First graders use landmarks to describe relative locations of a place. In this geography and mapping lesson plan, 1st graders draw picture maps of their bedrooms to show an object's location in relation to other objects. As an...

First graders explore Chinese folktales. In this Chinese folktale activity ,students read Chinese folktales, locate China on a map, and color the Chinese flag. Students are given sentence strips to hold and must arrange themselves...

Students identify neighborhood, town, and state boundaries. They distinguish between natural and man-made boundaries. They identify major state geological features and explain how NH boundaries have changed over time.

Students investigate how a historic map drawn in the early days of interstate automobile travel represented distances. They measure distance within their personal space.

Students read a story to create the context for the instructional activity. Then they are given or create a community map. Then students use the scenario of being lost in order to role play giving directions to a partner to find a...

First graders identify and demonstrate how symbols and models are used to represent features of the environment. They identify the directions on a map as east, west, north, and south. Finally, 1st graders play a direction game, move to...

First graders observe a variety of different foods including kiwi, banbnas, coffee, chocolate and discuss where they come from. They discuss the terms import and export then identify the locations where the items came from and their...

Learners in a special education classroom identify pictures of various living things. In groups, they role-play different roles to help them with their social and communication skills. To end the instructional activity, they take...

Engage in an 8-day study of different modes of transportation. Your students explore the concept of location and define the physical characteristics of places, such as, land forms, bodies of water, natural resources, and weather.

Apple tasting launches an investigation of the story and travels of John Chapman, also known as Johnny Appleseed. After listening to his story, class members craft a summary of the tale, chart his journeys on a map, and sample different...

Sail with Christopher Columbus on a biographical reading adventure. Young explorers learn about the life of Sir Columbus as they hone their comprehension skills through guiding questions, shared reading, and fluency practice. Included in...

Young scholars utilize their map skills to explore the regions of North America. They explore the physical characteristics and climates of the regions. Students label their map and prepare a presentation of their findings.

Learners participate in a variety of activities surrounding the book, Gingerbread Baby, by Jan Brett. They can create a house, a map, ornaments, and their own books. Additionally, they can draw, paint, or write out attributes for each...

Let's focus on a holiday from around the world! Young researchers choose a holiday from somewhere around the world, and conduct research to answer questions about the holiday. It can be used anytime during the year!

There's nothing better than a cool breeze blowing in from the ocean. Scholars explore how water affects change in temperature using a hands-on experiment on climate. They use measurement tools to compare the continental and oceanic...

First graders participate in a creative problem solving activity to help Ticky get to the Atlantic Ocean. They identify Ticky's problem, brainstorm ways to solve the problem, and develop a plan. They write the steps Ticky needs to take...

Students identify how their school has changed. In this local community lesson, students listen to a brief history of their town and school and interview someone that graduated from their school. Students then create a map of their...

First graders complete a unit of lessons on school and how schools have changed. They read a Laura Ingalls Wilder excerpt, view and discuss a Norman Rockwell painting, conduct an interview, construct a school map, and create an ABC book...

What a fun way to familiarize your young learners with friendly faces on campus! Scholars read "The Gingerbread Man," discussing the characters he meets. Then, they examine a map of the campus, placing photos of employees (such as the...

First graders identify monarch butterflies and study their life cycles. They order the stages of the life cycle and create a monarch butterfly of construction paper. This well-designed lesson plan should be easy to implement in your...

Use a West African folktale to practice several different skills in your first grade classroom. Learners read The Clever Monkey Rides Again and focus on rhyming words, reading comprehension, measurement, art, movement, and word...

Students follow Amelia's adventure on a satellite image. They use measuring and math skills to determine the distance she traveled.

Looking for suggestions on how to organize a creating writing workshop? For topic suggestions appropriate for various grade levels? Check out a resource packet, designed for English language arts instructors, that is packed with ideas...