Name Poetry

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught during my student teaching internship.

Have the student write the letters of their name down the left side of a sheet of paper. Then have them write a phrase or group of adjectives about themselves that starts with each letter of their name.

Have student proofread and revise, then make the final copy on a colored sheet of paper, using somewhat fancy lettering of the students’ choice for their name.

Adaptation: allow below-level writers to write shorter description of themselves and/or assist them in identifying adjectives that describe themselves.

Roller Coaster Rounding

Grade:4

*This is a lesson I taught on rounding. I noticed that the students were struggling with using a number line, so I developed this so that students can actually visualize the gravity pulling the roller coaster towards a rounded number.

1. Put the roller coaster ramp on the overhead. Look at your number that needs rounded and decide what you are rounding by (tens, hundreds, etc).

2. At the start of the roller coaster, write the number that you would round down to. Then at the end of the roller coaster, write the number that you would round up to. For example, if the number is 129, and it’s instructed to round to the nearest hundred, one would write 100 at the start, and 200 at the end.

3. Now write the middle number at the peak of the roller coaster ramp.

4. Now find where your number that your rounding is located on the roller coaster ramp – just as if it were a number line.

5. Put your roller coaster rider at that spot on the roller coaster ramp. Now the students can easily look at the roller coaster and easily visualize which way the roller coaster will fall, hence knowing which number to round to. 

 

6. This roller coaster rounding concept can be adapted for all sort of numbers and rounding situations.

Idaho History- Oregon Trail Postcards

Grade: 4

*This is an activity I had my fourth grade students complete during my student teaching internship.

1. This is a follow up art activity to be completed after reading and studying about the Oregon Trail.

2. Have the students think about what the various landmarks, animals, and other items seen from the covered wagon on the Oregon Trail.

3. Have students design a post card based on a sight or landmark from the Oregon Trail.

4. I had them decorate one side like a picture postcard and then write a journal entry on the other side, just like many of the journals we read while studying the Oregon Trail.

 

Adaptation: Allow below-level writers to write a shorter journal entry that is at their level.

Idaho History Missionaries

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught as part of an instructional sequence during my student teaching internship.

1. Using the provided textbook, as well as the power point presentation (Integrating Technology), read and discuss the information about the missionaries that came to Idaho.

 

2. As you read, fill in the graphic organizer with as many details as possible.

3. Review and check for understanding.

4. Give each student a piece of construction paper and the picture with the state outline and missionary logo. Have the students fold the construction paper into a brochure and decorate the front as desired. (Integrating Art).

 

5. Now give each student a picture page of all the missionaries and scraps of construction paper. Have the students glue pictures to rectangles of paper, write the missionaries names, then write a description of each missionary.

   

*For below-level students, allow them to write shorter descriptions. Have correct spellings of names available.

Idaho History Missionary Glyph

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught to fourth grade students as part of an instructional sequence during my student teaching internship.

1. Give each student a question sheet. Have them read and answer each question.

2. Next, give each student an Idaho sheet. Have each student follow the directions next to their circled answer on the question sheet in order to color the IDAHO letters.

* Make sure to read the questions and directions with below-level readers and check for understanding.

Idaho History ‘I have, Who has?’

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught to fourth grade students as part of an instructional sequence during my student teaching internship.

1. Students will play an ‘I have, Who has’ game.  Divide the cards among students. Then have the person with the first card go first. They ask the ‘who has’ question, then the person with the answer to that says the ‘I have’ part, then asks the question on their card. The game continues in this manner until they get to the last card.

* I had below-level readers partner with above-level readers to help read their cards and make sure they are staying with the game.

Idaho Missionary Challenge Game

Grade: 4

*This is a review activity I made and had the students complete as part of an instructional sequence during my student teaching internship.

1. Make sure to schedule the computer lab ahead of time. Also, load this power point game onto each computer, and make sure it works before the students arrive.

2. Have each student complete this review activity about the missionaries that came to Idaho. Each slide on the power point has a question and possible answers. The students click on an answer and the computer will tell them if they are correct or incorrect. (Incorporation of Technology).

Here’s an example of some of the slides:

*Make sure to read the question with below-level readers whenever possible.

Idaho History Mountain Men

Grade: 4

*This is a lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

1. Using the provided textbook, read and discuss about the Mountain Men in Idaho’s History.

2. While reading, fill out this graphic organizer, which documents clothing, food, shelter and family life of the Mountain Men.

3. Have the students write a creative story as if they were Mountain Men in this time period in Idaho. (Integrating Language Arts).

* For below-level learners, allow them to write short word answers in the graphic organizer. Assist them as much as possible in organizing and writing their stories.

Levels of Government

Grade: 4

*This is a Government lesson I taught to fourth grade students during my student teaching internship.

Start by reading and discussing ‘Who’s Got the Power?’ Students will need to fill in the blanks on their worksheet as we read and discuss.

Next, give each student a 'Who’s Got the Power?’ cut and glue worksheet. The students will cut out the description boxes on the bottom of the page. They will then glue the job descriptions under the correct type of government.

Adaptation: When reading and discussing the first worksheet, have correct spellings available for the below-level students. For the second worksheet, make sure to read through each job description with the below-level readers.

Animals Surviving Winter

Grades: 1-6

*This is a book I wrote and a lesson I taught to first through sixth grade students at six different elementary schools as part of an afterschool program.

 

First, read and discuss the book I wrote about various ways that animals survive the winter.

Next, divide the students into two groups having them rotate through the following two activities.

The first activity is a card sort. The students have to recall the information from the book in order to sort the pictures of animals under the correct heading of how they survive the winter.

The second activity is a memory game. The students have to recall the information from the book in order to match the picture cards to the narrative description of how the animals survive the winter.

Adaptation: pair up below-level readers with above-level readers in order to complete the card games.

The Four Seasons

Grade: 1

*This is a lesson I taught to first grade students as part of an instructional sequence during my student teaching pre-internship.

1. Read the book Watching the Seasons by Edana Eckart.

2. Using the power point slide, teach the names and order of the four seasons. (The first slide in the picture below is the menu slide of my power point. I would open it here each day and click on the picture that I needed to go to!)

3. Model the four seasons card game, putting the seasons in the correct order, then have the students complete the activity.

4. Have the students complete the first page in their seasons book. For below-level writers, have the words outlined for these students to trace.

5. When students finish the first page in their book, have them write their name on and color the cover page, then glue it to the cover of their seasons book.

Spring

Grade: 1

*This is a lesson I taught to first grade students as part of an instructional sequence during my student teaching pre-internship.

1. Read the story How Do You Know It’s Spring? by Allan Fowler.

2. Use the spring power point slides to teach the characteristics of spring.

3. Model the spring sort to the students, then split them into groups and have them complete the activity.

4.Check for understanding.

5. Have the students complete the two spring pages in their seasons book. For below-level writers, have the words outlined for those students to trace.