Standard 1: Communicating Through Writing

In this lesson, students will engage in civil discourse to evaluate the best location for a community cleanup. Students will read and discuss the Case Study: Community Cleanup Committee to gather relevant information and then support their claims with evidence.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will solve real-world problems involving elapsed time to develop a plan for drone inspectors to survey power lines after a hurricane.

This is an open-ended engineering design lesson where students will develop a model to help them solve a problem. There are no “right” answers as the lesson is focused on the process of developing a solution and the skills and reasoning behind the process. Students should be given the freedom to interpret the problem and parameters in unique ways to pursue their own lines of thinking in producing a solution.

Type: Lesson Plan

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #5 in the text unit series for Vote! This lesson is based on pages 20-23 which talks about political debates. The teacher will give explicit instruction about the definition of a debate. At the end of the lesson, students will have a debate in which they will choose one of the campaign proposals from the previous lesson, do a short research, structure their argument and debate if this is an idea they would vote for or not.

This unit will explain voting in the United States. Unit lessons include duties of responsible citizens for voting, the voting process, responsibilities of candidates, and voting outcomes. The teacher will utilize a read aloud over several lessons incorporating text structure, text features, figurative language, and the use of multimedia in presentations. Teachers will facilitate research to help students create a presentation.

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

This is the final lesson #9 in the text unit series for Vote! Students will be able to illustrate and explain the importance of voting in a republic and why every citizen is responsible for voting. At the end of this lesson, students will be able to explain that voting is a civic duty which allows them to make decisions that involve civic initiatives. By creating an illustration, similar to a social media post, students will explain and depict the importance of voting in an election.

This unit will explain voting in the United States. Unit lessons include duties of responsible citizens for voting, the voting process, responsibilities of candidates, and voting outcomes. Teacher will utilize a read aloud over several lessons incorporating text structure, text features, figurative language, and the use of multimedia in presentations. Teachers will facilitate research to help students create a presentation.

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

This lesson will allow the students to recognize the symbols, people, and documents that represent Florida while analyzing primary and secondary sources. The students will explain how people perceive Florida based on the lyrics of the Swanee River, the Florida state song, and participate in turn-and-talk discussions about the meaning of the song. The students will conclude the lesson by writing an opinion paragraph about what symbol best represents Florida.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson #9 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty by Tonya Leslie. Students will research Abraham Lincoln and another United States President using the computer or books. They will then write an expository essay comparing and contrasting the two presidents.

This unit will help students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States Government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

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

This is lesson #8 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty by Tonya Leslie. Students will be applying what they learned about Abraham Lincoln’s character as a United States citizen to respond to an expository prompt. Students will complete a planning sheet and write an expository paragraph based on the text. This will be done after reading the text Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty to apply their knowledge.

This unit will help students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States Government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

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

This is lesson #4 in the text unit series for Abraham Lincoln: A Life of Honesty by Tonya Leslie. Students will write an opinion paragraph about whether or not they think Abraham Lincoln was an effective U.S. President.

This unit will help students explain why the United States Constitution is an important document that protects the rights of American citizens, the responsibilities of the United States government, and how Abraham Lincoln is an important symbol of the United States Government.

Students will engage in a read aloud spread out over several lessons emphasizing vocabulary, central idea, research, expository and opinion writing, and collaboration in groups.

The teacher will facilitate vocabulary instruction, student research, determination of central ideas, student presentation, expository and opinion writing, and group collaboration to help students demonstrate why the United States Constitution is an important document.

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

This is lesson # 8 in the text unit series for Vote! After reading pages 34-42, students will write a written response to the prompt, "Describe how and why voting in a republic is important.” Students will collaborate with a partner to brainstorm ideas and then write an essay to support their answer, including details from the text.

This unit will explain voting in the United States. Unit lessons include duties of responsible citizens for voting, the voting process, responsibilities of candidates, and voting outcomes. Teacher will utilize a read aloud over several lessons incorporating text structure, text features, figurative language, and the use of multimedia in presentations. Teachers will facilitate research to help students create a presentation.

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

This is lesson #5 in the text unit series for Father of the Constitution, A Story about James Madison by Barbara Mitchell. The students will review how James Madison researched the governments of strong nations across history. The students will review the issues that states were having and discuss issues in their school. Students will develop pocket notes about their opinions of how the school needs to change to improve its governing system. Students will include their opinion, reasons for their opinion, and whether the change should be controlled at the school or classroom level. They will look at the rights of the students, how the school is organized, and the security, and services the school provides for students. The students will orally present their opinions to the class and allow for debate using oral presentation skills.

This unit of study is about the Father of the Constitution, James Madison. Through this unit, students will follow the life of James Madison, creating a timeline of events that led to the creation of the U.S. Constitution and the democratic government system still in use today. Students will research, develop an argumentative debate, and vote, as they read the text. Students will realize that his process prepared Madison for the writing of the U.S. Constitution. Students will engage in the expository writing process to construct a Classroom Constitution that aligns with the school’s vision and mission statements.

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 read and discuss We Live Here Too!: Kids Talk About Good Citizenship by Nancy Loewen to explore the aspects of good citizenship and how it plays into their daily lives. After, students will determine the perspective of a character and design a social media post to spotlight their civility in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will research and write about one of three United States symbols for this integrated lesson. Given a graphic organizer, students will collaboratively collect information on their symbol using text and/or internet resources. Task students with writing a friendly letter from the perspective of a child in the time-period of their symbol’s origin/most significance. Students will be provided with a guiding graphic organizer and a rubric for composing their final product.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will be able to listen and cooperate with one another in replicating geometric designs without seeing them and relate this to how citizens demonstrate civility and cooperation to accomplish a common goal.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this close reading lesson, students will read Tops & Bottoms, adapted by Janet Stevens, focusing on the lessons that the characters learn as a result of their actions throughout the text.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is to be used with chapter 1 of Phineas L. MacGuire Gets Slimed by Frances O'Roark Dowell. It includes comprehension questions, a writing prompt, and a rubric. Students will answer comprehension questions and write a response based on a prompt that asks the students for their opinion and requires students to support their opinion with evidence from the chapter.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this reading lesson, students will determine the meaning of vocabulary words and explain the development of the main character, Fern, using Chapter 1 of E.B. White's Charlotte's Web. Students will respond to the text by writing an opinion paragraph.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze song lyrics to determine the meanings of figurative language used throughout the lyrics. Students will determine the theme of the song and explain how the examples of figurative language help develop the theme. They will complete various graphic organizers and write an opinion piece to demonstrate their understanding of the skills.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will explore vocabulary, answer questions about the text, and identify the details and the central idea of an informational text about dolphins. Students will demonstrate their new knowledge about this amazing animal by completing an expository paragraph.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this pool of floating rafts, students will divide to find the cost of each flotation device. They must then determine which raft is the best for public use based on cost, warranty, and assembly. Students will submit a letter to the client explaining their procedure for ranking the flotation devices.

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. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

This MEA asks students to work as a team to figure out which candidate is the best possible choice for the 8th grade boys' basketball coach. They will have to analyze data, decide on a procedure, and create a ranking system to choose the best candidate. They are also given multiplication and division problems based on the data.

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. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

This MEA asks the students to compare information provided on various Science Space Camps to be attended by a student during the summer. They will take into account past attendees' reviews of the camps which should create interesting student discussions. They will use knowledge of operations to determine the difference in camp costs.

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. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is a 3rd grade MEA that requires students to use mathematical patterns to solve the problem, along with the analysis of data. After reading One Grain of Rice by Demi, students will look for ways to help Rani's relative find a new pattern so she can secure a large supply of rice to feed the people of her province in India. The twist is likely to cause controversy, so prepare for some strong debates.

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. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is a 3rd grade MEA that asks the students to determine elapsed time to find the ideal day for another student to stay in and do chores.

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. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will decide which performing arts facility their principal should recommend for group chorus singing lessons. They will apply multiplication, division, and time skills for telling time to the nearest minute and time intervals. Students will work collaboratively as a group to analyze this Model Eliciting Activity (MEA), and engage in collaborative discussion that involves higher level critical thinking. They will write letters on which performing arts facility is the best choice.

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. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will identify the relevant details and central idea of two informational texts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. They will then compare and contrast the two presidents using a graphic organizer and write an expository essay to explain the presidents' similarities and differences.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this reading lesson, students will work with the teacher and in cooperative groups to read and comprehend Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. Students will determine and analyze the point of view of the text, sequence the key events, and answer discussion questions. Students will also rewrite the story from a human's point of view.

Type: Lesson Plan

During these lessons, students will delve deep into the text Two Bad Ants by Chris Van Allsburg. After identifying the point of view in the story, they will answer comprehension questions about the story by playing a small group game. Students will have the opportunity to rewrite the story from a completely different point of view.

Type: Lesson Plan

This short text, "The Real Princess," originally told by Hans Christian Anderson, will require students to think deeply, make inferences based on text evidence and learn several new vocabulary words. Students will discuss the components of a fairy tale, play a vocabulary game, and compose an opinion piece of writing about the theme of the story.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will delve into the text Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg. They will determine the character’s development based upon the character's traits, actions, and language, especially examining character change over the course of the text. Students will also write a narrative ending to the story based on the character’s development.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will listen to the teacher read aloud Aesop's fable "The Lion and the Mouse." They will define vocabulary words and discuss the causes and effects of events in the story. These lessons will culuminte with students writing an expository text about how the lion changes throughout the story by providing details and other required components.

Type: Lesson Plan

The following lesson centers around the book 14 Cows for America. This story is a recount of the events on September 11 told through the eyes of a young man in his village in Kenya. Students will think deeply about the main character and his character traits in the story. A series of discussion questions are provided along with an expository writing prompt.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read and reread a classic Chinese folktale, The Ballad of Mulan. They will ask and answer text-dependent questions and will recount the events in the story using a story map. Students will determine the theme of the story and analyze Mulan's character development through her actions, thoughts, and feelings along with their contribution to the sequence of events and, ultimately, the theme of the story.

Type: Lesson Plan

Using a variety of colors, students will practice the art of "revision" in the writing process.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read texts about the life cycle of sea turtles. They will gather facts and research sea turtles from various texts in order to write an expository essay and create a brochure about sea turtles.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will provide students with an opportunity to be able to identify and apply their knowledge of prepositions and prepositional phrases.

Type: Lesson Plan

The lesson focuses on supporting students as they write personal narratives with character descriptions, interesting details and dialogue using an example from the My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig. This is the last in a series of three lessons using the text My Secret Bully.

Type: Lesson Plan

For this lesson, students will read an excerpt from the text My Secret Bully by Trudy Ludwig. In response to a character's actions in the story, students will work to produce an opinion writing piece using character perspectives as text evidence to support their opinion. This is the second in a series of three lessons using the text My Secret Bully.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students use the text The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant as a springboard for discussion about family traditions. After identifying the traditions observed by the relatives, students will meet in small groups to brainstorm new traditions that could arise from the families gathering together during the winter or other time of year. The lesson is concluded by having each student write a personal narrative paragraph about their own favorite family tradition. Students will then share their writing with a partner for peer editing.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students read informational texts to determine the text’s central idea and the relevant details that support the central idea. Students use a graphic organizer to record a central idea and details and then write a paragraph summary. This lesson is written in a generalized way so that any type of informational text can be used.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will find the central idea and relevant details in informational texts about bats. To support students finding the central idea and details, students will use a fact gathering sheet. Students will write a central idea and details paragraph that includes appropriate content-area vocabulary and grade-level conventions.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, the teacher will use the humorous book, Twenty-Odd Ducks: Why, Every Punctuation Mark Counts! by Lynne Truss, to help students understand how inserting or removing punctuation marks can change the meaning of sentences.
Students will participate in small group activities to improve their command of conventions. Students will also apply their knowledge of conventions to edit and improve their own writing.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will identify multiple causes and effects in a work of historical fiction. The lesson features the text Pink and Say by Patricia Polacco.

Type: Lesson Plan

Wendell and Floyd are late to class once too often and their teacher gives them an ultimatum. They decide to take a secret shortcut to school which proves to be anything but a shortcut. In this lesson, students will use the picture book The Secret Shortcut by Mark Teague as a model to write narrative fiction focusing on the organization of the text using sequencing /transitional words and phrases.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will create their own original narrative that mimics the story The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash by Trinka Hakes Noble. This lesson allows time for students to practice writing the narrative with teacher support as a whole class and with teacher support in small groups before writing a narrative on their own.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will collect evidence from informational texts and the internet to show the importance of a historical figure. Students will conduct research, write an expository paragraph, and provide and receive peer feedback on their writing.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this MEA, students will have the opportunity to apply what they learned about describing
the changes water undergoes when it changes state through heating and cooling. This MEA
is divided into four parts. In part 1, students will develop their hypothesis and receive
information on how to set up the cooler experiment. In part 2, students will be asked to use
ice to test the coolers they designed in Beat the Heat Engineering Design Lessons.
Students will take measurements and collect data on their cooler. In part 3, students will
analyze the data they collected. Finally, in part 4 they will develop a procedure for selecting
the best cooler to keep water frozen the longest at the beach. They will communicate their
findings and procedure via a letter to next year’s class. In the optional twist, students will
need to take the mass of the cooler into account.

This is a lesson in the Grade 3 Physical Science Unit on Water. This is a themed unit of SaM-1's adventures while on a Beach Vacation.  To see all the lessons in the unit please visit https://www.cpalms.org/page818.aspx.

Type: Model Eliciting Activity (MEA) STEM Lesson

Learn how to write a topic sentence to introduce a topic, group related information together, develop a topic by adding details, and add an image to support the text with this ocean-themed, interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Welcome! In this tutorial, you’ll be building your knowledge about dialogue. Much like a construction worker follows blueprints to build a building, dialogue in text is constructed in a specific way. By the end of this tutorial, you’ll be able to demonstrate the use of commas and quotation marks in dialogue. Let’s get started!

Type: Original Student Tutorial

By the end of this tutorial, you will be able to state your opinion, organize your ideas, and list relevant reasons for your opinion.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to use commas and quotation marks to mark direct speech and quotations from a text.

Type: Original Student Tutorial