Hydropower generation is introduced to students as a common purpose and benefit of constructing dams. Through an introduction to kinetic and potential energy, students come to understand how a dam creates electricity. They also learn the difference between renewable and non-renewable energy.

Students investigate decomposers and the role of decomposers in maintaining the flow of nutrients in an environment. Students also learn how engineers use decomposers to help clean up wastes in a process known as bioremediation. This lesson concludes a series of six lessons in which students use their growing understanding of various environments and the engineering design process, to design and create their own model biodome ecosystems.

Students learn about a special branch of engineering called bioremediation, which is the use of living organisms to aid in the clean-up of pollutant spills. Students learn all about bioremediation and see examples of its importance. In the associated activity, students conduct an experiment and see bioremediation in action!

In this lesson, students continue their education on cells in the human body. They discuss stem cells and how engineers are involved in the research of stem cell behavior. They learn about possible applications of stem cell research and associated technologies, such as fluorescent dyes for tracking the replication of specific cells.

Polymers are a vital part of our everyday lives and nearly all consumer products have a plastic component of some variation. Students explore the basic characteristics of polymers through the introduction of two polymer categories: thermoplastics and thermosets. During teacher demos, students observe the unique behaviors of thermoplastics. The fundamentals of thermoset polymers are discussed, preparing them to conduct the associated activity in which they create their own thermoset materials and mechanically test them. At the conclusion of this lesson-activity pair, students understand the basics of thermoplastics and thermosets, which may entice their interest in polymer engineering.

This lesson is the first of six in a series of close read-alouds for the text Stone Girl, Bone Girl. In this lesson, students are introduced to Mary Anning, the real-life fossil hunter. Students use the content knowledge to kick-start their study on paleontologists and fossils. This close read-aloud provides in-depth practice on multiple literacy skills, including retelling a story and identifying characters' responses to events.
During the close read-aloud, students practice looking closely at pictures and word choices when examining small sections of the text read aloud. Close read-alouds by definition are with complex texts, so the Close Read-aloud Guide provides intentional questions to help students with comprehension. For additional information on close read-alouds, see the Teaching Notes in Module 1, Unit 1, Lesson 6.
This lesson introduces students to selected response questions (SRQs). Students are introduced to multiple strategies to help them answer an SRQ in preparation for the Unit 1 Assessment. In this and future modules, students will practice these types of questions in preparation for assessments in third grade and beyond.
In the Closing, students revisit perseverance, a habit of character, and learn about a new habit of character, initiative. Students identify these two habits of character while participating in the close read-aloud of Stone Girl, Bone Girl. Students also see a more personal application while talking about new challenges in the classroom, such as SRQs.

RL.2.1: Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
RL.2.2: Recount stories, including fables and folktales from diverse cultures, and determine their central message, lesson, or moral.
RL.2.5: Describe the overall structure of a story, including describing how the beginning introduces the story and the ending concludes the action.
RL.2.7: Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot.
W.2.8: Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a question.
SL.2.2: Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or information presented orally or through other media.
L.2.4b: Determine the meaning of the new word formed when a known prefix is added to a known word (e.g., happy/unhappy, tell/retell).

In the Opening, students review these habits of character: perseverance and initiative. Having a strong understanding of these habits of character is important because students use that understanding and apply it to situations presented by the main character of the close read-aloud.
This is the third of six lessons in a series of close read-alouds of the text Stone Girl, Bone Girl. In this lesson, students learn about character responses and begin a chart to track Mary Anning's responses to challenges in her life. (RL.2.1, RL.2.2, RL.2.3, RL.2.5, RL.2.7)
In Work Time B, students practice retelling the beginning of the book (pages 1-8) to build mastery toward SL.2.2, RL.2.2, and RL.2.5. Students move from orally retelling the story to writing the retelling. Students repeat this process a few times before completing a chart for this story and the Unit 1 Assessment text.

Students begin to create their "Curiosity Museum," a collection of fossils and captions about them. This activity is meant to build engagement in the topic and deepen student exposure to fossils. Consider inviting students to bring in pictures or artifacts related to fossils to store in the museum (see the In Advance section for preparation).
This is the second of six lessons in a series of close read-alouds of the text Stone Girl, Bone Girl. In this lesson, students read the first two pages closely to understand the characters and setting. Students participate in several vocabulary exercises to understand the imagery created by the text. (RL.2.1, RL.2.2, RL.2.5, RL.2.7)
During the close read, students participate in a Language Dive conversation that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from Stone Girl, Bone Girl. The conversation invites students to unpack complex syntax--or "academic phrases"--as a necessary component of building both literacy and habits of mind. The sentence is compelling because it uses the quantifier few to signal one challenge in the main character's life. Students then apply their understanding of the structure and meaning of this sentence when retelling the first section of the book, in preparation for the Unit 1 Assessment. Invite students to discuss each chunk briefly, but slow down to focus on the highlighted structure had few friends.
Students are introduced to retelling in Work Time B, when they practice retelling the first section of the book to build mastery toward RL.2.2, RL.2.5, and SL.2.2. Because the speaking and listening standard is so closely linked to these reading standards, it has been included on the checklist for assessing students in this unit. Students continue to practice retelling in preparation for the Unit 1 Assessment.

This is the fourth of six lessons in a series of close read-alouds of the text Stone Girl, Bone Girl. In this lesson, students listen to a series of important events in the book, including meeting the Philpot sisters, exploring the Philpot sisters' house, and Pepper's death. Students also Language Dive to better understand fossils and retelling past events. (RL.2.1, RL.2.2, RL.2.3, RL.2.5, RL.2.7)
During the close read-aloud, students participate in a Language Dive conversation that guides them through the meaning of a sentence from Stone Girl, Bone Girl. The conversation invites students to unpack complex syntax--or "academic phrases"--as a necessary component of building both literacy and habits of mind. The sentence was chosen for its use of regular and irregular past tense verbs and for its connection to current and future content. Students then apply their understanding of the structure and meaning of this sentence when thinking about the Unit 1 guiding question, "What do paleontologists do?" and in retelling using regular and irregular past tense verbs in preparation for the Unit 1 Assessment. Invite students to discuss each chunk briefly, but slow down to focus on the highlighted structure that the fossils were the remains.
In Work Time B, students practice orally retelling a portion of the middle of the book to build mastery toward SL.2.2, RL.2.2, and RL.2.5. Students continue to practice retelling in preparation for the Unit 1 Assessment.
In Work Time C, students complete written answers after listening to a portion of the text read aloud. The writing focuses on an event (Pepper's death) and Mother's response to that event (selling their goods). This writing exercise reinforces student understanding of character response in a text. (W.2.8)

This is the final lesson in a series of close read-alouds of the text Stone Girl, Bone Girl. In this lesson, students listen to how Mary found her biggest fossil and became a famous fossil hunter. (RL.2.1, RL.2.2, RL.2.3, RL.2.5, RL.2.7)
Students participate in two culminating tasks for the read-aloud: How Mary uses a habit of character to respond to challenge and a written retelling of the beginning, middle and end of Stone Girl, Bone Girl. These activities provide important data on student progress toward the standards being assessed in the Unit 1 Assessment. The unit assessment takes place in Lessons 8-9 to monitor students' ability to independently retell important events in a story and identify a character's response to an event. (W.2.8, SL.2.2)
In the Closing, students revisit one of the Unit 1 guiding questions: How does a character respond to major events? After working closely with this focus question in the close read-aloud, students can apply their ideas to future work and texts read in class during the module.

As students will have previous exposure to the historical themes and factual information about the attacks on Pearl Harbor, the United States involvement in WWII, and the internment of Japanese in camps throughout the western United States, this lesson exemplar will allow students to participate in critical discussion of two stories that illuminate important, yet divergent, experiences of war and conflict. This lesson exemplar will push students to think critically about the experience of wartime as felt by both soldiers and civilians as they navigated specific trials that were a part of their direct or peripheral involvement in WWII. This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.

This exemplar has been developed to guide high school students and instructors in a close reading of Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. The activities and actions described below follow a carefully developed set of steps that assist students in increasing their familiarity and understanding of Lincoln's speech through a series of text dependent tasks and questions that ultimately develop college and career ready skills identified in the Common Core State Standards. This unit can be broken down into three sections of instruction and reflection on the part of students and their teachers, which is followed by additional activities, some designed for history/social studies and some for ELA classrooms.his close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.

By reading and rereading the passage closely and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussion about the text, students will be equipped to unpack Dillard's essay. When combined with writing about the passage, students will learn to appreciate how Dillard's writing contains a deeper message and derive satisfaction from the struggle to master complex text. This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students. Additional teacher background material: http://teachers.sduhsd.k12.ca.us/lcaston/documents/WeaselsEssayAnal.pdf

This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. This exemplar features the following: readings tasks in which students are asked to read and reread passages and respond to a series of text dependent questions; vocabulary and syntax tasks which linger over noteworthy or challenging words and phrases; discussion tasks in which students are prompted to use text evidence and refine their thinking; and writing tasks that assess student understanding of the text. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.

The goal of this exemplar is to reinforce the skills students have acquired regarding how to extend their understanding and interaction with multiple texts when investigating a set of focused historical themes. This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.

By reading and rereading the passage closely combined with classroom discussion about it, students will explore the historical truths related to poverty, city construction, and city services that led to the disaster. In this reading, students learn about historical disasters, but they may not fully comprehend causes or how human actions, nature, or even luck contributed to them, rendering history a flat subject to be memorized rather than explored. When combined with writing about the passage and teacher feedback, students will better understand the dangers inherent in cities and the government role in mitigating that danger. This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.

By reading and re-reading the text passage, closely combining classroom discussion about it, and writing about it, students come to an appreciation of the need to (a) re-read, paraphrase, and discuss ideas, (b) come to an accurate basic understanding level of a text, (c) come to an accurate interpretive understanding of a text, and (d) build a coherent piece of writing that both constructs and communicates solid understanding of text. This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.

The goal of this two to three day exemplar is to give students the opportunity to use the reading and writing habits theyve been practicing on a regular basis to absorb deep lessons from Richard Feynmans recollections of interactions with his father. By reading and rereading the passage closely, and focusing their reading through a series of questions and discussion about the text, students will identify how and why Feynman started to look at the world through the eyes of a scientist. When combined with writing about the passage, students will discover how much they can learn from a memoir. This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.

By reading and re-reading the Constitutional passages closely combined with classroom discussion about it, students will explore the questions Monk raises and perhaps even pursue additional avenues of inquiry. When combined with writing about the passage and teacher feedback, students will form a deeper appreciation not only of MonkŐs argument and the value of struggling with complex text, but of the Preamble of the Constitution itself. This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.