ALEX Resources

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Lesson Plans (1) A detailed description of the instruction for teaching one or more concepts or skills. Learning Activities (2) Building blocks of a lesson plan that include before, during, and after strategies to actively engage students in learning a concept or skill. Classroom Resources (6)


ALEX Lesson Plans  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] (0) 3 :
3 ) Distinguish between living and nonliving things and verify what living things need to survive (e.g., animals needing food, water, and air; plants needing nutrients, water, sunlight, and air).

[SC2015] (0) 4 :
4 ) Gather evidence to support how plants and animals provide for their needs by altering their environment (e.g., tree roots breaking a sidewalk to provide space, red fox burrowing to create a den to raise young, humans growing gardens for food and building roads for transportation).

[SC2015] (1) 5 :
5 ) Design a solution to a human problem by using materials to imitate how plants and/or animals use their external parts to help them survive, grow, and meet their needs (e.g., outerwear imitating animal furs for insulation, gear mimicking tree bark or shells for protection).*

[SC2015] (2) 7 :
7 ) Obtain information from literature and other media to illustrate that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water (e.g., woodland, tundra, desert, rainforest, ocean, river).

[ELA2021] (0) 4 :
4. With guidance and support, ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information presented orally, through text, or other media.

Example: Use interrogatives who, what, where, when, why, and how to ask questions.
[ELA2021] (1) -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] (0) -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) -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] (1) 17 :
17. Use content knowledge built during read-alouds of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through drawing and writing.
[ELA2021] (1) 3 :
3. Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information to confirm understanding in response to information presented in audible, text, or digital format.
[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.
Subject: English Language Arts (K - 2), or Science (K - 2)
Title: Amazing Animal Adaptations for K-2
Description:

This is a multi-session interactive lesson plan about animal adaptations for kindergarten through second-grade students. The goal of this interactive digital lesson plan is to guide students through activities that help them understand how characteristics such as body covering, body parts, and behaviors help animals survive. These lesson plans also build cooperation and communication skills for students. There are additional resources provided for the teacher to use before or after using the HyperDoc. 

This Lesson Plan was created in partnership with the Birmingham Zoo.




ALEX Learning Activities  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (1) -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] (1) 20 :
20. Use text features to locate key facts or information in printed or digital text.

Examples: headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, icons, bold words, captions, illustrations
[DLIT] (1) 15 :
9) Use a variety of digital tools collaboratively to connect with other learners.

Examples: Video calling, blogs, collaborative documents.

Subject: English Language Arts (1), Digital Literacy and Computer Science (1)
Title: Top Ten Favorite Book Recommendations
Description:

Students will participate in online conversations using a video conferencing tool to share the class' top ten book recommendations. Each class will begin by taking turns sharing their number ten book with a one-minute explanation of the key ideas of the book using illustrations or details in the text, then share number nine in the list and so on, until they reach the top book of their class. 

This activity was created as a result of the DLCS COS Resource Development Summit.




   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (1) 10 :
4) Demonstrate age-appropriate methods for keeping personal information private.

Example: Keep passwords confidential, use anonymous profile picture or avatar, develop user names that are non-identifying or do not include actual name.

[ELA2021] (1) -5 :
R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.
[DLIT] (1) 2 :
R2) Recognize and demonstrate age-appropriate responsible use of digital devices and resources as outlined in school/district rules.

[ELA2021] (1) 3 :
3. Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information to confirm understanding in response to information presented in audible, text, or digital format.
[DLIT] (1) 12 :
6) Identify appropriate and inappropriate behaviors for communicating in a digital environment.

Examples: Cyberbullying, online etiquette.

[DLIT] (1) 13 :
7) Recognize that a person has a digital identity.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (1), English Language Arts (1)
Title: Digital Footprints: "Who Are You?" vs. "Where Are You?"
Description:

Through class conversation and research, students determine the difference between private and personal information and what is okay to share in a digital environment. Students will also discuss the two ways to leave a digital footprint: one that tells others who you are and one that tells others where you are.

This activity was created as a result of the DLCS COS Resource Development Summit.




ALEX Learning Activities: 2

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ALEX Classroom Resources  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (1) -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] (1) -3 :
R3. Expand background knowledge and build vocabulary through discussion, reading, and writing.
[ELA2021] (1) 6 :
6. Demonstrate basic to advanced phonological and phonemic awareness skills in spoken words.

a. Count, blend, segment, and delete syllables in spoken words, including polysyllabic words.

Examples: par-ti-cu-lar, cer-ti-fi-cate

b. Recognize and produce groups of rhyming words and distinguish them from non-rhyming groups of spoken words.

c. Produce alliterative words.

d. Blend and segment phonemes in single-syllable spoken words made up of three to five phonemes, including words with consonant blends.

e. Add, delete, and substitute phonemes at the beginning or end of spoken words made up of three to five phonemes, and produce the resulting word.

Examples: pan to pant; flight to light; cat to cap

f. Distinguish long from short vowel sounds in spoken, single-syllable words.

g. Distinguish between commonly-confused vowel sounds and commonly-confused cognate consonant sounds, using knowledge of mouth position, voiced and unvoiced sounds, and manner of articulation.

Examples: /f/ and /v/, /p/ and /b/, /t/ and /d/, /k/ and /g/, /m/ and /n/, /ng/ and /n/, /s/ and /z/, unvoiced /th/ and voiced /th/, /ch/ and /sh/, /ĕ/ and /ā/, /ĕ/ and /ă/

Note: This is extremely important as a foundational phonemic awareness skill for all learners.

h. Identify the sound substitution in words with five to six phonemes.

Example: strips/straps, square/squire
Subject: English Language Arts (1)
Title: Hey Diddle, Diddle! Generating Rhymes for Analogy-Based Phonics Instruction
URL: https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/diddle-diddle-generating-rhymes#ResourceTabs4
Description:

In this lesson, shared reading, guided reading, and small, cooperative-group instruction are used in the classroom to informally assess students' ability to demonstrate awareness of rhyme or other visual similarities in words. Students practice matching rhyming words using picture cards and apply phonological awareness—hearing rhyme—to analogy-based phonics (i.e., an ability to decode unknown words by identifying words with similar visual structure). Students use online resources to increase phonological awareness through rhyme.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (1) -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] (1) 8 :
8. Apply previously-taught phoneme-grapheme correspondences to decodable words with accuracy and automaticity, in and out of context.
[ELA2021] (1) 21 :
21. Identify the main topic and key details of literary and informational texts.
[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) 13 :
13. Read grade-appropriate poetry, noticing phrasing, rhythm, and rhyme.
[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.
Subject: English Language Arts (1 - 2)
Title: Picture Understanding! Building Comprehension in the Primary Grades With Picture Books
URL: http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/picture-understanding-building-comprehension-30904.html?tab=1#tabs
Description:

Comprehension is an essential component of successful reading. Through modeling and progressive levels of independent work, students become aware of the importance of retelling and essential story elements. Students demonstrate their understanding of stories through the use of online interactive graphic organizers and present story elements of an individual book through a book talk.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (0) -4 :
R2. Use knowledge of phoneme-grapheme correspondences and word analysis skills to decode and encode words accurately.
[ELA2021] (0) 2 :
2. Actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge needed to be successful as they learn to read and, later, read to learn.
[ELA2021] (0) 9 :
9. Demonstrate early phonological awareness to basic phonemic awareness skills in spoken words.

a. Count the number of words in a spoken sentence.

b. Recognize alliterative spoken words.

c. Recognize and produce pairs of rhyming words and distinguish them from non-rhyming pairs using pictures and/or spoken words.

d. Count, blend, and segment syllables in spoken words, including compound words.

e. Blend and segment onsets and rimes of single-syllable spoken words.

f. Identify the initial, final, and medial sounds of spoken words.

g. Blend and segment phonemes in single-syllable spoken words made up of three to four phonemes.

h. Distinguish between commonly confused cognate consonant sounds, using knowledge of voiced and unvoiced sounds and manner of articulation.

Examples: /t/ and /d/, /p/ and /b/, /ch/ and /j/, /s/ and /z/, /f/ and /v/, /k/ and /g/, /sh/ and /zh/, /th/ (voiced and unvoiced)

Note: Standard 9 is important as a foundational phonemic awareness skill for all learners.
[ELA2021] (0) 15 :
15. Orally read and reread grade-appropriate decodable texts smoothly, accurately, and expressively, at an appropriate rate to support comprehension.
[ELA2021] (1) -5 :
R1. Utilize active listening skills during discussion and conversation in pairs, small groups, or whole-class settings, following agreed-upon rules for participation.
Subject: English Language Arts (K - 1)
Title: Getting the -ig in Pig: Helping Children Discover Onset and Rime
URL: http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/getting-helping-children-discover-103.html?tab=1#tabs
Description:

The study of onset and rime is crucial to the development of reading and writing in K-2 students. This lesson incorporates literature, independent and cooperative learning, critical thinking, and hands-on activities to engage students in learning the -ig rime. Students explore books and magazines for words that have the -ig rime, in addition to brainstorming their own words. Furthermore, assessment is included as students incorporate learned words in context and isolation. This lesson can be adapted to teach various word patterns and could be used for basic ELL instruction.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (0) 2 :
2. Actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge needed to be successful as they learn to read and, later, read to learn.
[ELA2021] (0) 19 :
19. Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words in discussions and/or text.

a. Describe the relationship between words, including relating them to synonyms and antonyms.
[ELA2021] (1) -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] (1) 3 :
3. Ask and answer questions to seek help, get information, or clarify information to confirm understanding in response to information presented in audible, text, or digital format.
[ELA2021] (1) 8 :
8. Apply previously-taught phoneme-grapheme correspondences to decodable words with accuracy and automaticity, in and out of context.
[ELA2021] (1) 12 :
12. Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words and phrases in discussions and/or text.

a. Identify possessives and plurals and use them as clues to the meaning of text.

Example: Jack's coat, mom's car; pigs, pig's, pigs'

b. Identify meaningful parts of words (morphemes) and use them as clues to the meaning of unknown words, including frequently occurring affixes and inflections -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er, and -est.

Examples: Explain that adding suffix -s changes a singular noun to a plural noun and adding suffix -ed changes a verb to past tense.

c. Describe word relationships and nuances in word meanings, including relating them to their opposites and distinguishing shades of meaning in similar or related words.

Examples: look, peek, glance, stare, glare; big, large, gigantic, monstrous
Act out tiptoe, creep, and march to distinguish shades of meaning in words related to walk.
Discuss synonyms and antonyms.
Subject: English Language Arts (K - 1)
Title: "America the Beautiful": Using Music and Art to Develop Vocabulary
URL: http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/america-beautiful-using-music-1147.html?tab=1#tabs
Description:

This lesson uses music and art in a vocabulary study of unfamiliar words from the song "America the Beautiful," increasing students' vocabulary while also increasing their knowledge of U.S. geography. A discussion to activate students' prior knowledge about sights and scenery throughout the United States is followed by a read-aloud and introduction to the song "America the Beautiful," which is then sung in each session of the lesson. Students learn the meanings of the song's words through shared reading and the use of context clues and images. Students then use photographs, illustrations, and descriptive language to create a mural shaped like the United States. Finally, through pictures and words, students reflect on what they have learned. This lesson is appropriate and adaptable for any patriotic event or holiday, and many of the vocabulary strategies are adaptable for other texts or word lists, as well.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (0) -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] (0) 1 :
1. Actively listen and speak using agreed-upon rules for discussion, with guidance and support.

a. Use speech that is understandable with only grade-appropriate errors.

b. Use word endings to indicate plurals, possessives, and verb tenses in speech.

Examples: dogs, brother's shirt, jumped

c. Use age-appropriate irregular plurals in conversation.

Examples: foot/feet, tooth/teeth, mouse/mice

d. Listen to others and take turns speaking, carrying on a conversation through multiple exchanges.
[ELA2021] (0) 37 :
37. Actively participate in shared and independent writing experiences, for varied purposes and audiences, across different genres.

a. Actively participate in shared writing experiences to create messages, lists, and labels for a drawing or illustration.

b. Actively participate in shared writing experiences to create narratives with the events in chronological order and share feelings about the story, using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.

c. Actively participate in shared writing experiences to create opinion pieces about a topic or text, state the opinion, supply a reason for the opinion, and provide a sense of closure, using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.

d. Actively participate in shared writing experiences to create explanatory texts or provide factual information about a topic, using drawing, dictating, and/or writing.

e. With prompting and support, compose writing for varied purposes and audiences, across different genres.
[ELA2021] (0) 39 :
39. Participate in shared research and writing projects to answer a question or describe a topic.

a. Include information recalled from personal experiences in research and writing projects.

b. Gather information from provided sources for research and writing projects.
[ELA2021] (1) -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] (1) 1 :
1. Engage in collaborative discussions about topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups, utilizing agreed-upon rules.
[ELA2021] (1) 42 :
42. Participate in shared research and writing projects to answer a question or describe a topic.

a. Recall information from experiences to contribute to shared research and writing projects.

b. Gather information from provided sources.
[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) 46 :
46. Gather and use research to answer questions to complete a research product.

a. Create topics of interest for a research project.

b. Create questions to gather information for a research project.

c. Find information from a variety of sources.

Examples: books, magazines, newspapers, digital media

d. Define plagiarism and explain the importance of using their own words.
Subject: English Language Arts (K - 2)
Title: Our Community: Creating ABC Books as Assessment
URL: http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/community-creating-books-assessment-844.html
Description:

As students study the theme of community, they collect vocabulary words and key concepts. Students first talk about their community and then craft a definition of community. Students then examine several examples of the alphabet book genre and a variety of print and online texts. With the information they've found, students create alphabet books—individually, in small groups, or as a whole class—using an online tool. Their books relate each letter of the alphabet with a fact, keyword or phrase from their research, providing both an artifact that can be used to teach others about the subject and a demonstration of the knowledge gained in the unit that can be used for assessment. This unit focuses on the theme of community, but the idea can be adapted for any unit of study.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (0) -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] (0) 33 :
33. Express ideas orally and connect these ideas through drawing and emergent writing.
[ELA2021] (1) -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] (1) 12 :
12. Ask and answer questions about unfamiliar words and phrases in discussions and/or text.

a. Identify possessives and plurals and use them as clues to the meaning of text.

Example: Jack's coat, mom's car; pigs, pig's, pigs'

b. Identify meaningful parts of words (morphemes) and use them as clues to the meaning of unknown words, including frequently occurring affixes and inflections -s, -es, -ed, -ing, -er, and -est.

Examples: Explain that adding suffix -s changes a singular noun to a plural noun and adding suffix -ed changes a verb to past tense.

c. Describe word relationships and nuances in word meanings, including relating them to their opposites and distinguishing shades of meaning in similar or related words.

Examples: look, peek, glance, stare, glare; big, large, gigantic, monstrous
Act out tiptoe, creep, and march to distinguish shades of meaning in words related to walk.
Discuss synonyms and antonyms.
[ELA2021] (1) 30 :
30. Write legibly, using proper pencil grip.

a. Print upper and lowercase letters fluently, using proper approach strokes, letter formation, and line placement.

b. Print first and last names using proper letter formation, capitalization, and punctuation.

Examples: De'Andre McGill, Kim Mi-Sun, Juan de Jesus, Janie Parker

c. Use lower case letters in the majority of written work, using capitals only when appropriate.

d. Write letters of the English alphabet in alphabetical order from memory.
[ELA2021] (1) 32 :
32. Follow the rules of standard English grammar, punctuation, capitalization, and spelling appropriate to grade level.

a. Identify the required features of a sentence, including capitalization of the first word and end punctuation.

b. Transcribe spoken words to demonstrate that print represents oral language.

c. Compose a simple sentence, including a subject and a predicate, that expresses a complete thought.

d. With prompting and support, identify the role or purpose of a noun, verb, and adjective within a sentence and describe the type of the information it conveys.

e. Write the correct number of words, with proper spacing, for a spoken phrase or sentence.

f. Begin each sentence with a capital letter.

g. Capitalize the pronoun I and names of individuals.

h. Use commas in dates and words in a series.

i. With prompting and support, recognize, name, and correctly use end punctuation, utilizing appropriate academic vocabulary.

Example: period for declarative sentences, question mark for interrogative sentences, exclamation mark for exclamatory sentences
[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 :
R5. Utilize a writing process to plan, draft, revise, edit, and publish writings in various genres.
[ELA2021] (2) 7 :
7. Demonstrate standard English usage when speaking.

a. Use collective nouns.

b. Form and use frequently-occurring irregular plural nouns.

c. Use reflexive pronouns.

d. Form and use past tense forms of frequently-occurring irregular verbs.

e. Use adjectives and adverbs.

f. Produce and expand complete simple and compound sentences when speaking.
Subject: English Language Arts (K - 2)
Title: Action ABC's: Learning Vocabulary With Verbs
URL: http://readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/action-learning-vocabulary-with-918.html
Description:

Students are likely to know many more words than they use in their writing. This lesson is designed to help students better use their vocabulary by teaching (or reviewing) what verbs are and to help them access verbs they already know and use them in sentences. Students work together to brainstorm and create lists of verbs for each of the letters of the alphabet. Then, choosing one verb for each letter, they create pages for an Action Alphabet book. Each page includes an illustration and a sentence using the verb in context. The project can be adapted according to age level and language ability. Students in kindergarten may work together on a class book, while older students may work in small groups or individually. Similarly, the complexity of the example sentences will vary depending on students' writing levels.



ALEX Classroom Resources: 6

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