ALEX Resources

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Lesson Plans (1) A detailed description of the instruction for teaching one or more concepts or skills. Unit Plans (1)  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): [ELA2021] (3) 19 :
19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text.

a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence.

b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text.

[ELA2021] (3) 23 :
23. Identify and use text features in informational passages to locate information.

Examples: headings, photographs, illustrations, labels, charts, graphs, legends

a. Explain how text features support details in the text.

b. Explain how illustrations contribute to meaning in a story.

c. Interpret text features used in written and digital formats.
[SS2010] GHS (3) 9 :
9 ) Identify ways to prepare for natural disasters.

Examples: constructing houses on stilts in flood-prone areas, buying earthquake and flood insurance, providing hurricane or tornado shelters, establishing emergency evacuation routes

[DLIT] (3) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (3) 22 :
16) Conduct basic keyword searches to produce valid, appropriate results, and evaluate results for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness.

Examples: Use search techniques, check for credibility and validity.

Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (3), or English Language Arts (3), or Social Studies (3)
Title: Preparing for Natural Disasters: Tornado
Description:

The lesson will begin by students performing a think-aloud as they consider the similarities of five words:  tornado, shelter, basement, underground, and safe room. Students will use a pros and cons graphic organizer as they read articles on three different types of tornado shelters: underground shelters, part of the house shelters, and prebuilt shelters. The students will find the advantages and disadvantages of each type of structure. At the end of the lesson, the teacher will create a table that lists all the shelters and the pros and cons of each. Students will then determine which shelter they feel is most efficient in an "exit slip" response. 

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




ALEX Unit Plans  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] (3) 15 :
15 ) Evaluate a design solution (e.g., flood barriers, wind resistant roofs, lightning rods) that reduces the impact of a weather-related hazard.*

[SC2015] (3) 14 :
14 ) Collect information from a variety of sources to describe climates in different regions of the world.

[SS2010] GHS (3) 9 :
9 ) Identify ways to prepare for natural disasters.

Examples: constructing houses on stilts in flood-prone areas, buying earthquake and flood insurance, providing hurricane or tornado shelters, establishing emergency evacuation routes

[MA2019] (3) 16 :
16. For a given or collected set of data, create a scaled (one-to-many) picture graph and scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories.

a. Determine a simple probability from a context that includes a picture.

b. Solve one- and two-step "how many more" and "how many less" problems using information presented in scaled graphs.
[ELA2021] (3) 19 :
19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text.

a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence.

b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text.

[ELA2021] (3) 23 :
23. Identify and use text features in informational passages to locate information.

Examples: headings, photographs, illustrations, labels, charts, graphs, legends

a. Explain how text features support details in the text.

b. Explain how illustrations contribute to meaning in a story.

c. Interpret text features used in written and digital formats.
[ELA2021] (3) 34 :
34. Write informative or explanatory texts about a topic using sources, including an introduction, facts, relevant details with elaboration, and a conclusion.
[DLIT] (3) 5 :
R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (3) 6 :
R6) Produce, review, and revise authentic artifacts that include multimedia using appropriate digital tools.

[DLIT] (3) 19 :
13) Communicate key ideas and details collaboratively in a way that informs, persuades, and/or entertains, using digital tools.

Example: Create a digital presentation to persuade school administrators to allow additional time for lunch.

[DLIT] (3) 22 :
16) Conduct basic keyword searches to produce valid, appropriate results, and evaluate results for accuracy, relevance, and appropriateness.

Examples: Use search techniques, check for credibility and validity.


Title: Increasing Public Safety During Tornadoes
Unit Plan Overview: After collecting information on climates in different geographic regions through digital sources, text, and illustrations, students will understand various natural disasters, as well as how and why they occur. Next, students will research the cause and effects of tornadoes and write a cause and effect two-paragraph essay. For the third lesson, students will research different designs of storm shelters and determine which storm shelter they feel has the best design. Students will research states with most occurrences of tornadoes and determine the ten states with the highest average of tornadoes over a certain time period and create bar and picture graphs of their findings. Students will research and use information from lesson three to sketch and create an engineering prototype of a structure which addresses a particular type of storm damage.   This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.



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ALEX Learning Activities  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 19 :
19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text.

a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence.

b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text.

[ELA2021] (3) 11 :
11. Read and reread grade-appropriate poetry, practicing phrasing, rhythm, rhyme, and meaningful expression.
Subject: English Language Arts (3)
Title: Learning Poetry With the Snowbird: Part 3
Description:

In this activity, students will read a familiar poem with appropriate phrasing, rhythm, and meaningful expression. In addition, students will identify the main idea and details within the poem, using text evidence to support their answers when completing the question set included with the text on ReadWorks. 

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Development Summit.




   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 19 :
19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text.

a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence.

b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text.

[ARTS] VISA (3) 9 :
9) Identify and explain how and where different cultures record and illustrate stories and history through art.

Examples: Discuss Chauvet cave paintings, Diego Rivera's mural, The History of Mexico, or the Bayeux Tapestry depicting the events of the Norman Conquest.

Subject: English Language Arts (3), Arts Education (3)
Title: Recording Culture Through Illustrations
Description:

Students will use a text's illustrations to gain information about the character's culture.

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




ALEX Learning Activities: 2

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ALEX Classroom Resources  
   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 19 :
19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text.

a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence.

b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text.

[ELA2021] (3) 23 :
23. Identify and use text features in informational passages to locate information.

Examples: headings, photographs, illustrations, labels, charts, graphs, legends

a. Explain how text features support details in the text.

b. Explain how illustrations contribute to meaning in a story.

c. Interpret text features used in written and digital formats.
[ELA2021] (4) 21 :
21. Explain how relevant details support the implied or explicit main idea of a text.

a. Determine the central idea or theme of a text.

b. Explain the difference between implied and explicit details.

c. Summarize the key supporting details by citing evidence from a text.
[ELA2021] (4) 23 :
23. Evaluate how text features and structures contribute to the meaning of an informational text.

a. Identify and describe the structures within a text, including description, comparison and contrast, sequence, problem and solution, and cause and effect.

b. Interpret information from text features in both print and digital formats.
[ELA2021] (5) 22 :
22. Determine the implied and/or explicit main idea in literary and informational texts.
[ELA2021] (5) 24 :
24. Determine and evaluate the effectiveness of digital and print text features and structures, including comparison and contrast, problem and solution, and cause and effect.

a. Identify various text features used in diverse forms of text.

b. Compare and contrast the overall structure of events, ideas, concepts, or information in multiple texts.
Subject: English Language Arts (3 - 5)
Title: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
URL: https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/reduce-reuse-recycle-what-is-air/reduce-reuse-recycle/
Description:

Save the Earth from all kinds of waste and trash. Rap with Mister C, read charts with a landfill rat, break the code for recycling symbols, then share this dirty, rotten, self-paced lesson with your friends.

This resource guides students as they identify the main idea and support details of a text.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (3) 19 :
19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text.

a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence.

b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text.

[ELA2021] (4) 21 :
21. Explain how relevant details support the implied or explicit main idea of a text.

a. Determine the central idea or theme of a text.

b. Explain the difference between implied and explicit details.

c. Summarize the key supporting details by citing evidence from a text.
Subject: English Language Arts (3 - 4)
Title: Text Detectives: Rise and Shine: Literacy Time
URL: https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/text-detectives-video/rise-and-shine-literacy-time/
Description:

2018 Arkansas Teacher of the Year, Randi House, shows students how to look for clues in a text to support answers and gives students several examples of sentence starters they can use to introduce evidence from the text. Ms. House tells students a short story about Milly Hilly and then asks questions that require students to make inferences that must be supported by story details. The accompanying activity gives students an opportunity to practice making and supporting inferences with the short story “The Fisherman and His Wife.”



   View Standards     Standard(s): [ELA2021] (2) 24 :
24. Identify the main idea and supporting details of literary and informational texts.

a. Explain how the supporting details contribute to the main idea.

b. Recount or summarize key ideas from the text.
[ELA2021] (3) 19 :
19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text.

a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence.

b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text.

Subject: English Language Arts (2 - 3)
Title: Slime Lab
URL: https://www.roomrecess.com/games/SlimeLab/play.html
Description:

Understanding how to support a point is important both in reading and writing. In Slime Lab, you're in control of a crazy scientist with a slime gun. His laboratory is overrun by robots and other traps. Try and find all 3 supporting details for the main idea through 10 levels of sci-fi adventure.



   View Standards     Standard(s): [SC2015] (3) 3 :
3 ) Explore objects that can be manipulated in order to determine cause-and-effect relationships (e.g., distance between objects affecting strength of a force, orientation of magnets affecting direction of a magnetic force) of electric interactions between two objects not in contact with one another (e.g., force on hair from an electrically charged balloon, electrical forces between a charged rod and pieces of paper) or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with one another (e.g., force between two permanent magnets or between an electromagnet and steel paperclips, force exerted by one magnet versus the force exerted by two magnets).

[SC2015] (3) 4 :
4 ) Apply scientific ideas about magnets to solve a problem through an engineering design project (e.g., constructing a latch to keep a door shut, creating a device to keep two moving objects from touching each other such as a maglev system).*

[ELA2021] (3) 19 :
19. Determine the explicit or implied main idea and supporting details of a text.

a. Explain how supporting details contribute to the main idea, using textual evidence.

b. Recount or summarize the key ideas from the text.

Subject: Science (3), English Language Arts (3)
Title: Magnets!: An Interactive Lesson
URL: https://aptv.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/reach-with-stem-magnets/magnets/
Description:

Meet a clingy red-eyed tree frog with a magnetic personality as you learn about magnets, magnetic forces, and how magnets make things move. Use main ideas and key phrases to help you read. Then, invent your own amazing magnet technology for the future.



ALEX Classroom Resources: 4

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