All Posts by Lesson Plans

How’s the Weather

Appropriate for Grades: 4 up

Overview:

Collect and collate information about the weather in different parts of the world. Present it in a table format.

Activity:

  • Open a word processor .
  • Title the page “World Weather”.
  • Make a table with 5 columns and 7 rows.
  • Select the middle column and remove the top and bottom
  • borders so that you appear to have 2 side by side tables that
  • are aligned.
  • Merge the 1st,2nd and the 4th,5th columns of the first row.
  • Put the name of the cities you are watching.
  • In the 1st and 4th columns, type the following heading below
  • each other. One to each row – min temp. max temp, humidity,
  • wind speed, wind direction.
  • Go to the Internet and login to weather.com.
  • Choose 2 different cities in different hemispheres and read the
  • temperature – min /max, humidity, wind – speed / direction.
  • Insert this data into the tables.
  • Save this file.
  • Repeat this process daily until there is a week of data collected.
  • Compare the results and discuss as a class.
  • Write a paragraph that explains the conclusions the class came
  • to about the weather.
  • Save and print a copy.

 

Resources/Materials Needed:

Software: word processor
Internet: weather.com
Printer, paper

Further ideas, example or comments

New York
Temp Min
1c
Temp Max
10c
Sydney
Temp Min
36c
Temp Max
21c

Poetry to Sit Still For

Appropriate for Grades: 4 up

Overview:

Build a collection of different types of poems. Compile a booklet with an explanation of a type of poetry and an example on each page.

Activity:

  • Start a word processor .
  • Make a title page headed “Poetry Anthology”.
  • Begin a new page
  • Head the page with a type of poetry.
  • Leave a line space.
  • Add a definition / description of the poetry.
  • Leave a line space.
  • Add a poem of choice to illustrate the poetry type.
    •  limerick
    •  alliteration
    •  cinquain
    •  onomatopoeia o couplet
    •  metaphor
    •  haiku
    •  hyperbole
    •  imagery
    •  alliteration
    •  nursery rhyme
  • Repeat the process to complete the anthology.
  • Poems can be collected from books or the Internet. Ensure that
  • they are correctly referenced.

 

Resources/Materials Needed:

Software: word processor
Printer, paper
Poetry websites and books
Collection of poetry styles and definitions

 

Further ideas and comments

Fairytale Doodling

Appropriate for Grades: 1 up

Overview:

Using a graphics program like KidPix, have the student complete a freehand drawing of a fairytale that they are studying. Encourage them to use a range of drawing tools such as the pencil, paintbrush and spray can to illustrate the story characters. This activity not only promotes artistic ability but improves fine motor skills, mouse control and menu / tools recognition.

Activity:

  • Start a graphics program like KidPix.
  • Choose an appropriate color and tool e.g. the pencil set to
  • brown to draw a bear.
  • Draw each of the story characters switching colors where
  • necessary.
  • Add in background and other finer details.
  • Allow the students time to use the drawing tools and complete
  • their pictures.
  • Save and print a copy.

 

Resources/Materials Needed:

  • Software: KidPix, drawing program
  • Printer, paper

 

Further ideas and comments

M&M Heaven

Appropriate for Grades: 3 up

Overview:

This is a popular classroom activity that can be easily adapted to make learning about graphing using a spreadsheet more fun. Give a packet of M&Ms to each group and get them to count the colors and graph them.

Activity:

  • Divide the class into small groups.
  • Give each group a packet of M&Ms.
  • Get the students to divide the M&Ms into color groups.
  • Work out how many in each group.
  • Open a spreadsheet.
  • Title the page.
  • Add columns for colors and number of M&Ms.
  • Enter the results from counting the M&Ms.
  • Select the results and click on the graphing tool.
  • Make a new graph and enlarge it so that the results are
  • clear .
  • Save and print a copy of the M&Ms graph.
  • Eat the M&Ms!

 

Resources/Materials Needed:

  • Software: Spreadsheet / Excel M&Ms
  • Pen, paper
  • Printer, paper

 

Further ideas and comments

Haiku

Appropriate for Grades: 4 up

Overview:

A haiku poem is a poem laid out in the following format: 1st line = 5 syllables, 2nd line = 7 syllables, 3rd line = 5 syllables. This is a good composing exercise if done straight into the computer. You will need an example to show the class.

Activity:

  • Start a word processor .
  • Type the title “Haiku Poem”.
  • Press the Enter key twice to leave a line space.
  • Start the first line of the poem then press Enter to move to the
  • next line.
  • Repeat until all lines are complete.
  • Do a spell check for typing mistakes.
  • Save and print a copy.

 

Resources/Materials Needed:

  • Software: word processor
  • Printer
  • paper

 

Further ideas and comments

All the News worth Printing

Appropriate for Grades: 4 up

Overview:

The students will work in small groups or individually to produce a local community newsletter. They will need to collect relevant articles from local newspapers to rewrite in their own journalistic style.

Activity:

  • Open a Word Processor or desktop publishing program.
  • Using the text tool, make a box for the title/heading
  • Choose the image tool and insert a photograph of a local event.
  • Repeat this process for each photo.
  • Resize the photographs so that they fit into the page properly.
  • Move the photographs so that they sit on the page in a newsletter style of layout.
  • Choose the text tool and drag out a text box in which to type your first story.
  • Repeat this process until the stories are complete.
  • Make a text box under each photograph for a caption explaining what it is showing.
  • Insert another page and repeat the layout by adding more text, photos, images, etc
  • Save and print a copy.

Resources/Materials Needed:

Software: Word Processor or desktop publishing
Printer , paper
Photos, images, stories
Example papers

Further ideas and comments

You could divide up the newsletter into group sections for small group work e.g. one group could do sport, one group could do world news.

Synonym Names

Appropriate for Grades: 3 up

Overview:

In this lesson the students will produce a 1 page poster that contains their name, an acrostic poem and a collection of synonyms.

Activity:

  • Open a word processor .
  • Type the heading ME.
  • Leave a couple of lines space then type the first letter of a name.
  • Press enter to go down to the next line and type the second letter .
  • Repeat this process until all letters of the name have been typed.
  • Using the arrow keys, move back up to next to the first letter
  • and turn the name into an acrostic poem.
  • Move back to the first letter / word again and press the spacebar then a dash then leave a space.
  • Type 3 synonyms for each word in the acrostic.
  • Save and print a copy.

Resources/Materials Needed:

  • Software: word processor
  • Printer, paper • clipart

Further ideas and comments

Students might like to change the colors of the writing and add clipart to their work.
Brave – strong, courageous, hardy Radical – wild, fun, unusual
Attentive – awake, aware, conscientious Deadly – harmful, homicidal, injurious

Counting Lesson Plan

Key Words

numbers counting

Resources

Chalkboard, butcher paper, writing materials, manipulatives.

Introduction (Focus Involve Transfer)

Discuss with students
Counting is fun
Counting is helpful
Counting helps us know how to do things
Counting helps us know when to do things.
Counting helps us spend our money
Counting helps us know what day it is.
Counting helps us know how many things we have.
Counting helps us know how many things we need.
Counting helps us figure out things.

Instruction (Guided Practice, Procedures.)

Oral Counting

Get all students to count in unison. Watch for students who are not participating They will need individual help. Pair students off and let them count to each other. Now work with those who were not participating, then pair them with students who can count well.

Recognizing and writing numbers.

For this activity, use large pieces of butcher paper or mark your chalkboard off into two feet squares. Draw simple objects such as balls, or stars in each circle, one in the first square , two in the second square etc. Start with ten numbers. Get students to tell how many. When students can name the correct number, Write the number in the square. Get them to write the number and draw the number of pictures. As students become fluent in this activity , move to move to the next decade of numbers.

Using Manipulatives

Give each pair of students a bag of manipulatives. Get them to take turns counting them. A number of different objects can be used as manipulatives for counting. Simple bright colored objects are usually best. (See Suggestions)

Finding missing numbers

Get student to copy a series of numbers from the board and fill in the blanks with missing numbers (Example) 1,2, _, 4, _6.

Summary Closure

Get students to write each number in the decade you are studying twice.

Assignments Independent Practice, Homework.

Get students to practice writing numbers,
Get students to practice numbers orally at home and on the playground.
Get them to practice counting manipulatives.

Suggestions

Some students already know how to count, but don’t skip this lesson. It’s important to start students out with an easy lesson that they already know how to do. Use this lesson plan as often as possible until students can count to one hundred.
Add any popular counting games or rhymes you have to this lesson plan.
Kindergarten students should count fluently to 25 by the end of the school term.
First graders should count fluently to 50 by the end of the school term.
Second graders should count fluently to a hundred by the end of the school term. (This may be different in your school district. Be aware of your school policy. )

Here’s a trick for getting the attention of all your students in a busy classroom.

On the first day of school, or today if you haven’t already done so, do this.
Teach your children, that when you raise your hand, he or she is to raise his or her hand and turn and face you. When the child raises his or her hand, this is a signal to other students who might not see you that he or she must also stop and raise his or her hand.
Practice this with your students a few times for a day or two, and you won’t need bells, whistles, or a loud voice. This trick is non-stressful and very effective.

Many items can be used for counting manipulatives. I like to use brightly colored unifix cubes. Small plastic counting critters work well. Matchbook cars also work.The cheapest least “evaporative” manipulatives I’ve found are dried beans. Here in New Mexico we have the very colorful Anazazi bean. Students love to count with these.

Keep your manipulatives in plastic zip loc bags. Have enough bags for each pair of students and a few extras.

Assessments

This lesson plan should be used until students can count fluently

Kindergarten students should learn to count to 25.
First graders should count to 50.
Second graders should count to 100.

Complete the Squiggle Lesson Plan

Appropriate for Grades 2 – 5.

Overview:

Pair up the students. Have one child draw a squiggle on the screen. The other then has to try to turn the squiggle into a picture. Students take turns completing each other’s squiggles.

Activity:

1. Start MS Paint
2. Choose Attributes from the Image menu.
3. Click cm in the Units section.
4. Type 29 for the Height and 21 for the Width.
5. One student selects the pen tool from the Toolbox and draws a squiggle on the page.
6. The second student then takes the pen tool and tries to complete the picture by turning the squiggle into a thing / object.
7. The students take turns to complete a squiggle.
8. To print out the results of the game, choose Print from the File menu.
9. Click the OK button.

Resources/Materials Needed:

Software Painting Printer, Paper

Collect the Weather Lesson Plan

Students are to study weather patterns and keep a record of these results in a notepad. They are then to record and graph these results into a spreadsheet program each day.

Activity

1. As part of a unit on weather, discuss the various instruments and ways of measuring changes in the local weather.
2. Have students write and illustrate 5 common instruments used into their books.
3. Demonstrate how each instrument is used and how to record the readings taken.
4. Introduce the activity of daily weather records and through the use of a pre prepared example sheet, help students to develop skills needed to interpret deductions about the weather patterns from the readings.
5. Choose a student each morning to take the temperature and other weather measurements.
6. Ask all students to record into their notepads these details including cloud shape, rain/shine, etc. If your school has a weather station, ask if your class can use it.
7. Continue to record this information on a daily basis for up to a week.
8. Start a spreadsheet program and begin a new document.
9. Enter the recorded information using column headings to separate the data.
10. While your students are in the spreadsheet program, get them also to graph the ongoing findings.
11. Print out the data and the graph on a sheet of A4 paper.
12. Discuss the daily changes. With printouts of both the table and the graph for a one month period, get your students to write a report and present it to the class.

Materials

notepad, pen, pencil a weather station if your school has one, access to other weather info, thermometer, computer, spreadsheet program