Available Lessons
"Diary of Anne Frank:" A Podcast
Grade: 8
Language Arts, Technology
Students create a podcast surrounding historical events of Anne Frank and the Secret Annex.
A Hidden Child's Story:Accounts from the Holocaust Digital Story
Grade: 8
Technology
Students will create a storyboard (using PowerPoint or Microsoft Word) outlining their movie on a hidden child of the holocaust using photos downloaded from the FCIT site (A Teacher's Guide to the Holocaust). Students will include narration in the movie describing the events that unfolded in that child’s life. Students will then use their storyboard, along with their downloaded photos and background music, to create a digital story using video editing software.
A Lucky Charm Sort
Grade: K
Science
Students will sort Lucky Charms based on shapes, using a table to record the answers.
Acting Styles and Their Practitioners: Research and Presentation
Grade: 12
Technology
The purpose of this project will be for students to research acting styles and their practitioners. Using this research, they will create a video (iMovie or MovieMaker) or traditional presentation (Keynote / PowerPoint) and present this to the class.
Advertising Influence
Grade: 7
Language Arts
Students will view multiple advertisements. After a brief lesson, students will be able to categorize the techniques used to influence consumers to make a purchase. In addition, students will create a magazine advertisement utilizing one of the techniques.
Ain't I a Woman - Sojourner Truth
Grade: 8
Language Arts
This lesson works to compare the struggles of the Abolition movement with those of the Women's Reform movement by studying Ain't I A Woman by the prominant abolitionist of her time - Sojourner Truth.
All About Me: Journalism Ice Breaker
Grade: 7
Language Arts, Technology
In the lesson, students are asked to create a presentation (PowerPoint or Keynote) introducing themselves and their roles in the Journalism class to other students. This lesson can be used at the beginning of the course as a culture-building activity.
Alphabet Mystery
Grade: K
Language Arts, Technology
In this lesson, the student will prove whether a text is fact or fiction, discuss the main idea in the story Alphabet Mystery by Audrey Wood and complete a snake alphabet worksheet.
An Intro to Google Earth Scavenger Hunt
Grade: 7
Technology
Students will use Google Earth to answer a series of questions. These questions will allow students to explore Google Earth and many of the different features it offers.
Animal Classification
Grade: 3
Science, Technology
Students will learn to classify animals through research and reference presentations. Students will work in collaborative groups, present findings and self-correct.
Apalachee: Point of View Blog
Grade: 4
Language Arts, Technology
Teacher will read aloud the passage "The Apalachee" as students follow along. After reading they will discuss how the Apalachee lived (i.e., how they obtained food and shelter) and what happened to the Apalachee that led to their elimination. As a class, create a shared writing blog entry from the point of view of a Apalachee Indian. The blog entry should include details about how a Apalachee child spent a day. Within the blog entry the details about how Apalachee lived should be evident. After the whole-class shared writing activity, students will add an entry to the blog from the point of view of a tribe member; students can chose to write from the point of view of a child or adult. Students will also be expected to respond to other students' posts on the blog.
Comic Strip Sequencing and Inference
Grade: 5
Language Arts
This lesson plan provides a guided practice activity for sequencing. Students will use comic strips collected from the newspaper in order to make inferences about the appropriate order.
Dream Vacation: A Math Analysis
Grade: 6
Technology
Students are given the opportunity to select a dream vacation and are give a set amount of money and must plan and execute their trip without going over their allotted funds.
Edgar Allan Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart:" A different perspective
Grade: 8
Language Arts
After planning using storyboards, students will act out the action of the story from different characters' points of view. Students must be sure to include the element of mood in their actions to show the audience the feeling the story portrays during the action. Students will film their portrayals so that they are viewed by other students.
Florida During the Civil War
Grade: 8
Language Arts
Students will explore the role Florida played during the Civil War. Students will explore a document detailing Florida's role and be able to identify key battles that took place on Florida soil. Students will be able to explain how Florida helped the Confederacy during the war.
Forces-Review Games
Grade: 8
Science
The standard method of completing a chapter is to have the student review 3 ways: Cooperative review questions from text; MindJogger Game DVD from text with winning team participants receiving 5 Extra Credit points; BrainPops subject specific game on Internet.
Geometry Around Your School
Grade: 4
Language Arts, Technology
Teacher will read aloud "The Greedy Triangle" by Marilyn Burns. After read aloud the class will create a list of the geometric shapes from the story. Students will add geometric shapes to the list that were not included in the book (e.g., three dimensional objects). Then students will work with a partner to walk around the school campus to find real-life examples of their assigned geometric shape and take digital photographs of the objects. Students will create a class book about the objects and use their digital photographs to illustrate the book.
Great Depression and the New Deal: Causes and Effects
Grade: 4
Language Arts
Shared Reading: The teacher will read aloud "Great Depression and the New Deal" as students follow along. During the reading the teacher will guide students to complete a whole-class cause and effect chart listing the major causes of the Great Depression and their effect(s) on the Florida economy. Then students will break into groups of 3-4 and investigate a specific cause/effect relationship. Groups will use the internet to locate photographs and additional details and facts about the incident and create a Powerpoint or Keynote presentation with speaking notes to present to the class.
History Through Words: Frederick Douglass
Grade: 11
Language Arts
Students will perform a picture analysis. Afterwards, a passage will be read from a narrative in Frederick Douglass’ My Bondage and My Freedom and then complete the Pick-a-Pair worksheet.
Measure of pH using Vernier Probes
Grade: 9
Science
Students will work in groups of two to measure pH of freshwater system when crayfish are present in water sample. A control will be set-up and the biology of the crayfish will studied. The pH should increase as the crayfish releases ammonia as a waste product. (Ammonia is a base)
Mollie Gabe: A Former Slave's Perspective
Grade: 8
Language Arts
This short, stand-alone lesson seeks to give students a perspective of life as a slave from a former slave's perspective. Although this is but one view, it is a view nonetheless. Students will also be asked to use and improve their reading skills by the associated worksheet.
Multi-Media Book Trailers
Grade: 5
Language Arts, Technology
Students will read a self-selected fiction book independently. After completion of the book, students will create a multi-media book trailer (modeled after a movie trailer) to advertise the book. Students can use presentation software (i.e., Powerpoint, Keynote);
Publishing Poetry: Student Vodcast of Original Narrative Poems
Grade: 5
Language Arts, Technology
The students will create a vodcast of an original poem using video editing software (iMovie or MovieMaker).
Push or Pull?
Grade: K
Science
It takes energy to change the motion of objects. Energy change is understood by force- a push or pull. Some forces act through physical contact, while others act at a distance. The student will understand what force, push and pull is.
Reflective Writing: "How I felt on the first day of school"
Grade: K
Language Arts
Students will complete a writing activity based on the prompt: "How I felt on the first day of school" using photos of different emotions.
Rock Cycle
Grade: 4
Science
This is a review lesson on the three different types of rocks. (Metamorphic, Sedimentary, Igneous) Students will compare/contrast two of the three rocks using a Venn Diagram, and answer questions about erosion and weathering.
Skittles Fractions
Grade: 3
Technology
This is a review lesson after the students have already learned about representing fractions. The student will find the fraction of colors in a bite size bag of skittles. They will then predict and discover what color there is the most of in the whole class.
The Calusa: Point of View Blog
Grade: 4
Language Arts, Technology
Teacher will read aloud the passage "The Calusa: 'The Shell Indians'" as students follow along. After reading they will discuss how the Calusa lived (i.e., how they obtained food and shelter) and what happened to the Calusa that led to their elimination. As a class, create a shared writing blog entry from the point of view of a Calusa Indian. The blog entry should include details about how a Calusa child spent a day. Within the blog entry the details about how Calusa lived should be evident. After the whole-class shared writing activity, students will add an entry to the blog from the point of view of a tribe member; students can chose to write from the point of view of a child or adult. Students will also be expected to respond to other students' posts on the blog.
The Tequesta: Point of View Blog
Grade: 4
Language Arts, Technology
Teacher will read aloud the passage "The Tequesta Indians of Biscayne Bay" as students follow along. After reading they will discuss how the Tequesta lived (i.e., how they obtained food and shelter) and what happened to the Tequesta that led to their elimination. As a class, create a shared writing blog entry from the point of view of a Tequesta Indian. The blog entry should include details about how a Tequesta child spent a day. Within the blog entry the details about how Tequesta lived should be evident. After the whole-class shared writing activity, students will add an entry to the blog from the point of view of a tribe member; students can chose to write from the point of view of a child or adult. Students will also be expected to respond to other students' posts on the blog.
The Timucua: Point of View Blog
Grade: 4
Language Arts, Technology
Teacher will read aloud the passage "The Timucua" as students follow along. After reading they will discuss how the Timucua lived (i.e., how they obtained food and shelter) and what happened to the Timucua that led to their elimination. As a class, create a shared writing blog entry from the point of view of a Timucua Indian. The blog entry should include details about how a Timucua child spent a day. Within the blog entry the details about how Timucua lived should be evident. After the whole-class shared writing activity, students will add an entry to the blog from the point of view of a tribe member; students can chose to write from the point of view of a child or adult. Students will also be expected to respond to other students' posts on the blog.
Tulsa Riots of 1921: History Uncovered
Grade: 11
Technology
Students will perform a webquest on the Tulsa Riots of 1921 and other historic tragedies as well as perform comparisons. Critical thinking will allow students to develop a deeper understanding of tragedies and consider approaches to societal problems through discussion and presentation.
Understanding Conservation of Mass in Chemical Reactions
Grade: 11
Science
Often students cannot understand from chemical formulas how atoms exist in compounds, and how they are rearranged during reaction. Furthermore, the concept of balancing reactions eludes them when they cannot actually see the individual atoms. To illustrate a reaction for them, They are split into groups and given "bingo" type chips of different colors. They then put them into groups as reactants, representing the compounds that enter the reaction. They will then break the bonds of the reactants and attempt to rebond them as products. In most reactions, they will see that without balancing they do not have enough "chips" to complete the reaction. However, if they add more of one or more of the reactants, they can then complete the reaction because they now have enough "chips". They will then transfer findings to a sheet, written as a balanced formula equation.
Understanding the Law of Conservation of Mass
Grade: 11
Science
Using the COW, students will use either the program FRAMES or the flip camera and movie maker (their choice) to animate a chemical reaction in order to illustrate that all atoms involved are present at the beginning and end of the reaction, and that matter is neither created or destroyed.