Structures

The Earth is a solid structure on which we live, but it is not unchanging. Forces inside Earth constantly change both the inside and outside of the planet we call home. When students consider the concept of structures, they will discover that the word has many meanings.

The books in Prufrock's new Differentiated Curriculum Kits employ a differentiated, integrated curriculum based on broad themes. This all-in-one curriculum helps teachers save planning time, ensure compliance with national standards, and most importantly, pique their students' natural excitement and interest in discovery. By participating in the wide variety of activities in the Differentiated Curriculum Kit for Grade 5, students will discover the structures around them and gain a lifelong desire to learn.

In Structures Book 1: Geology, Expansion, and the Arts, students will learn that structures can be physical, natural, symbolic, and metaphoric. Symbolic structures such as the railroad being a "bridge across America" will be examined. Natural structures inside and outside of the Earth will be discovered, and students will uncover metaphoric structures in music lyrics and literature. The book covers topics such as natural bridges, earthquakes, erosion, Westward expansion, the Industrial Revolution, settlements, flexible thinking, acrostic poetry, and symbolism--all placed within the theme of structures.

Other books in the Structures series include Structures Book 2: Cultures, Geometry, and Energy and Structures Book 3: Government, Cycles, and Physics.

Each book contains detailed lesson plans, reproducible activity sheets, and assessment tools.

Grade 5

This curriculum unit makes use of the following great children's literature books:

• Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson; and
• CD of Bridge Over Troubled Waters by Simon and Garfunkel or LeAnn Rimes (optional).