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Trails to the West
Eighth graders research American history of the 1850's. In this American history lesson, 8th graders write about how different American groups looked at the idea of Manifest Destiny. Students then draw the Oregon and Santa Fe Trail.
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Quilt Squares
Young scholars research the history of the quilt in American History and view a PowerPoint Presentation. They create a quilt square with colored paper using polygons, transformations, rotations, and reflections on the computer and on a...
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Immigration
Eighth graders examine the American immigration experience. In this immigration lesson, 8th graders watch a video about Ellis Island and discuss the processing that took place there. Students write letters in the voice of American...
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"Home Sweet Home?"
Students research an endangered animal's habitat, investigate the survival problems. They research the animal's zoo life. They research some programs of reintroduction and chart the pros and cons of each.
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History Close to Home: Creating Your Own Special Museum
Students create their own museum exhibit. In this museum creation lesson plan, students research their local history so they can decide on a theme for their exhibit and what objects they will use in order to design a museum exhibit. A...
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Fresh Greens In The Home
Young scholars engage in the study of nutritional food choices that include fresh greens. They investigate the benefits of using simple planting techniques. The lesson also includes recipes for students to try out the habit of eating...
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Westward Expansion
Students examine how the events that took place during the time of the Westward Expansion affected the pioneers and Native Americans through the seven lessons of this unit. Enhancements in transportation over time are also a part of the...
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Mineral Scavenger Hunt
Students complete a scavenger hunt worksheet as they find examples in their classroom, at home, etc., of minerals. Excellent worksheet!
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Create a Classroom Exhibit: Rocks and Minerals
Students bring in rocks and minerals from home. They observe them and describe them carefully, completing a worksheet. Finally, a classroom exhibit is created.
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Rocks and Minerals
Students bring rocks and minerals from home to investigate in the classroom. For this rocks and minerals lesson plan, students observe all the rocks and minerals brought into the class and answer 7 questions about the features of the...
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Discrimination
Students investigate what discrimination is and study Article 2 from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. They participate in a role play activity involving majority and minority groups for which a letter was sent home to parents....
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Miners of the Prairie: The Days of Shaft Mining in Northern Illinois
Students explore the life and times of a coal miner in Illinois through the analysis of primary source documents and images.
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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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Immigration into an Urban Industralized Northeast: 1879-1914
Learners study how three ethnic groups were introduced to urban, industrialize, northern cities. They examine how these groups were greeted and accepted be the 'native born' Americans and how successful they were in assimilating with...
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Comparing Colleges
Students begin process of selecting suitable colleges by exploring colleges in foreign countries and reflecting on a possible future life far from their native countries. They rank various criteria for selecting colleges, discuss...
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The Heritage of Puerto Rico and Cuba
Students examine the influences of the Hispanic culture in the United States. In groups, they read about the life of a slave in Cuba and identify the misconceptions are discussed. As a class, they define racism, read an essay and...
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Friday and Friends: A Prospectus of the Mexican Family through Children's Literature
Young scholars use literature to examine how the structure of families in Mexico has changed over time. In groups, they examine how their life now relates to their ancestors and the Spanish conquest of the area. As a class, they are...
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Minerals, Crystals, and Gems
Young scholars discover the relationships between minerals, crystals and gems. They bring in rocks that they find at home, in the schoolyard, etc. and examine them and attempt to identify them. They set up a classroom exhibit that...
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Symmetry that is Basic and Beautiful
Young scholars explore lines of symmetry. In this symmetry instructional activity, students divide and combine shapes along basic lines of symmetry. Young scholars explore symmetry in real life objects.
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Lewis and Clark In Columbia River Country Native Foods
Young scholars complete an online activity by following a series of prompts to determine seasonal foods that could be found in the Columbia basin during the Lewis and Clark expedition. They draw a seasonal round that shows a colorful...
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Modern Day Pilgrims
Young scholars examine the similarities and differences between modern day immigrants and pilgrims. They listen to stories, discuss their ancestors' origins, and create a native costume for a paper doll for where their ancestor is from.
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Fort Clatsop: The Corps of Discovery's Winter at Fort Clatsop
High schoolers investigate the Lewis and Clark expedition and how it helped to shape American expansion during its early history. Students reflect upon the period of history and its implications for America.
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The Myth of Voluntary Internment
Students review the Alien Enemies Act and Executive Order 9095. They explore both the financial and emotional ramifications of having a parent arrested or interned. They research what daily life was like in U.S. Internment camps during...
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WWII Newspaper Using the Team Interview Model
Students interact with each other to conduct interviews after conducting meaningful research about the era of World War II. The interview is conducted in a group and then can be presented to another group or the whole class.