Share some great Google Drawing practices with your students through this amazing post from Control Alt Achieve.

Share some great Google Forms practices with your students through this amazing post from Control Alt Achieve.

Share some great Google Drawing practices with your students through this amazing post from Control Alt Achieve.

Develop a model to describe interactions between Earth’s systems including the geosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and/or atmosphere. Emphasize interactions between only two systems at a time. Examples could include the influence of a rainstorm in a desert, waves on a shoreline, or mountains on clouds.

Design solutions to reduce the effects of naturally occurring events that impact humans. Define the problem, identify criteria and constraints, develop possible solutions using models, analyze data from testing solutions, and propose modifications for optimizing a solution. Emphasize that humans cannot eliminate natural hazards, but they can take steps to reduce their impacts. Examples of events could include landslides, earthquakes, tsunamis, blizzards, or volcanic eruptions.

Develop and use a model to describe that matter is made of particles on a scale that is too small to be seen. Emphasize making observations of changes supported by a particle model of matter. Examples could include adding air to expand a balloon, compressing air in a syringe, adding food coloring to water, or dissolving salt in water and evaporating the water. The use of the terms atoms and molecules will be taught in Grades 6 through 8.

Ask questions to plan and carry out investigations to identify substances based on patterns of their properties. Emphasize using properties to identify substances. Examples of properties could include color, hardness, conductivity, solubility, or a response to magnetic forces. Examples of substances could include powders, metals, minerals, or liquids.

Plan and carry out investigations to determine the effect of combining two or more substances. Emphasize whether a new substance is or is not created by the formation of a new substance with different properties. Examples could include combining vinegar and baking soda or rusting an iron nail in water.

Use mathematics and computational thinking to provide evidence that regardless of the type of change that occurs when heating, cooling or combining substances, the total weight of matter is conserved. Examples could include melting an ice cube, dissolving salt in water, and combining baking soda and vinegar in a closed bag.

Construct an explanation that plants use air, water, and energy from sunlight to produce plant matter needed for growth. Emphasize photosynthesis at a conceptual level and that plant matter comes mostly from air and water, not from the soil. Photosynthesis at the cellular level will be taught in Grades 6 through 8.

Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information that animals obtain energy and matter from the food they eat for body repair, growth, and motion and to maintain body warmth. Emphasize that the energy used by animals was once energy from the Sun. Cellular respiration will be taught in Grades 6 through 8.

Develop and use a model to describe the movement of matter among plants, animals, decomposers, and the environment. Emphasize that matter cycles between the air and soil and among plants, animals, and microbes as these organisms live and die. Examples could include simple food chains from ecosystems such as deserts or oceans or diagrams of decomposers returning matter to the environment. Complex interactions in a food web will be taught in Grades 6 through 8.

This lesson explores the challenges the United States faced as a result of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, and examines the governmentâ"s response through the lens of protection and civil liberties. Students will consider the balance between security and liberty in the United States.

Through a whole-class read-aloud of the historical fiction picture book (text provided), Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, and two historical articles, students will compare activists Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and Utahn Emmeline B. Wells. Students will examine the statue that depicts the friendship of Anthony and Douglass and complete one of the following: a) a compare/contrast essay, b) a sketch of a statue to represent the friendship between Anthony and Wells, or c) a dialogue between Anthony, Douglass, and Wells. The purpose of this lesson is to not only learn about these advocates for change, but to develop the skills of civil and respectful dialogue, particularly with those with whom we may disagree.

Stephanie Howell posted this a few weeks ago and I thought, "What a great way to connect with students at the beginning of the year and then throughout the year!" Using her template, a Google add-on called Autocrat, and her video tutorial, you can set up a Google Form/Sheet to automatically send students a digital birthday card throughout the year. It takes about 20 minutes to set up but then it runs automatically throughout the year!

This primary source set includes documents and images from the life of Abraham Lincoln. A teacher guide is included to assist educators in utilizing the primary sources in their instruction.

A brief guide to engaging students in narrative writing by having them program robots to act out their stories.

Share some great Google Forms practices with your students through this amazing post from Control Alt Achieve.

This primary source set includes documents and images from the life of Alexander Hamilton. A teacher guide is included to assist educators in utilizing the primary sources in their instruction.