Elementary
November 13-November 19, 2013

Find the latest educational resources from Iowa Public Television.

PBS Kids Writers Contest: Read & Create Stories
Grades: K-3

The PBS Kids Writers Contest is for students who want to write and illustrate their own stories. Read stories by other students and create new stories using the story creation tool. Support materials include a comprehensive Writing Guide and handouts that teach students the elements of story writing.

Symbolism: Keely's Mountain

Grades: 5-8

In this blended lesson supporting literacy skills, students are introduced to Keely, who feels that her identity as a Nipmuc Native American is weakened because there is no strong Nipmuc community around her. The video Keely made when she was young and felt discouraged is countered by her positive thoughts about identity when she is older. Students develop their literacy skills through an English language arts focus on symbolism. During this process, they read informational text, learn and practice vocabulary words, and explore content through videos and interactive activities.

Brian Selznick
Grade Range: 4-7

Brian Selznick feels that his illustrations are more authentic when he immerses himself in his subject matter. For the picture book "Amelia and Eleanor Go for a Ride", Selznick spent six months in Washington, DC conducting research at libraries and museums. For his Caldecott-Honor-winning illustrations in "The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins", he traveled to London to sketch, photograph, and climb inside the famous dinosaur replicas. For his best-selling 533-page illustrated novel, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret", Selznick watched old French films, interviewed experts, and traveled to Paris three times. That book won the 2008 Caldecott Medal for it's groundbreaking "cinematic" illustrations. Learn about his research methods, how he ended up as a children's illustrator, and his childhood inspirations in this series of Meet the Author videos.

Velcro
Grade Range: 1-4

In this animated video from LOOP SCOOPS, a sphinx asks two children how a pair of sneakers is like a dog that has been outside. The kids discuss how dogs, after being outside, sometimes return to the house covered in burrs. Looking at both burrs and Velcro� under a magnifying glass, the children discover that both are covered with tiny hooks. The sphinx explains that the inventor of Velcro� was actually inspired by a walk in the woods with his dog.

The Science of Lewis and Clark
Grade Range: 4-6

This video segment from IdahoPTV's D4K points out that the mission of the Core of Discovery was map and to document the science of the plants, animals, land and people of their journey. They wrote about 178 plants and 120 animals. You hear their descriptions in their own words from their journals.

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