ALEX Learning Activity 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

[DLIT] (2) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

This learning activity may be used before a lesson on Democracy to engage students in the principles of American democracy. It may be used around some holidays or celebrations such as Constitution Day.

This learning activity explores the chronological life of Benjamin Franklin. Students will read along with the Educator via the website about Franklin's life. Students will choose a year and research what happened during that year and report their findings to the class. The entire class will create a talking timeline that chronicles the life of Benjamin Franklin.

This activity is a result of the ALEX Resource Development Summit.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [DLIT] (2) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[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.

After students have had a lesson on the "Super 3!" research method and how to maneuver the Alabama Virtual Library site, students will complete a shared research activity answering the essential question: How do animals adapt to the area in which they live? The teacher will model how to research using the PebbleGo database from the Alabama Virtual Library.  Finally, students will complete an extension activity where they will research a specific animal and how it survives in its own habitat.

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

   View Standards     Standard(s): [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] (2) 26 :

26. Compare and contrast important details presented by two texts on the same topic or theme.

a. Compare and contrast different versions of the same story by different authors, from different cultures, or from different points of view.

Examples: The Three Little Pigs and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs; Cinderella and The Rough-Face Girl

b. Compare and contrast story elements of literary texts.

Examples: characters, settings, sequence of events, plots

[DLIT] (2) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

Students will use ReadWorks to read two articles and discuss that there are many different kinds of living things and that they exist in different places on land and in water. The students will create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast water and land animals.

This activity results from the ALEX Resource Gap Project.

   View Standards     Standard(s): [MA2019] (1) 2 :

2. Solve word problems that call for addition of three whole numbers whose sum is less than or equal to 20 by using concrete objects, drawings, or equations with a symbol for the unknown number to represent the problem.

[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] (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.

[DLIT] (1) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (2) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

[DLIT] (3) 5 :

R5) Locate and curate information from digital sources to answer research questions.

This activity is a digital breakout to enhance a unit with animal standards or for classes that have a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo. It can be used before or after the field trip or during the unit. It is an activity that will build collaborative and critical thinking. It can be used as a whole group activity for K-2 classrooms or for teachers/classrooms that are not familiar to digital breakouts. It can be an activity for small groups in K-5 rooms if students are familiar with digital breakouts. 

This Learning Activity was created in partnership with the Birmingham Zoo.