Students study the westward movement through examining stamps. In this westward movement lesson plan, students draw conclusions, determine cause and effect relationships and examine the westward movement of the United States by...

Students examine spiders. In these spider lessons, students will view spider images and live spiders to determine physical characteristics, habits, and habitats. Students will examine fantasy and folklore about spiders to create and...

Learners examine fossils to understand how they are formed and how they give information about geological history. In this fossil instructional activity, students research and write about fossils and make models of different fossil...

Students investigate the Underground Railroad. In this slavery instructional activity, students read books about slavery, the Undeground Railroad, and how slaves escaped the south. Students develop knowledge about coded songs and...

Students participate in multiple hands-on activities to explore reproduction and pollination. In groups, using a cotton swab and powder, students simulate being pollinators and plants. They name the parts of the flowers and the function...

Students explore traditional African culture, symbols and symbol making and printing, and create class adinkra cloth.

Students examine different types of masks from various cultures. Using the masks, they identify the use of design elements in them. They create their own paper mask using the elements and share them with the class. After viewing a...

Fourth graders engage in a lesson plan in which ancient Africa's historical contributions are told though the eyes of a spider, Anansi, and his search calabash game. The game is accessed through a website which is embedded in this lesson...

Fourth graders review their prior knowledge from the previous lessons of this unit on Jamestown. After reading a novel, they examine and discuss the life of Pocahontas. Using the internet, they answer comprehension questions and write...

Students read about Angelina and Sarah Grimke and answer comprehension questions about them. In this women of social reform lesson plan, students read about women who helped to abolish slavery, discuss having goals and ambitions, and...

Students examine and compare/contrast various harvest festivals from around the world. They read books, sing songs, and create various art projects about the harvest festivals from Ghana, China, Korea, Vietnam, and India.

Students research the factors which contributed to the great migration and write a well organized research paper using multiple sources. They incorporate quotations into their paper, both direct and paraphrased, in accordance with MLA...

Fourth graders use internet cites to explore the Underground Railroad. They also learn the importance of the Emancipation Proclamation. Focus questions are included.

Students write a personal account of slavery seen from the eyes of a slave trader, a slave plantation owner, a fugitive slave, or a working slave.

The crossroads, and the decisions made and entities met there, are a common theme in literature, pushing readers to examine the choices and encounters that shape life experience. The theme has also been explored in blues music, most...

Learners explain that a code is a system of symbols, letters, words, or signals that are used instead of ordinary words and numbers to send messages or to store information. They practice deciphering a variety of secret codes used in...

Fourth graders compare and contrast life in England with plantation life in America. They study the dependencies or mini-industries that could be found on plantations.

Students investigate the contributions of women who influenced human rights in US history. They examine the influence Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth and Elizabeth Cady Stanton by participating in a jigsaw activity....

Students transfer what they have learned about China into an electronic project. In this collaborative project, students take what they have learned from their textbooks and synthesize the information in order to create an electronic...

Students explore cultures through storytelling. They read African folktales. Students discuss characteristics of folktales. They research and write a folktale that includes an animal. Additional cross curriculum activities are included.

Learners create memorials for lesser known WWII heroes. In this WWII lesson, students recognize the efforts of lesser know individuals and groups that contributed to the wartime cause. Learners work in groups to create a memorial for one...

Students attempt to research the history of using the kente cloth for its cultural purposes. They comment in discussion about the highly visual appeal of the cloths while going through the process of creating their own. The importance of...

Learners construct models of early gas balloons and gliders. In this balloon and glider lesson, students create models of early gas balloons and gliders, discover how the forces of lift and drag effect aircraft in flight, and put on...