ALEX Lesson Plan Resources

ALEX Lesson Plans  
Subject: Digital Literacy and Computer Science (5), or English Language Arts (5), or Science (5), or Social Studies (5)
Title: Native Americans: How Their Environment Affected Their Culture
Description: In this lesson, students will research one Native American group from each of the six main biomes in North America. Students will use their developing technology and language arts skills to find reliable sources on the internet, evaluate and integrate information from these texts, select a suitable digital platform to share their findings, and create a cohesive presentation showcasing their mastery of the learning outcomes. Students will discover the climate, landforms, water, and other natural resources available within each region and how they were used by the natives living there. Students will explore the relationships between the cultures found within each region and its resources.  This unit was created as part of the ALEX Interdisciplinary Resource Development Summit.

Subject: English Language Arts (5), or Science (5)
Title: Is the Sun the Biggest Star?
Description: Young students may think the sun is the biggest and brightest star in the universe since it appears to be the brightest star in the sky when viewed from Earth. In this lesson, students will use flashlights to construct a model of the difference in stars' appearances due to their distance from Earth. Then they will use the Internet to research the sun and stars to create a poster, picture book, or digital presentation to explain that the sun is not the biggest or brightest star--it only appears that way due to its proximity to Earth.   This lesson results from a collaboration between the Alabama State Department of Education and ASTA.