Students practice creating rudimentary detail drawings. They learn how engineers communicate the technical information about their designs using the basic components of detail drawings. They practice creating their own drawings of a three-dimensional block and a special LEGO piece, and then make 3D sketches of an unknown object using only the information provided in its detail drawing.

Contains plans for four lessons that ask students to read, compare, and contrast different versions of fairy tales in order to explore age-appropriateness and formats of texts. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to PDF handouts and sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection activities.

This unit uses William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing as a vehicle to help students consider how a person is powerless in the face of rumor and how reputations can alter lives, both for good and for ill. They will consider comedy and what makes us laugh. They will see how the standards of beauty and societal views toward women have changed since the Elizabethan Age and reflect on reasons for those changes. As students consider the play, they will write on the passages that inspire and plague them and on topics relating to one of the themes in the play. Finally, they will bring Shakespeare’s words to life in individual performances and in group scene presentations.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing .
Students read two Shakespearean sonnets and excerpts from an Elizabethan morality handbook dealing with types of women, and they respond to them from several different perspectives.
For each work of literature, students do some writing. They learn to write a sonnet; create a Prompt Book; complete a Dialectical Journal; and write an analytical essay about a topic relating to a theme in the play.
Students see Shakespeare’s play as it was intended to be seen: in a performance. They memorize 15 or more lines from the play and perform them for the class. Students take part in a short scene as either a director or an actor.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

What are society’s expectations with regard to gender roles?
Does humor transcend time? Do we share the same sense of humor as our ancestors?
How do we judge people?
How important is reputation?

BENCHMARK ASSESSMENT (Cold Read)

During this unit, on a day of your choosing, we recommend you administer a Cold Read to assess students’ reading comprehension. For this assessment, students read a text they have never seen before and then respond to multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. The assessment is not included in this course materials.

CLASSROOM FILMS

The Branagh version of Much Ado About Nothing is available on DVD through Netflix and for streaming through Amazon. Other versions are also available on both sites.

A great site with extensive information about copper and its role in life on Earth. Includes history of copper as well as a 59-page book on copper production around the world, published in 2012.

This article highlights lessons and activities for elementary students about the people and cultures of the Arctic region.

This article highlights lessons and activities for elementary students about heat, insulation, and how animals and people stay warm in cold environments.

By the end of this section, you will be able to do the following: Explain the various functions of money and contrast commodity money and fiat money.

PBS TeacherLine offers courses that can inspire, educate, and reinvigorate your teaching strategies! PBS TeacherLine offers 15, 30, or 45 hour courses that are facilitated by content experts and master teachers that immerse you in a collaborative, online environment with your peers. You have the opportunity to earn graduate-level credit with our partner universities. Interested in trying out a course before committing? PBS TeacherLine offers free, self-paced courses that require 1.5 to 4 hours of study. Explore PD for PreK-3 Educators or view the monthly schedule to find a course that fits your needs!

Contains plans for two lessons that ask students to apply Freytag's Pyramid (also known as Freytag's Triangle) to pieces of writing, oral storytelling, and television shows. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection activities. PowerPoint and Flash-based tools are included.

This free, online article, developed for elementary teachers, describes a Kindergarten polar science, standards aligned, unit centered on The Polar Express developing literacy, math, and science skills.

This article discusses the benefits of after school science clubs and provides tips for teachers looking to start their own club.

This article reviews the book "Using Science Notebooks in Elementary Classrooms" by Michael Klentschy and provides basic information about the role of notebooks in instruction and assessment.

The State Board approved the Social Studies Standards and Model Curriculum in February, 2018. This document contains the K-high school courses.

This free, standards-based website developed for elementary teachers provides hand-picked, reviewed, on-line resources to enhance teacher content knowledge regarding reasons for the seasons.

This website gives examples to students on how to cite sources for articles, books, other print sources, and non-print sources. Very informative and easy to understand.

Contains plans for nine lessons that ask students to create multigenre zines for popular culture figures that include letter, persuasive, narrative, acrostic poetry, comic, and biography/autobiography writing. To accomplish this, students use the Facts-Questions-Interpretations method. In addition to objectives and standards, this instructional plan contains links to sites used in the lessons as well as assessment and reflection activities.