Grade 5
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Strand 1
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Strand 2
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Strand 3
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Strand 4
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Strand 5
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Strand 6
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Strand 7
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Strand 8
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Strand 9
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Strand 10
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Strand 11
- 5.11.A
- 5.11.B
- 5.11.B.i
- 5.11.B.ii
- 5.11.C
- 5.11.D
- 5.11.D.i
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- 5.11.D.x
- 5.11.D.xi
- 5.11.E
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Strand 12
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Strand 13
TEKS ELA Standard: 5.13.A
generate and clarify questions on a topic for formal and informal inquiry
A Full-Size Lego Car
It’s a car made out of Lego with a working engine.
Dinosaur Optical Illusion
Why does this dinosaur keep looking at me…
Order to Chaos: Dominoes or Dam?
Sometimes outside forces turn order into chaos. But sometimes chaos comes from within.
Order and Chaos Hide Inside Each Other
Chaos can contain order. Order can contain chaos! Is chaos ever truly random?
Who has more power: the Queen Bee or the Hive?
Sometimes power is concentrated in one place. Other times it is spread out.
Indirect Power – Lighthouse vs Magnetism
Students explore the idea of indirect power – which can be both visible (a lighthouse) or invisible (magnetism).
Power – Blue Whale vs Krill
Sure, a Blue Whale is huge. But does a tiny krill have more power?
Lego Paper Shredder
Can you shred paper using just Lego?
What’s In My Brain: Ball vs Book
Let’s look at Kinetic vs Potential Energy!
Slow Motion Popcorn
What surprises can you spot when a kernel pops in super slow-mo?
Changing Baby Names
You won’t believe how fascinating it is to watch a map of the most popular baby names by US state.
Frozen Bubble
What happens when you blow a bubble in below-freezing temperatures?
Notice, Wonder: Sombrero
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Barringer
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: SLS Test
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Craters
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Tournament: 8 Wonders of the Solar System
Which location is the most wondrous place in the solar system?
Notice, Wonder: Vortices
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
The 8th Wonder of the World Tournament
Which of these eight wonders deserves to become the Eighth Wonder of the World!?
Notice, Wonder: Swirls
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Precipitation Tournament
Eight types of precipitation battle it out in this tournament.
Tournament of Ancient Inventions
Which of these inventions of the ancient world is most influential? Least useful today? Most taken-for-granted?
Habitable Planets and Moons Tournament
Which object in the solar system is most habitable?
What’s In My Brain: Owl vs Eagle
Some of these animals are nocturnal and some are diurnal.
Notice, Wonder: Green Circles
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: An Orange Thing
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Paradox: Rebuilding A Ship
What if we completely rebuild something slowly? What if we completely rebuild it all at once? Is it still the same thing?
Order Can Be Natural or Constructed
When is order natural and when is it designed by people?
Notice, Wonder: Forest
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Akron
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
The Tournament of Biomes
Want to move beyond memorizing the characteristics of biomes? In this lesson, students work through a Tournament of Biomes, explaining which biome wins in each round (based on criteria you choose). In the end, they crown a 👑 Champion Biome!
Notice, Wonder: The Cliff
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Notice, Wonder: Etna
A mysterious image. Reveal it slowly. Let your students wonder!
Game: Order and Chaos
Imagine Tic-Tac-Toe if both players could play as both Xs and Os!
Upgrade Research Questions With Depth and Complexity
Ever ask students to create research questions? Were their ideas a bit… blah? My own students had a very hard time writing questions they didn’t already know the answer to! This video is how I solved that problem: upgrade research questions with depth and complexity.
Paradox: The Liar’s Paradox
Nothing like a paradox to get your kids brains exploding 🤯! This one starts with five simple words: “This statement is a lie.”
Dots and Boxes
Who can make the most boxes from dots in this strategy game?
Developing Extension Questions: Zooming In
Every topic has details that get glossed over in a sentence. Zoom in on one and you’ve got an entire unit hiding inside a paragraph.
Developing Extension Questions: Panning
Your textbook covers a topic in one paragraph. But what’s next door? Pan the camera and you’ve got a question worth exploring for weeks.
Content Imperatives: Contribuition
Pull on one thread and watch the whole topic move. Contribution asks: what single factor is quietly shaping everything else?
Content Imperatives: Origin
Take students back to the beginning by using the Content Imperative ⏺️ Origin.
Using Creativity Tools To Develop A Learning Exploration: Step Three
How do you turn “go research something” into a structured, creative learning exploration? Kathryn Haydon walks through it step by step.
Depth and Complexity: ❓ Unanswered Questions
This underutilized tool focuses students on what we don’t yet know and even what we can’t know.
Using Creativity Tools To Develop A Learning Exploration: Step Two
How do you turn “go research something” into a structured, creative learning exploration? Kathryn Haydon walks through it step by step.
Depth and Complexity: ⏳ Change Over Time
Want to get students thinking about how a topic has changed or might change in the future? The ⏳ Change Over Time thinking tool is just what you need!
Disneyland Parking Tram Math Project
A full parking structure. Thousands of people. Trams that hold a few dozen. How many trips? Real math with a place kids actually care about.