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Alabama ELA Standard: 5.LF.10

Respond directly to specific information shared by others in classroom discussion, using facts to support the ideas being discussed.

Order and Chaos: Recipe or Instinct?
Order and Chaos: Recipe or Instinct?
Two cooks make the same dinner. One follows the recipe to the exact gram. The other just throws things in by feel. Whose food turns out better — the ordered cook or the chaotic cook?
Gr 1-8
Order and Chaos: The Perfect Heartbeat
Order and Chaos: The Perfect Heartbeat
A heartbeat sounds steady, but a perfectly regular one is a warning sign — healthy hearts speed up and slow down a little. Is a healthy heart ordered or chaotic?
Gr 1-8
Order and Chaos: The Shuffle
Order and Chaos: The Shuffle
To shuffle a deck you follow exact steps to make the cards random. Are you creating chaos, or doing something very orderly?
Gr 1-8
Order and Chaos: No Traffic Lights
Order and Chaos: No Traffic Lights
One town runs its intersections with signals. Another has no lights at all — drivers just work it out. Which town’s traffic is more orderly?
Gr 1-8
Order and Chaos: The Snowflake
Order and Chaos: The Snowflake
A snowflake builds a perfect six-sided pattern, and no one designs it. Did that order come from inside the water, or from outside in the cold?
Gr 1-8
Systems: Grandpa’s Axe
Systems: Grandpa’s Axe
Grandpa’s axe broke, so he put on a new head. Years later the handle cracked, so he replaced that too. Now no original piece is left. Is it still the same axe, or a new one?
Gr 1-8
Systems: The Thermostat
Systems: The Thermostat
A thermostat fights to keep a room the same — open a window and it just cranks the heat to undo you. In a system that pushes back like that, can you ever really change just one thing?
Gr 1-8
Systems: Watch vs. Forest
Systems: Watch vs. Forest
A watch stops dead if one tiny gear breaks. A forest can lose a whole species and barely notice. Which is the better-built system — the one where every part matters, or the one where no part is essential?
Gr 1-8
Systems: The Traffic Jam
Systems: The Traffic Jam
Picture a jam where no one crashed and no one even stopped on purpose — everyone crawls for an hour, then it clears for no reason. Did anyone actually cause this traffic jam?
Gr 1-8
Systems: Pull One Thread
Systems: Pull One Thread
A sweater is really one long thread looped a thousand times. Pull the right loose end and the whole thing unravels in seconds. So is a system like that strong or fragile?
Gr 1-8
Change: The Caterpillar’s Bargain
Change: The Caterpillar’s Bargain
To become a butterfly, a caterpillar doesn’t just sprout wings — inside the cocoon it dissolves into liquid first, almost nothing left, then rebuilds. Would you trade everything you are now to become something far greater?
Gr 1-8
Change: The Sealed Jar
Change: The Sealed Jar
You love a flower so much you seal it in a jar to keep it exactly as it is, forever. A month later it’s brown and crumbling. Did sealing it stop the change, or just hide it?
Gr 1-8
Change: The Tree’s Scar
Change: The Tree’s Scar
A nail got hammered into a young tree. The tree didn’t push it out — it grew around it, sealing the nail inside a knot of new wood. Was that change the tree healing, or the tree getting damaged?
Gr 1-8
Change: One Domino
Change: One Domino
You nudge one domino. It tips the next, which tips two more, which tip four, until a thousand have fallen. Did you cause one change, or a thousand?
Gr 1-8
Change: Canyon vs. Earthquake
Change: Canyon vs. Earthquake
It took a river six million years to carve the Grand Canyon. An earthquake can drop a cliff into the sea in ten seconds. Which one changed the land more — the slow river or the fast quake?
Gr 1-8
Notice, Wonder: Fountain
Notice, Wonder: Fountain
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Dazzle
Notice, Wonder: Dazzle
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Burton Island
Notice, Wonder: Burton Island
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Tenzing
Notice, Wonder: Tenzing
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Brooklyn
Notice, Wonder: Brooklyn
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
New Uses For A Cardboard Tube
New Uses For A Cardboard Tube
So, what can a cardboard tube be used for other than holding wrapping paper?
Gr 1-8
Student Introductions With Depth, Complexity, and Frames: Level Two
Student Introductions With Depth, Complexity, and Frames: Level Two
Once students know the prompts of Depth and Complexity, let’s take them much higher up Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Gr 1-8
Notice, Wonder: Sombrero
Notice, Wonder: Sombrero
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
New Uses For A Chair
New Uses For A Chair
So, what can a chair be used for other than, you know, sitting in?
Gr 1-8
Notice, Wonder: Silver Torch
Notice, Wonder: Silver Torch
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Barringer
Notice, Wonder: Barringer
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Rosetta
Notice, Wonder: Rosetta
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Phrases to Join a Discussion
Phrases to Join a Discussion
Want your classroom discussions to go a bit more smoothly? Train students to use a few simple phrases and it’ll make all the difference in the world.
Gr 1-8
Notice, Wonder: Critter
Notice, Wonder: Critter
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: A House
Notice, Wonder: A House
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: SLS Test
Notice, Wonder: SLS Test
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Butterball
Notice, Wonder: Butterball
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Notice, Wonder: Ramses
Notice, Wonder: Ramses
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Craters
Notice, Wonder: Craters
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Bloom
Notice, Wonder: Bloom
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Notice, Wonder: Skylight
Notice, Wonder: Skylight
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Krzywy Las
Notice, Wonder: Krzywy Las
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Scales
Notice, Wonder: Scales
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Vortices
Notice, Wonder: Vortices
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Notice, Wonder: Swirls
Notice, Wonder: Swirls
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Notice, Wonder: Witch’s Fingers
Notice, Wonder: Witch’s Fingers
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Green Circles
Notice, Wonder: Green Circles
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: An Orange Thing
Notice, Wonder: An Orange Thing
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Kuiseb
Notice, Wonder: Kuiseb
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: A Long Line
Notice, Wonder: A Long Line
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice Wonder: Blood Falls
Notice Wonder: Blood Falls
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Generalization: Change Leads to More Change
Generalization: Change Leads to More Change
Can you think of a time in your life when “Change lead to more change?”
Gr 2-8
How Renewable Is That Resource?
How Renewable Is That Resource?
Which resource is more renewable? And which is easier to find?
Gr 3-7
Notice, Wonder: Forest
Notice, Wonder: Forest
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Akron
Notice, Wonder: Akron
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7
Notice Wonder: Electronics
Notice Wonder: Electronics
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice Wonder: Turbine
Notice Wonder: Turbine
Your students will be surprised by the size of this turbine… and by what’s hanging from it!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice Wonder: Z-Machine
Notice Wonder: Z-Machine
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Climber
Notice, Wonder: Climber
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: A River
Notice, Wonder: A River
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: The Cliff
Notice, Wonder: The Cliff
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Michael
Notice, Wonder: Michael
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Etna
Notice, Wonder: Etna
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: Plateau
Notice, Wonder: Plateau
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
Notice, Wonder: A Ship
Notice, Wonder: A Ship
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Gr 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8
The Thinking Hats
The Thinking Hats
So… do your students moan when forced to work in a group? Part of the problem is that lack the structure to work well with peers. Edward de Bono’s Thinking Hats are a perfect tool to help with this problem.
Gr 1-8
Depth and Complexity: 🌻 Details
Depth and Complexity: 🌻 Details
Get kids focusing on the small, but essential, details of a topic.
Gr 1-8
Creating A Classroom Motto
Creating A Classroom Motto
Starting with specific examples of fantastic classroom behavior, your class will end up with one sentence summing up their expectations. It’s a classroom motto!
Gr 1-8
Intellectual Intensity
Intellectual Intensity
Do you know someone who becomes a bit overexcited by ideas?
Gr 3-8