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Traveler's Trunk
Students analyze and interpret artifacts from the 1920s and explore the Great Migration. For this 1920s history lesson, students review background information about the Great Migration and use artifacts to study history of Chicago....
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Home Sweet Home
Students complete activities with the books Color Me Dark, The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, and The Great Migration North. In this literature/History lesson, student read the story and discuss the plot. They analyze photographs taken...
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Native American Research
Students investigate an Native American tribal group. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The subject areas to focus on are religious life, history, social structures, economics, geography, and environment. Students...
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A Toast To The Past
Students analyze, and research the identity of the non electric toaster as a historical artifact. In this toaster lesson plan, students then create a visual timeline of toaster history.
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Smiley Face Circle Stories
Students examine different artifacts from the 1970's. In this history lesson, students discover what each artifact is by seeing the artifact and reading a card defining what the artifact represents. On the second day, students create...
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Urban Treasure Hunt
Fourth graders use clues, and a photo, to find the location of a building in Illinois. They then take a present picture and create a powerpoint presentation to compare past and present features
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Family Life
Students investigate the lives of families in two different centuries. They compare the 1600's to the 1800's. Students write an essay about the differences and how they developed in history. Special attention is paid to the external...
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Treasure Tales
Create an artifact kit to engage your young learners. Then, assign small groups a section of chapter three. They will identify the main idea and three supporting details for their section. Then, they select one artifact from the kit that...
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My Promise
Learners define their own civic responsibility and create a PowerPoint presentation about their volunteer efforts. For this civic responsibility lesson, students define the word volunteer and read an article about a volunteer in their...
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Lesson 25: The Great Chicago Fire Must Become a Movie
Students write a persuasive letter asking James Cameron to choose their disaster for his next movie.
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Working on the Railroad
Students plan a trip on the railroad. In this railroad creation and implementation lesson, students listen to the song "Working on the Railroad", make a map of where the track was laid and discuss the geographical challenges. Students...
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Traveler's in Time
Students analyze artifacts to become familiar with the Great Migration. In this migration lesson, students read an article and answer comprehension questions. Students role play a migration scenario using an artifact to help describe...
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Before Dred Scott: Freedom Suits in Antebellum Missouri
Students examine and analyze original documents that enhance understanding of antebellum slavery in Missouri and a particular method of gaining freedom: the freedom suit.
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Kidding Around In The 1980s
Students examine pop culture of the 1980s. In this historical time period lesson plan, students view a Smurfs cartoon from the 1980s and discuss its similarities and differences to cartoons today. Students work in groups to examine an...
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Discovering Details: Shoebox Designs
Students investigate architectural art by creating an interior design for a box. In this art design instructional activity, students analyze modern artifacts such as doorknobs, brackets and mailboxes by using a Venn diagram to identify...
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Treasure Chest
Students explore Chicago in the fur-trading era. In this Chicago lesson, students discover what life what like during this time. Students read an historical fiction story about life in the fur-trade era. Students view replicas of...
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The West "The People": The Lewis and Clark Expedition
Fourth graders become familiar with the conditions facing the members of the Expedition in the early 1800's, as well as the causes and consequences of the Expedition. They describe the conditions of the land in the 1800's and during the...
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Solving Environmental Problems
Students identify a community environmental problem and possible solutions. They analyze the connection between the problem and the solutions and the importance of it to the local community. Students then draw a picture of an...
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Fact and Opinion Pre-Test
In this fact/opinion worksheet, students complete 10 multiple choice questions. Students may click on a link to view correct answers.
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Transportation Through Time
Students write a short story illustrating the past and imaging the future in transportation. In this transportation lesson plan, students explore artifacts that have to do with transportation in the past in Chicago.
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Back to the Future
Students imagine what it would be like to travel back in time. In this creative writing lesson, students watch parts of the film Back to the Future and examine artifacts from the past. Students write a short story in which they travel...
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The Art of Construction
Students research the architecture. in this architecture lesson, students examine buildings from the point of view of the architect or builder. They draw their own building and have a classmate build it.
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The Hopi Indians
Fourth graders make a mask of who they are as an individual after studying the Hopi Indians. In this Hopi Indians lesson plan, 4th graders compare and contrast the Hopi life with theirs, make predictions, and learn about culture.