In this lesson, students will compare and contrast day and night of their place on earth, to another location. Students will conduct a short research project that builds knowledge through investigation of different aspects of day and night in other locations on earth with a focus on Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Alaska. This lesson was developed by Lisa Hiatt as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

Students will create a presentation on the animal based on their research. This lesson was developed by Tina Deal as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

Students will investigate ways to save animals around the world and create a written opinion piece to share their thoughts and ideas to save the animals. Students will be able to choose a structure that best supports their opinion. They will use correct grammar and spelling to write clear sentences and draft an opinion piece. Optional:  Students will take action by adopting an animal through the World Wildlife Foundation. This lesson was developed by Sara Kull as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

In this lesson, students will investigate the term commodity and its relationship to agriculture. From previous work, students know that agriculture includes food, fiber, natural resources and that farmers produce different items. Students have learned that depending on where people live, there are different crops and foods consumed. Note: This lesson was created in accordance with the VIF Global Competence Indicators for Grade 4. For more information about VIF and these indicators, please visit https://www.vifprogram.com/. This lesson was developed by Brenda Todd as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

In this lesson, students research imports and exports for various countries around the globe and discuss the effect on the global economy. Note: This lesson was created in accordance with the VIF Global Competence Indicators for Grade 4. For more information about VIF and these indicators, please visit https://www.vifprogram.com/. This lesson was developed by Brenda Todd as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

In this lesson, students research agricultural career choices. Note: This lesson was created in accordance with the VIF Global Competence Indicators for Grade 4. For more information about VIF and these indicators, please visit https://www.vifprogram.com/. This lesson was developed by Brenda Todd as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

In this lesson, students will continue to investigate the term commodity and its relationship to agriculture. Students will also review how agriculture is different and the same in other areas of the world, and discover, through their investigations, the importance of international agriculture. Note: This lesson was created in accordance with the VIF Global Competence Indicators for Grade 4. For more information about VIF and these indicators, please visit https://www.vifprogram.com/. This lesson was developed by Brenda Todd as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

In this lesson, students collaborate, communicate, and synthesize new learning about the importance of agriculture to society. This is the culminating lesson in the unit, that pulls all lessons (1-11) together. Note: This lesson was created in accordance with the VIF Global Competence Indicators for Grade 4. For more information about VIF and these indicators, please visit https://www.vifprogram.com/. This lesson was developed by Brenda Todd as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

This lesson will take students to the final phase in this unit, the essay writing. Students have been writing routinely throughout the unit and have had authentic exposure to the language of immigration. Students will write a well-developed, 5-6 paragraph essay articulating their immigration story titled, "I am...." Students will be supported with a graphic organizer, sentence frames and a writing checklist as they write. These subtopics were identified in Lesson 3: cause, effect, challenges, emotions, and hopes. Students' writing will be supported by facts and details and provide a concluding section which expresses their opinion about their family's choice to immigrate to the United States. This lesson was developed by Tsianina Tovar as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.

Student will research an animal they are assigned from Australia using an informational rubric. The students will research their animal using the guide given by teachers. They will investigate the information and take notes regarding their animal. They will use the computer to research and learn about their animal in its habitat and ecosystem. Students will identify environmental changes, adaptations, and behaviors that enable animals (including humans) to survive in changing habitats. They will communicate their ideas in writing using a rubric before they construct a Google Slideshow representing their findings. This lesson was developed by Victoria James as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

Review with students how they have been learning about how all living organisms have basic needs. Ecosystems are made up of interactions of organisms with their living and non-living environment. Organisms and their environments are interconnected and therefore rely on one another for survival. If one part of the environment changes, the interconnectedness will change and cause a chain reaction. Using this information, students will create a Google Slides presentation using the research from their collaboration with ELA class. This lesson was developed by Lindsey Chavis-Turner as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

This cross-curricular lesson combines Social Studies and Language Arts to demonstrate how the study of an historical topic can be developed to make learning nonfiction more exciting, and also improve fluency and comprehension. This project about Benjamin Franklin includes a series of lessons in which the students: 1) read for information from multiple texts, 2) write a script for a Readers Theater play, 3) read for expression and fluency by using their script, 4) enhance their reading with visual arts, and 5) demonstrate dramatic interpretation through role-play. This approach engages students throughout in active participation and collaboration. Included are many supporting resources, such as a read-aloud rubric, an audition sheet, and ideas for student assessment and reflection.

Higher-level students will read books and articles from the internet about different aspects of other cultures (food, dress, recreations, language, traditions, beliefs, etc.), and as they read, they will take notes on these aspects/cultures that have influenced their own lives. Then they will create a “Me” web on the computer to demonstrate the different aspects they have “adopted” from other cultures. Then they will write an expository piece to bring the information on the poster all together. This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

In this lesson using Ben’s Dream, a picture book by Chris Van Allsburg, students highlight ten major landmarks of the world: the Statue of Liberty, Big Ben, the Eiffel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Parthenon, the Sphinx, St. Basil’s Cathedral, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and Mount Rushmore. After reading and discussing Ben’s Dream, students identify the landmarks shown in the book and examine photographs of them. Working in small groups, students select one landmark to research. Using their research skills, students locate these famous landmarks, conduct further research on them, publish their findings using an online tool, and share that information with the class.

Higher-level students will be divided into 3 small groups so that they may work collaboratively with their peers to research entrepreneurs of the 3 main regions of NC (coastal, piedmont, and mountain). Each group will work to find the entrepreneurs of their particular region, and they will make the connection as to why the entrepreneur was able to make business decisions based on the needs and desires of the consumers in the region of NC. Students will work together as a whole group to create a topographical map of NC and show where entrepreneurs have established businesses/developed products or services in each region. Students will create a legend to show types of businesses/products/services. Then each individual student will write a paper telling about one entrepreneur in their region explaining how/why the region was conducive for entrepreneurship. This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

Students will examine the three historical portraits Andrew Jackson, William Pitt, and Portrait of a Boy for symbolism and its relationship to the concept of meaning. After learning more about Andrew Jackson’s involvement in the Cherokee Indians’ Trail of Tears in North Carolina, students will research another historical figure important during that movement and produce a historical portrait, similar to the examples shown, and a cinquain poem.

Higher-level students will be given the details of the imaginary community that they are to create. They will be told the natural resources which they will have available to them. They will create a 3-dimensional town with industry, businesses, etc. Students will need to be specific with which businesses and industries will work in their community; this may require research of actual businesses/industries. Then they will create a flyer to encourage people to come live there, giving details of the important aspects of the town. This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

The teacher will introduce students to the two web articles with perspectives about slavery (one from the perspective of a slave and one from the perspective of slave owners).  Then the higher level will have a discussion about the two perspectives. Higher-level students will write a R.A.F.T, assuming a ROLE and using the R.A.F.T and the rubric to guide their writing.  This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

The teacher will introduce students to websites about famous North Carolinians who have made contributions in our local communities and regions over time.  Higher-level students will work in small groups of 3 students, and they will work collaboratively in those small groups to pick 10 diverse historical figures of NC who have made contributions.  Then they will discuss and research these individuals to rank them according to amount of impact that their contributions had on our communities and state.  Students will need to justify their rankings which will require critical thinking and collaboration.  This lesson was developed by NCDPI as part of the Academically and/or Intellectually Gifted Instructional Resources Project. This lesson plan has been vetted at the state level for standards alignment, AIG focus, and content accuracy.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 4th Grade English Language Arts.