Alabama ELA Standard: 2.LF.41

Writing prompts, non-fiction analysis, and science topics related to Christmas and Hanukkah.

Sometimes outside forces turn order into chaos. But sometimes chaos comes from within.

Earth’s layers will disagree about which one contributes the most to the planet’s success.

Students write from the point of view of the most under-appreciated planet.

Sometimes we want order, but sometimes we need chaos!

Introduce Order by exploring “written” vs “unwritten” rules.

13 colonies activities including a word search and task cards packed with facts. Plus, students will create their own colony with a name, story, and map!

What if a capybara and a kangaroo rat switched homes? Would their adaptations be helpful at all?

Once students know the prompts of Depth and Complexity, let’s take them much higher up Bloom’s Taxonomy.

Allison Edwards explains how blood flow in your brain affects your decision-making

What would the consequences be if a town’s tap water became… unreliable?

What would the consequences be if all people lived much, much longer?

What would the consequences be if no one had to sleep anymore?

Put these animals into groups. Then do it again. Then… do it one more time. How does re-re-grouping the same creatures reveal new patterns and give new insights?

Everything changes. But how does it change? Students brainstorm dozens of examples and boil them down to one big idea.

Which of these types of volcanoes is not like the others?

Which of these deserts is not like the others?

What if each square on a Tic-Tac-Toe board had another Tic-Tac-Toe board inside of it?

Three paragraphs about baseball. They all cover the same topic — so what makes each one different? Now combine them into one super-paragraph.

Three paragraphs about cucumbers. They all cover the same topic — so what makes each one different? Now combine them into one super-paragraph.

Three paragraphs about the Empire State Building. They all cover the same topic — so what makes each one different? Now combine them into one super-paragraph.

Three paragraphs about wolverines. They all cover the same topic — so what makes each one different? Now combine them into one super-paragraph.

Sure, students might know the difference between a producer and a consumer… but have they considered how they feel about each other? What, in a producer’s opinion, are the pros and cons of a consumer?

It’s a great moment for your civilization! Power is moving from the hands of a few to a more democratic government.

Start with facts about Christmas trees. Group them. Label them. Can you boil it all down to one big idea?

Want to introduce the tools of Depth and Complexity and learn more about your students and introduce the Frame graphic organizer? Have I got the activity for you!

Upgrade compare and contrast writing with just a couple of key words.

We’ll take two seemingly unrelated pieces of content (say volcanoes and the human body) and then build analogies to connect the two ideas. In the end, students can create a skit, comic, or story relating the two concepts.

What happens when your civilization suddenly has a surplus of food? Think of the possibilities!

The Nile, the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Seine, the Thames, and now… your river!

Your students build a civilization from scratch — rivers, flags, calendars, currency, government. Social studies, science, and writing woven into one year-long project.

Let’s make valentines with an educational twist!

Create a new creature based on the adaptations of existing creatures from the same biome.

Did you ever notice that the structure of an essay is very similar to the structure of a paragraph? Hmm…

Can you write directions so clear that a group of kids can put a toy together with no illustrations?