Standard 4: Researching

Learn about the history and importance of American Founders Month with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Explore the history and importance of Marjorie Stoneman Douglas with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Learn the history and importance of Thomas Jefferson as a representative of the United States with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Explore the history and importance of the Supreme Court building as a symbol of the U.S. with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Discover the history and importance of the Declaration of Independence as a symbol of the United States with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Discover the history and importance of the Statue of Liberty as a symbol of the United States with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Explore the history and importance of the White House as a symbol of the United States with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Explore the history and importance of Rosa Parks as a famous person who represents the United States with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Explore the history and importance of the Florida Capital Buildings as a symbol of Florida with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Learn about the history and importance of the Florida Constitution as a symbol of Florida with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Explore the history and importance of Andrew Jackson and how he represents Florida with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Learn about the history and importance of Martin Luther King Jr Day with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Learn about the history and importance of Patriot Day with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Explore the history and importance of Constitution Day with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Learn about the history and importance of Celebrate Freedom Week with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Discover the history and importance of Veterans Day with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Discover the history and importance of the U.S. Capitol building as a symbol of the United States with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Discover the history and significance of Everglades National Park and why it is a symbol of Florida with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Explore the history and meaning of Memorial Day with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

Learn about the history and importance of Independence Day in the United States of America with this interactive research page.

Type: Interactive Research Pages

This is lesson #6 in the text unit series for We the Kids by David Catrow. Students will have already read or heard the entire text. Students will explain how citizens demonstrate patriotism after doing independent research on the computer. Students will begin by reviewing ways citizens demonstrate patriotism. Students will work in groups to research Constitution Day, making a connection between this patriotic holiday and the U.S. Constitution. In small groups, students will use their research to write a Reader’s Theater script, explaining ways citizens demonstrate patriotism, why it is important to recognize the patriotic holiday, Constitution Day, and the history behind the holiday as it relates to the U.S. Constitution. Students can read and act out the play as an extension activity.

This unit will help students develop the meaning of the Preamble as part of the Constitution of the United States and its direct effect on their daily lives. Students will engage in various activities such as debating parts of the Preamble and complete a play interpreting patriotism. Throughout the unit, students will have to identify and interpret vocabulary, analyze the provided text, and demonstrate an understanding of the Preamble by providing relevant details. The teacher’s role in this unit will be to support their students' knowledge of the Preamble by facilitating research, reviewing student writing, and work.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use the information from lesson 1 and the internet to conduct research on the Everglades to illustrate a book about Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the Everglades for children ages 5-6. This is lesson 2 of 3 in a mini-unit integrating civics and English Language Arts.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #2 in the text unit series for We the Kids by David Katrow. Students will use prior knowledge from reading the text to show the difference between responsible and irresponsible citizenship. The class will be split in half and one side will act out or show how a responsible citizen acts in society. Then, the other half will show or act out an irresponsible citizen. Students will be put in pairs and complete a graphic organizer together to share their information with the class. The teacher will display the results on one big graphic organizer for the students to see as a whole group. Students will write 8 complete sentences on a piece of paper (4 for responsible and 4 for irresponsible) showing examples of responsible and irresponsible citizenship.

This unit will help students gain an understanding of the Preamble and its direct effect on their daily lives. Students will engage in various activities such as debating parts of the Preamble and completing a play interpreting patriotism. Throughout the unit, students will have to identify and interpret vocabulary, analyze the provided text, and demonstrate an understanding of the Preamble by providing relevant details. The teacher’s role in this unit will be to support his/her students' understanding of the Preamble by facilitating research, reviewing student writing, and work.

This resource uses a book that is on the Florida Department of Education's reading list. This book is not provided with this resource.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in research to describe how the Statue of Liberty is a symbol that represents the United States. Students will use a graphic organizer to write facts about the Statue of Liberty and take notes using details gathered from photographs and other text and graphic features, which will be creatively interwoven into a drawing of the Statue of Liberty utilizing a variety of materials and techniques.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in digital research, explain how text features contribute to the meaning of the text, use context clues to determine the meaning of unknown words, and incorporate multimedia to enhance their written work in this integrated lesson plan. Using two sections from an Interactive Research Page, students will learn about Marjory Stoneman Douglas, her contributions as an environmentalist, and why she is an individual who represents Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will use the internet and/or texts to explore a patriotic holiday and explain its importance, in this lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in research to describe why the U.S. Capitol is a symbol that represents the United States. Students will use a graphic organizer to write facts about the U.S. Capitol and take notes about the building using details gathered from photographs and other text and graphic features, which will be used to create a multimedia presentation showcasing their learning.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in research to describe why the White House is a symbol that represents the United States. Students will use a graphic organizer to write facts about the White House and take notes about the building using details gathered from photographs and other text and graphic features, which will be used to create a multimedia presentation showcasing their learning.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about different types of habitats as they gather information based on research questions. Students will summarize the information from their research in an expository paragraph and create a diorama to present their habitat to their peers.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use the book Stellaluna, along with informational text, to create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting bats and birds. They will then compare and contrast two other similar animals using the text A Whale Is Not a Fish and Other Animal Mix-ups, completing a Venn diagram and writing an expository paragraph that describes the similarities and differences between the two animals.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this model eliciting activity (MEA), students are asked to help the International Olympic Committee rank prospective host cities for upcoming Summer Olympic Games. Students are provided with data about a list of applicant cities and then must rank the cities and write a proposal to the IOC explaining their rankings. At the end of the MEA, the students will write an opinion piece for the International Olympic Committee that tells their final decision about which city should be the next host of the Summer Olympic Games.

Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought processes. MEAs follow a problem-based, student-centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEAs visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in a research study of our world’s habitats using texts and sources from the internet. Students will demonstrate their new learning by writing an expository paragraph, completing a checklist about their writing, and sharing a favorite fact about their habitat with the class.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn about mammals using the book Mammals by Melissa Stewart. Through this book, the students will practice identifying and using text features to understand the text, as well as determine key details and main idea. The students will then create a newspaper article about a mammal of their choice using the main ideas, key details, and text features from Mammals.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will create questions to be answered through researching nonfiction texts. Students will then write an expository paragraph to share their research findings with the class to create a book all about trees.

Type: Lesson Plan

Now that your students have become interested in this amazing animal, it is time to learn more by starting a research project. Students will use multiple sources and a graphic organizer to record new facts about ants in preparation to complete an expository writing piece in the next lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use informational texts to gather information on objects made of matter that have properties that make them either attracted or not attracted to magnets.

Type: Lesson Plan