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Science: Making Career Connections
Students explore careers in oceanography. They compare and contrast requirements for careers in the field, and determine what high school courses would help to prepare them. Finally, they create a computer-based project related to...
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Introduction to Indians and the First Thanksgiving
Pupils use yarn to create a timeline of the first Thanksgiving. After a class discussion, they view pictures of artifacts and Native Americans to identify the tools and items present during the first Thanksgiving. In groups, they...
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Early Humans
Eighth graders work together in groups to examine the earliest civilizations. After reading two stories, they compare and contrast the facts with those stories with other ones they have read. They discuss the different hypothesis on...
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The Lessons of Emmett Till
Students participate in a WebQuest designed to take them on a journey into the darkness that is race predjudice and the often-violent means in which it is manifested. They investigate the murder of a 14-year-old Chicago boy visiting...
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Exploration Watershed
Students discuss what a watershed is, and locate watersheds on a map. In this watershed lesson, students use the information they have been introduced to and create a color coded watershed map of their own.
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About Abraham Lincoln
Fifth graders complete a unit of lessons on the life of Abraham Lincoln. They read and analyze a poem, create a timeline, write an essay, research The Gettysburg Address and The Emancipation Proclamation, explore websites, and interview...
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Fractions in the Kitchen
Seventh graders use the World Wide Web for research, identify fractions found in everyday life by finding a recipe that uses fractions.
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Theodore Roosevelt
In this biography learning exercise, students read a one page text detailing the life of Theodore Roosevelt. Students then answer 14 short answer questions.
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Hero Stories Teach
Students create a slogan. In this heroes lesson, students identify traits from hero stories that match traits of real life heroes. They discuss what lessons they can learn from heroes about courage and come up with a one line slogan that...
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Mark Twain's Hannibal
Students research life in Hannibal, Missouri. In this Mark Twain activity, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of life in Hannibal in the late 19th century. This activity may be used as an introduction to...
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A Representative Back Home
Students explore the day in the life of a U.S. Congressman through a multimedia presentation. They view the activities of Representative Zach Wamp of Tennessee as he meets with constituents in his home district. In small groups, they...
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Menu Math
Students follow the food pyramid to create a daily food budget. They research food prices online or in newspapers. They graph the amount of each food group included in their menus. They can also create a weekly food menu based on a fixed...
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What's The Idea?
Sixth graders explore line segments, rays, parallel, perpendicular and intersecting lines. The teacher discusses, with the class, real life items that represent each geometric idea studied. They use cotton balls, strings and popsicle...
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Cotton Pickin' Before and After the Civil War
Pupils explore the impact of cotton. In this economics lesson, students listen to a lecture presented by their instructor on the Southern crop of cotton and its impact on the South prior to and following the Civil War. Pupils conduct...
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Aztec Culture
Students research the Aztec culture in Mexico. They focus on their religious practices. They write a goal to personally sacrifice something. They also write about the costs and benefits of a sacrifice.
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Threatened Species and Public Policy
Students discuss the Endangered Species Act and its impact on people and the environment. They read the act and watch video footage. They examine why sea turtles are endangered and efforts to protect them. They analyze numerical results...
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The Transcontinental Railroad
Students investigate the impact of the Transcontinental Railroad. In this Transcontinental Railroad lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the effect of the railroad on Chinese immigrants and American Indians,...
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The Turn of the Nineteenth Century: Lifestyles and Cultures
Student reflect on the differences between the life of children in the early
nineteenth century and their lives in the present. They demonstrate these differences by creating a drawing of "then and now." In addition, they create a...
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Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Students read the novel "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". Using the text, they gather information on how and why the Civil Rights Movement began. They use excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr's speeches to discuss the issue of equality....
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Ingenious Inventions
Fifth graders complete a variety of activities as they study the various tools and machines that have been invented throughout history that have made life easier and tasks less difficult for modern man.
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Bats Migrate South
Students examine the life of bats in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the history of the bat in Illinois and describe the way they find prey by using echolocation. They report their findings to the class and answer any...
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Advances in Civilization: A Car or a Horse?
Fourth graders investigate the ways in which horses made transportation, hunting and agriculture much easier for the native peoples. They then compare advantages of a horse "back then" to the ease transportation (mainly cars) make on our...
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Basic Sense
Fifth graders add fractions. After a class discussion on real life application of fractions, the teacher uses fractions strips to model adding fractions. In pairs, 5th graders model adding fractions by drawing diagrams. They justify...
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Basic Operations With Decimals
Fourth graders solve real life addition and subtraction decimal problems. In groups, they read a real life scenario. They use a newspaper to gather data to solve the situation. Students create a poster containing the justification for...