Cross-Curricular Connections: Using The Little Thesis in Math, ELA, and Science
TL;DR
The Little Thesis is not just a science book. Its six chapters connect naturally to Math (data, graphing, measurement), ELA (reading, writing, speaking, listening), and Science (inquiry, investigation, analysis) standards. This post maps each chapter to specific cross-curricular activities and standards so you can justify the coloring book across your entire instructional day.
Why Cross-Curricular Matters
Elementary teachers are stretched thin. Every minute of instruction needs to count, and administrators want to see standards alignment. The good news: teaching the research process touches nearly every core subject area. When you use The Little Thesis, you are not pulling time away from Math or ELA - you are reinforcing those subjects through a research lens.
Below, each chapter is mapped to specific connections in Math, ELA, and Science.
Chapter 1: The Spark of Curiosity
Chapter 1 anchors observation and questioning, the very first move in any research project. The three connections below show how the same coloring page can power a science nature walk, an ELA Wonder Circle, and a kindergarten-friendly math sorting activity. Use one or all three depending on your schedule. The shared theme is helping students notice the world carefully and turn what they notice into questions worth investigating later in the unit.
Science Connection - Asking Questions (NGSS Practice 1) Students learn that science begins with observation and questioning. Activity: Take a nature walk. Students observe and generate "I wonder..." questions, then color Chapter 1 pages and label their favorite question.
ELA Connection - Speaking and Listening (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1) Pair-share and whole-group discussion of questions builds oral language skills. Activity: Wonder Circle - each student shares one question aloud. Classmates respond with "I wonder that too" or "That makes me think of..."
Math Connection - Sorting and Classifying (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.K.MD.B.3) Sort student questions into categories: questions about animals, plants, weather, people, etc. Activity: Create a human bar graph where students stand in lines based on their question category.
Chapter 2: The Library of Leaves
Chapter 2 is about learning what others already know before you investigate. The three connections below turn that idea into a science source comparison, an ELA close-reading activity, and a math tally exercise that counts and compares facts the class collected. Together they show students that reading and counting are core research moves, not separate subjects, and that a quick tally can quickly reveal patterns in what the class has discovered.
Science Connection - Obtaining Information (NGSS Practice 8) Students learn that researchers review existing knowledge. Activity: Read two short nonfiction texts related to a class question. Compare what each source says.
ELA Connection - Reading Informational Text (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.1) Students practice asking and answering questions about key details in a text. Activity: After reading a nonfiction passage, students highlight or circle one fact that connects to their research question.
Math Connection - Counting and Comparing (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.1.NBT.B.3) Count how many facts the class found. Compare: "Who found more facts about animals than plants?" Activity: Create a class tally chart of facts by topic.
Chapter 3: The Great Guess
Chapter 3 introduces the hypothesis, a testable prediction supported by reasoning. The three connections below help students draft hypotheses as science statements, structure them like opinion writing in ELA, and use them as the basis for prediction-and-estimation activities in math. The "I think... because..." sentence frame travels across all three subjects, giving students a single language for forming, defending, and revising the educated guesses that drive any research project.
Science Connection - Constructing Explanations (NGSS Practice 6) Students form hypotheses - testable predictions based on prior knowledge. Activity: Use the sentence frame "I think _____ because _____" to write a hypothesis.
ELA Connection - Writing Opinion Pieces (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.1) A hypothesis is structurally similar to an opinion with supporting reasoning. Activity: Students write their hypothesis as a complete sentence, then illustrate it on the coloring page.
Math Connection - Prediction and Estimation (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.D.10) Students predict outcomes and estimate quantities. Activity: "How many students in our class think plants grow faster in sunlight? Let's estimate, then count." Record predictions versus actual counts.
Chapter 4: The Adventure Kit
Chapter 4 covers planning the investigation. The three connections below treat experiment design as science procedure, sequential informational writing in ELA, and applied measurement in math. Together they help students see that a clear plan, written in steps with the right tools and units, is what separates a real experiment from a wish. Use the same coloring page as the visual anchor for procedure writing, transition words, and ruler practice.
Science Connection - Planning Investigations (NGSS Practice 3) Students design simple experiments with clear steps. Activity: Write a 3-step procedure for a class experiment. Identify what materials (tools) are needed.
ELA Connection - Writing Informative Texts (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2) Writing a procedure is informational writing with sequential structure. Activity: Students write their experiment steps using transition words (first, next, then, finally).
Math Connection - Measurement (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.A.1) Many experiments require measuring. Activity: Practice measuring objects with rulers, cups, or scales. Record measurements in a simple table.
Chapter 5: Counting the Treasure
Chapter 5 is the most natural cross-curricular chapter because data lives at the intersection of science, math, and reading. The three connections below help students analyze experiment results in science, read graphs as text features in ELA, and represent data with bar graphs, pictographs, and tally charts in math. Expect this chapter to occupy more instructional time than the others because graphing, comparing, and interpreting deserve a slow, hands-on pace.
Science Connection - Analyzing and Interpreting Data (NGSS Practice 4) Students examine results and look for patterns. Activity: Conduct the class experiment. Record data in a table and discuss: "What do you notice? What pattern do you see?"
ELA Connection - Using Text Features (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.5) Graphs, tables, and charts are text features. Activity: Read a simple bar graph from a book or worksheet. Answer questions about it. Then create one from their own data.
Math Connection - Representing Data (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.2.MD.D.10) This chapter is the most natural math connection. Activity: Students create bar graphs, pictographs, or tally charts from their experiment data. Compare results across groups.
Chapter 6: Telling the Story
Chapter 6 closes the unit with publication and presentation. The three connections below let students share findings as scientists, structure those findings as a short narrative in ELA, and revisit their data as math interpretation. Together they teach the often-skipped final step of research: explaining what you learned in plain language so a real audience can understand it. Plan for a class showcase, parent invite, or buddy-class presentation as the culminating event.
Science Connection - Communicating Information (NGSS Practice 8) Students share findings with an audience. Activity: Mini research presentations where students explain their question, hypothesis, method, and results.
ELA Connection - Narrative and Presentation (CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.4) Students tell a story about their research journey. Activity: Students write 3-4 sentences summarizing their project and present to the class or a partner.
Math Connection - Interpreting Results (CCSS.MATH.CONTENT.3.MD.B.3) Students revisit their graphs and explain what the numbers mean. Activity: "My graph shows that _____ happened more than _____. This means _____."
Putting It All Together
A single chapter of The Little Thesis can serve as the anchor for an entire day's instruction across subjects. Color the pages during morning work, discuss the science concept during science block, practice the related math skill during math time, and write about it during writer's workshop. One coloring book, three subjects, zero wasted time.
FAQs
The questions below are the ones that come up most often when teachers and instructional coaches review the cross-curricular map above. The answers cover how to prioritize connections, where Social Studies fits in, how to communicate the standards story to administrators, and how to share the work with co-teachers and specials teachers. Use these to bring your team along when introducing the book at the next planning meeting.
Do I need to cover every connection listed here?
No, and most teachers do not. Pick the connections that fit your current standards focus and your weekly schedule. This list is a menu, not a mandate. Even using one cross-curricular connection per chapter adds significant value and lets you justify the coloring book to administrators across multiple subject blocks. Start small the first time you run the unit, then expand the connections you use during the second pass once you know which activities your students respond to best.
What about Social Studies connections?
Social Studies connections are real but lighter than the Math, ELA, and Science threads above. Chapter 6 on publishing and sharing connects to community and communication themes that show up in early elementary social studies. Chapter 2 on library research connects to information literacy and civic responsibility, two ideas that anchor primary social studies frameworks. If your district uses an integrated humanities block, you can fold these connections into your weekly plan without much extra prep.
How do I communicate this to administrators?
Use the standards codes listed above directly in your lesson plans, weekly newsletters, and walk-through documents. When administrators see NGSS, CCSS-ELA, and CCSS-Math standards all addressed through one shared resource, it demonstrates instructional efficiency and intentional planning. Pair the codes with one or two student work samples or photos of completed coloring pages so the evidence is visible at a glance. Most principals respond to that combination far more than to a written justification alone.
Can I use this with co-teachers or specials teachers?
Absolutely, and the book gets stronger when more adults use it. Share copies with your art teacher for coloring technique work, your librarian for Chapter 2 research-skill lessons, and your math specialist for Chapter 5 data activities. Each specialist can reinforce the same concepts in their own setting, which gives students multiple exposures to the research vocabulary in a single week. The Subthesis Squad characters then become a shared classroom language across the building, not just one room.
More for Educators
These two posts pair naturally with the cross-curricular map above. The six-week unit gives you a complete scope and sequence so you can plug each subject connection into a structured semester plan. The teacher's guide goes deeper on lesson planning, differentiation, and assessment so the standards work shows up in your evidence binder as well as your daily instruction.