Amanda Cotrupi

Teaching children how to make observations is an essential part of effective science instruction. Yet, how many times have you asked children to make observations and see them write down, "big" or "ugly"? Well, this activity will help your students to distinguish between observations that are scientific and those that are not. It is a complete lesson designed to fill approximately 45-60 minutes. Students will take notes on what makes an observation scientific, sort examples of observations, and

This interactive worksheet guides students through 4 exploratory and kinesthetic activities centered around their body's muscles! They will explore their reaction time, notice the tendons in their hands, compare voluntary and involuntary muscles, and use their muscle sense. It is designed to be completed with a partner, and includes questions throughout. You could do one activity at a time with your whole class or have partner cycle through them like centers. It is a great way to get your studen

Help your students visualize the necessary components of a paragraph by comparing them to a hamburger. The introduction and conclusion sentences are the bun, and the "meat" of the paragraph is made up of their relevant details. This graphic will remind them to include each element in their paragraph.

Writing about reading is an important element of the common core curriculum. When children are all reading different texts during reader's workshop, it can be difficult to manage your student's journal responses. "What do I write about?" becomes a common question. Print these journal questions on a sheet of 14 labels, and staple them into your students' journals or folders. Students can then pick a question that works with their text, and stick it in their journal! These questions were designed

A major part of any successful social studies curriculum involves teaching children to be active citizens. Encourage your children to be involved in current events by assigning them to read articles from the newspaper, magazines, or reliable online websites. This assignment requires children to summarize, make connections, ask questions, and more. It is a great way to integrate language arts skills with social studies, as per the common core standards! Assign it once, or multiple times throughou

This cooperative learning activity was designed as a back to school activity. Children will brainstorm the qualities and actions of a "model student." They will then represent these qualities using symbols, images and words on the stick figure image. This is a creative and fun way to engage children while during the first week of school! Great for character education!