Results Page: 275

Dog Gone “Paw”erful Writing

Students research a dog breed and create note cards to reflect a variety of research and information. Students then develop a five-page PowerPoint presentation that reflects the information. Students present their topics to the class using their PowerPoint slide shows as a visual aid. Step-by-step instructions are included in this unit for students to use in creating the PowerPoint slides. Students also practice presentation skills with peers prior to the actual oral presentations. Because of its straightforward design and simplicity, this unit would also be an excellent tool for higher learner level ESE students that have academic difficulty with reading, taking notes, and organizing information.

Found in: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, All Year Long, Language Arts

Data, Detectives and Decisions

Data, Detectives and Decisions involves students in mathematical problem-solving processes. Faced with the dilemma, ?How much time should the average fifth-grade student spend on homework to make good grades?? students begin generating, collecting, organizing, and displaying data to show representative samples of male/female students, and teachers on the subject. Students determine the range and measures of central tendency (mean, median, and mode) from sets of data, and use these measures to identify patterns and relationships in the data. During the process, students face and answer questions such as, ?Which types of graphs are appropriate for the different kinds of data?? and ?How are the different statistical measures (range and measures of central tendency) used to interpret the data?? Students use the skills and processes learned during class in a simulated statistical journey called Collecting Clues and Analyzing Answers. Students’ reflections are recorded in a Detective Diary. (An optional oral presentation is included with this unit with coordinating Language Arts extensions.)

Found in: 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade, All Year Long, Language Arts, Mathematics

Confronting Sexual Harassment

This unit involves students in specific activities that reinforce communication strategies for preventing conflict primarily dealing with sexual harassment. Students learn concrete facts about sexual harassment and dispel myths that can lead to disrepect, distrust and inconsiderate behaviors. Students also learn how to be proactive in preventing and dealing with sexual harassment and how to help friends who encounter it at school or in the community.

Found in: 6th Grade, 7th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, All Year Long, Health

Common Cents

Kindergarten students enjoy this imaginative hands on unit on money. Over the course of a week they learn about money through teacher instruction, hands-on activities, group games, manipulatives and role-play. The concepts of exchanging money for goods and saving money for future wants will come alive to students as they have the opportunity to spend “toy money” they save during the week in the class “toy store.”

Found in: 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade, All Year Long, Kindergarten, Mathematics, Social Studies

Challenging Math Poetically

This lyrical mini-unit focuses on the integration of mathematics and technology. A myriad of concepts are reviewed, reinforced, introduced and practiced while encompassing a method of making math problems set in a real-world context unique and interesting. The activity is expanded providing opportunities for statistical analysis to determine the most meaningful measure to describe data collected. As a further extension, students get the picture with graphs and excel in their ability to describe, analyze, and generalize understanding by creating a spreadsheet and computer-generated graphs. In conclusion, students determine the graph of best fit for the data. Incorporated within this mini-unit is reinforcement of LA.A.1.4.1 (prereading strategies).

Found in: 10th Grade, 11th Grade, 12th Grade, 8th Grade, 9th Grade, All Year Long, Language Arts, Mathematics, Technology