Working on higher-level thinking skills with your readers is made easier with this lesson. You will have your students connect with and analyze a mystery story at their grade-appropriate level. Lesson plan, printable worksheets, and evaluation.
In this video segment adapted from Interactive NOVA, astronaut John Young experiences extreme temperatures on the Moon that are a result of the Moon's low gravity and lack of atmosphere.
Plenty of cool activities about the Earth's rotation can be found here, such as tracing shadows, observing shadows during different times of the day, and tracking the sun's path in the sky to understand the rotation of the earth.
Students learn about proportions using regular and souvenir baseball bats. This site contains a complete lesson plan, which is available in a printable version.
Some author's purpose teaching ideas from a standardized test preparation site (Fourth Grade Reading Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test). Aligned to Florida standards, four ideas are provided including "Author's Grab Bag," "Author's Purpose," "QAR (Question/Answer Relationship)," and "What's the Purpose?"
Ben Franklin is the subject of this passage and the comprehension questions which follow. The test is interactive online, and may be printed for use in the classroom by going to the site map and choosing PRINTABLE MATERIALS.
Adapted from Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park brochure, this article gives an excellent overview of the nature preserve and its history. The quiz offers feedback immediately.
Students use M&M's and a graphing calculator to collect and graph data. This activity helps them to understand exponential functions and the concept of half-life.
Provides nine interactive, online practice tests for the fourth grade Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). Each test uses a number of reading skills and uses both multiple choice questions and short written responses. It provides immediate feedback to the multiple choice questions as well as sample answers to the written responses. Although this test is specific to Florida, many of the skills it covers apply to reading in any setting.
This page gives students a guide for problem solving. A list of strategies is presented, and each strategy has an example to demonstrate it.
Students use their height and the length of the shadow to determine the height of buildings. A great outdoor activity to learn about proportions and ratios.
A reporter hits the roads of Cambodia in search of memories of the Killing Fields. Site documents her findings: interviews with victims and war criminals alike.
An interactive look into the war in Afghanistan. Provides a discussion page, extra links for information about their research, and a chronology of events. (11 September-22 December 2001)
A discussion on the search for the weapons of mass destruction which were given as a reason to go to war with Iraq. Tries to discover why the intelligence went wrong and why there have not been any weapons of mass destruction found. (24 January 2004)
A detailed timeline on the early history of the religion from the time of Julius Caesar (44 B.C.E.) to 327 C.E. and the death of Constantine.
A look at the life of Barack Obama and what brought him to the presidency.
Article examines the various religious options that were available to Roman and non-Romans living in the empire.
This 1998 interview of Osama bin Laden took place in Afghanistan. It's an extensive and enlightening look at bin Laden's history and beliefs.
This 2001 site provides background information about Saddam Hussein. Allows the user to join a discussion group and ask experts questions about Saddam Hussien and the Iraq conflict.
A look into the terrorist networks webbing their way throughout the world. Tells the story of three of the September 11th hijackers and how they were able to elude United States intelligence.