ALEX Lesson Plan Resources

ALEX Lesson Plans  
Subject: Arts Education (3 - 5), or Social Studies (3 - 5)
Title: Alabama's Pine Barren
Description: Students will read a description of the pine barrens by Basil Hall and analyze the text by using the 3-2-1 strategy. Students will discuss the life and work of Basil Hall, including his travels and journaling in North America. They will observe how a camera lucida functions and debate whether using a camera lucida is "cheating" in art. Next, students will venture outside to create a sketch of their environment while appropriately utilizing materials. They will compare and contrast their products to the sketches of Basil Hall and critique each other's work.  This lesson was created in partnership with the Alabama Department of Archives and History.

Subject: English Language Arts (3), or Social Studies (3)
Title: Reducing the Impact of a Flood
Description: Students will interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents and photographs about dam designs. Students will gain the skills necessary for researching by locating credible and original sources, and determining if the sources are primary or secondary. Students will use technology to create a presentation, highlighting primary and secondary sources. This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

Subject: Social Studies (3 - 4)
Title: Pros and Cons - Picture Perfect Capitol for Alabama
Description: Pictures of Alabama State Capitols are provided in this lesson to give students the opportunity to research information that could help them to give their point of view. It will be up to the students to provide further information about the pictures. This will start a conversation about the best location for a capital city and its capitol building. This lesson was created as part of the Alabama Bicentennial Commission’s Curriculum Development Project.