Grade 6
Grade 6
Unit 3: With Flying Colors
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The School Play
by Gary Soto
 
Cross Curricular  
Shooting Stars  
Cross Curricular
From the Student Web Page
Comets and Meteors
Connect to this link:
http://library.thinkquest.org/23830/comets.htm


  1. Click What are comets? Read the explanation.
  2. Go back. Click What is the period of a comet? Read about the frequency of comets.
  3. Go back. Find out more by clicking and reading What are Meteors? and Origin of Meteors.
About the Site

This is a Web page from a larger ThinkQuest project on astronomy. ThinkQuest is the non-profit organization that sponsors international online competitions for student teams to create Web sites. This Comets and Meteors site also has information about well-known comets and a table of yearly meteor showers. You may want to have students investigate those links as well as other astronomy links from the home page. Preview the site to better direct research.

What to Do

  1. Discuss the reasons why comets have fascinated and frightened people for thousands of years.

  2. Discuss when a shooting star should be called a comet and when it should be called a meteor.

  3. Direct students to other links of interest from the Astronomy page.
From the Student Web Page
Education Corner
Connect to this link:
http://comets.amsmeteors.org/educate/educate.html


  1. Read the page to tell the difference between comets, meteors and asteroids.
  2. In the Meteor section's Example #1, click meteor to watch the video.
  3. At Example #2, click movie of a fireball to watch another video.
About the Site

At Gary W. Kronk's Comets & Meteor Showers, a site sponsored by the American Meteor Society, students can learn the difference between meteors, asteroids, and comets. Discuss and help them understand the differences.

What to Do

  1. As students read the descriptions, it may be helpful for them to construct a simple comparison chart.

  2. After seeing the videos of "shooting stars," students may also enjoy viewing the videos of asteroids and comets. Click any examples under the two main headings to watch.
Find Out More  
Donner Party  
Find Out More
From the Student Web Page
The Donner Party
Connect to this link:
http://members.aol.com/DanMRosen/donner/index.htm


  1. Scroll down to read the short article. Stop at the list of logs.
  2. Go back to the first paragraph and click ordinary people. Select one or more families to read about.
  3. Go back. Scroll down and click Read what happened to members of the Donner Party.
About the Site

Amateur historian Daniel Rosen created this Web site to share his interest in the Donner Party. The site includes an introduction to the ordinary people who attempted the journey, accounts of what happened to members of the party, a map, and log entries. Interesting photographs accompany some of the logs.

What to Do

  1. After students read about a few families, you may want to have them read one of the Donner Party logs.

  2. You may want to divide the class into small groups and assign a month of logs to each group. Have students share what they've read.

  3. To see a map Donner Party's route, have students click View maps of the Donner Party's route.
From the Student Web Page
The Donner Party
Connect to this link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/donner/index.html


  1. Click About the Program and read the short article.
  2. Click Route to Hell.
  3. Begin at Independence, Missouri. Roll your cursor "west" to each name in blue.
About the Site

This Web site is from the PBS series, The American Experience. It contains an overview of the westward migration, an interactive map, a bibliography, and an interview with writer/director/producer Ric Burns. You many want to preview the site and select other portions for students to view.

What to Do

  1. Have students tell what they know about the Donner party and its fate.

  2. When students complete their research, talk about what they have learned.
Leveled Books  
Artists/Musicians/Writers  
Leveled Books
From the Student Web Page
Artist Gallery
Connect to this link:
http://www.allaboutartists.com/bios/index.html


  1. Click an artist's name. Read about the artist.
  2. Click Gallery and click Find Painting by Artist.
  3. Find the artist you have read about and click on his paintings.
About the Site

The Web site All About Artists provides biographies of 10 important artists, a gallery of their paintings, and links to museum Web sites. Students can sample the works of several artists to learn more. You may want to preview the site and direct them to specific artists.

What to Do

  1. Discuss the styles of painting shown.

  2. Ask students to comment on the lives of the artists. How do their experiences result in similarities in their painting styles?
From the Student Web Page
American Composers
Connect to this link:
http://ipl.si.umich.edu/div/mushist/twen/american.htm


  1. Read the biographies of these famous American composers.
  2. To hear samples of their famous works click on the hypertext links of the song names.
  3. Create a chart of famous American composers. Include headings for their names, important dates in their lives, and accomplishments.
  4. Which songs do you like the best? Why?
About the Site

This webpage is part of the special exhibit "Music History 102" on the Internet Public Library Web site. The exhibit is intended for use as a guide to the music and lives of great Western composers.

Lesson Objectives

  • Students will use the Internet to read about famous American composers.

  • Students will listen to excerpts of their songs.

  • Students will make a chart to compare the composers.

  • Students will choose their favorite song from those included on the Web site.

Suggested Additional Activities

  • Have students choose one composer from the Web site and research this composer’s life further.

  • Have students create timelines of the famous composers’ lives.

  • Have students research other great composers from different cultures and eras. Have them compare these to the great American composers.