Each student writes a one paragraph summary of a chapter of a book and then illustrates their chapter. It can be used for a book the whole class is reading so then all of the summaries are collected and bound together to create a “summary book” of the book read. This activity can be used for both fiction and non-fiction books in any subject and any grade, although this activity is linked to upper primary SOLs. This activity assesses reading comprehension and practices all writing skills. It also includes Art SOLs, and if you have students create their final products on the computer, then you would be incorporating the Computer Technology SOLs as well. If it is used for a non-fiction text in a different content class, then the activity would also cover those SOLs. It can be used for EL classes in middle school also. 

Word study is the use of explicit instruction which encompasses both phonics and phonological awareness to instruct decoding and encoding. Third grade students are learning to decode and encode short vowels. The Go Fish game is an enjoyable way to practice and contrast between long and short vowels, specifically short short ‘o’ and long ‘o’ (oCe). The words and photos can help students develop vocabulary.

Word study is the use of explicit instruction which encompasses both phonics and phonological awareness to instruct decoding and encoding. Third grade students are learning to decode and encode short vowels. The Go Fish game is an enjoyable way to practice and contrast between long and short vowels, specifically short a and aCe and short I and iCe. The words and photos can help students develop vocabulary.

The students will identify how computing technologies have changed the world and how they are influenced by cultures by group activities, critical activities, problem solving skills and researching.

The student will investigate and understand simple machines and their uses. Students are learning the purpose, function and environmental examples of simple machines in their daily lives. These comprehension “mix-ups” are a great way to monitor students’ understanding of the content along with checking reading comprehension.

This lesson reviews citizenship expectations as students effectively communicate in small groups and the whole-class setting to prepare for a trip to the Science Museum! Students analyze and sort behaviors into categories, based on the attributes or actions described while reviewing vocabulary critical to a museum visit. Special thanks to the Science Museum of Western Virginia and the Center for Educational Networks and Impacts at Virginia Tech for their advisement and resource contribution to this lesson.