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The Crusades
Tenth graders examine and discuss the crusades led by the Christian world against Muslims between the XI and XIV centuries. They view authentic paintings, contemporary photographs, timelines, and maps online.
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Russia's Colony: A Story of the Colony Through Primary Sources
Students read "Epidemic Timeline and Confessional Lists from Katmai 1831 and 1845." They construct a picture of life in Alaska during the Russian period.
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Russia's Colony: A Story of the Colony Through Primary Sources (Part 1)
Students review the Russian American Timeline connected to the Russia's Colony unit narrative.
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Letters from the Plains
Eighth graders read and analyze primary source documents dealing with Nebraska history. In a role-play, they present the information they gathered to their classmates. They examine what live was like for people settling in Nebraska.
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Understanding Wilderness
Students research and analyze an historical wilderness issue or event after discussing opinions on preservation of wilderness and key players and events in the history of wilderness preservation. After research is complete, students...
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Satellites
Eighth graders explore the history of space travel and satellites. Through a teacher demonstration, 8th graders observe how a satellite revolves another object. They identify natural and artificial satellites, explore how satellites...
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French and Indian War
Fourth graders engage in activities that familiarize them with the causes of the French and Indian War. They discuss the problem that started the war, the countries involved, and the effects to come about as a result of the French and...
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Hoover Responds to the Great Depression
Eleventh graders investigate the historical period of the Great Depression. The fall of the United States economy is defined by students and they describe the growing discontent by the year of 1931.
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Socialism Past and Present
The theory of socialism can be a means to explore the economies of countries around the world.
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Games Children Play
Help your middle schoolers recognize the similarities and differences between the games they play and those played by pioneer children. Using the Internet, they research a game of their choice and discover how it has evolved over time....
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The Railroads and Settlement of the Great Plains
Enhance your American literature unit with this resource, in which readers access the Nebraska Studies website and read about "Railroads and Settlement." They search for a photograph of some aspect of the railroad from the Prairie...
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Comparing Family Photos
Fourth graders bring in a family photo from home. They compare their photo to the Rawding family photo. Students share their conclusions orally. They use Venn Diagrams to organize their thoughts and observations.
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Leif Erikson Day
Leif Erikson Day lessons breathe life into social studies classroom explorations.
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Ellis Island: Gateway To America
Fifth graders study the immigration station on Ellis Island. Through several activities, they see that immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island came to America from different countries, mostly those in Europe, for a variety of reasons.
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Evita: The Woman Behind the Myth
Students explore the meteoric rise of Eva Duarte Peron, First Lady of Argentina. Born in poverty, Eva Peron rose to become the most powerful woman in Latin America and one of the most powerful women in the world.
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Political Reform in the Late 1800s
Eleventh graders examine the type of political reform in the 1800s. In groups, they analyze the Pendleton Civil Service Act and two other economic acts. To end the lesson plan, they take a quiz and discuss the impact of the acts on the...
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The Railroad Booms!
Pupils discover how the railroads contributed to the interdependence between farms and towns. Using the railroads, they describe the effect of them on western settlement and the relationship between their location and the availability...
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Who Were the Settlers?
Students examine why people move from one country or area to another. Using photographs, they analyze the culture and lifestyles of people pictured in the image. They research and explain the daily experiences of the settlers to...
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Autobiography
Eighth graders identify key components of an autobiography. They plan and draft an outline of a summer school mini-autobiography and employ peer evaluation in revision step of writing process. They explain difference between revision...
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KG Lesson Plan
Eighth graders explore the four major components of an autobiography. As they discuss the major characteristics of an autobiography, 8th graders list the advantages and disadvantages of traditional, word of mouth, tales. Individually,...
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Breaking News English: Half of Europe's Citizens are Bilingual
In this English worksheet, students read "Half of Europe's Citizens are Bilingual," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
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Watermelons
Students discover the origins and different uses of watermelons. Using the internet, they find photographs of the fruit and reading about them in primary source documents. As a class, they plan a community activity in which they use a...
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Has the Look of Nebraska Changed from 1819 to the 21st Century?
Eighth graders examine and analyze maps of early Nebraska. Using the maps, they compare and contrast them to those of today and identifying how the area has changed over time. They complete a worksheet over the differences in the maps...
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The Homestead Act
Eighth graders analyze the Native American's viewpoint of the Homestead Act. Using one Native American group who lived in Nebraska, they write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper discussing the Homestead Act and how it affected...