCR), computer, microwave oven

•  Identifying past and present types of recreation

Examples: past—marbles, hopscotch, jump rope

present—video games, computer games

•  Identifying past and present primary sources

Examples: past—letters, newspapers

present—e-mail, Internet articles

[SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[SS2010] ALA (4) 6 :

6 ) Describe cultural, economic, and political aspects of the lifestyles of early nineteenth-century farmers, plantation owners, slaves, and townspeople.

Examples: cultural—housing, education, religion, recreation

economic—transportation, means of support

political—inequity of legal codes

•  Describing major areas of agricultural production in Alabama, including the Black Belt and fertile river valleys

[ELA2021] (1) 23 :

23. Identify and describe the main story elements in a literary text.

a. Describe the characters and settings, using illustrations and textual evidence from a story.

b. Retell the plot or sequence of major events in chronological order.

[ELA2021] (2) 23 :

23. Identify the main story elements in a literary text.

a. Explain the plot of a narrative, using textual evidence to list the major events in sequence.

b. Describe the characters' traits, feelings, and behaviors in a story.

c. Describe the setting of a narrative, using textual evidence.

d. Identify the central message or moral of a story.

e. Identify the theme in myths, fables, and folktales.

[ELA2021] (4) 15 :

15. Analyze in depth a character, setting, or event in a story or drama, drawing on specific details in the text.

a. Identify and explain attitudes and influences of multiple characters within a text.

b. Explain how the main character changes throughout the story, using explicit evidence from the text.

c. Make an inference about a character's behavior, the setting, and/or specific events, using explicit details from the story.

In this learning activity, students read Dakota Dugout by Ann Turner. They look at an object that would have been important to a woman living in a sod house and try to determine what the object is.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [SS2010] LWT2 (2) 3 :

3 ) Use various primary sources, including calendars and timelines, for reconstructing the past.

Examples: historical letters, stories, interviews with elders, photographs, maps, artifacts

[ELA2021] (2) 4 :

4. Orally answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions about a text or conversation, using complete sentences to provide key ideas and details.

In this learning activity, students read When Clay Sings by Byrd Baylor and learn how to answer questions by examining an object.