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What Does It Mean To Be a Good Citizen?
Students study citizenship and what it means to be a good sitizen. They create their own country and determine its citizenship rules. They work together to create a visual representation of what makes a good citizen.
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California Gold Rush
Students discover the people who lived in California before and after the gold rush. They use primary source documents to identify how the finding of gold changed the area. They also discover the discrimation that was present during the...
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Western-Genre Films
Students watch westerns and analyze them. They identify the plot, characters and the sounds in the film. They research icons of the American west and prepare a presentation. They share their presentation with the class.
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Mined or Grown?
Sixth graders differentiate between raw materials that are cultivated and those that are mined. They collaborate with their eighth grade peers to learn more about the mining complexities at the end of their mineral identification unit.
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Northwest Coast Indians: Winter Celebrations Potlatch
Upper elementary learners engage in a study about the Potlatch as a Northwest Coast Indians social custom. Groups of pupils plan their own Potlatch ceremony; incorporating activities and creating gifts much like the ones that the Indians...
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Northwest Coast Indians: Spring and Summer Salmon
Here is a fabulous lesson about the cultures of the Northwest Indians. Through an exploration of a story about the Salmon People, learners study the practice of harvesting salmon and the cultural importance of salmon to the Northwest...
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Classroom Archaeology
Students, in groups, receive a box of artifacts. They record their findings and discuss what the items would have been used for. They come together at the end of the lesson to share their findings.
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Fur Trading
Learners take on a role such as a farming community, hunting community or a trading post. They decide which products they focus on and then trade with the other groups.
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The See Family
Third graders examine photographs as primary source documents. Students are broken into groups and are given photographs of the See Family.
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Masks
Young scholars examine traditional masks from Southwest Indian groups and create their own mask based on Internet research. They share their mask with the members of their class.
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Good Citizens
Students consider what qualities and values make a good citizen. Students compare the requirements to become a U.S. citizen in 1896 to current requirements. Students create a country and write out the qualities a good citizen would possess.
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California Native American Basket Weaving
Fourth graders consider the role that baskets play in the traditional lives of Native Americans in California. Students investigate types of baskets and their various uses and then weave their own baskets.
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Freed Slaves
Students are given the identify of a newly freed slave at the end of the Civil War. Students participate in a discussion to explore some of the difficulties and decision making freed slaves had to consider. Students present their...
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Foreign Miners
Students examine primary source documents from miners who went to California in the search of gold. They compare and contrast the letters they read and discuss what types of discrimination still exists today.
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Mini Museum
Students brainstorm about the different types of museums and complete a worksheet by looking at artifacts and what they think that object did. They work together in groups to complete a KWL chart throughout the lesson.
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Westward Expansion
Students locate California and New York on a map and explore available means of travel in the 19th century. Students explore the role of trade in pioneer America and simulate various barter transactions.
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Where In the World Am I?
Learners identify their location in the world after studying latitude, longitude, relative location, and absolute location. They use assigned web site to find information to make a flipbook that answers questions about their location in...
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Rodent-borne Diseases: Getting the Facts Out There
Students conduct research of the hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) or lymphocytic choriomeningitis (LCMV). They obtain the information and create a public announcement in the form of a brochure, newsletter, poster, radio announcement,...
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It is Our Right-Don't Waste It!
Students explore the basic rights granted to all American citizens by the U.S. Constitution in the light of women's issues. The women's suffrage movement, the role of Susan B. Anthony, and the timeline of events on voting rights are...
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Country Music Mourns A Legend's Passing
Students investigate the history of country music. They explore various websites, identify the different types of country music, read about members of the Country Music Hall of Fame on their official website, and answer discussion...