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Engineering: Simple Machines
Fourth graders participate in activities to examine how simple machines help build things. They identify the six types of simple machines. They discover how simple machines where use historically to build pyramids and how they are still...
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Australian Aborigine Lizard Painting
Students become familiar with Australian "dot paintings." In this Australian Aboriginal Lizard painting instructional activity, students make illustration of three types of lizards and complete pictures using "dot painting." Students...
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Treasure Chest
Students explore Chicago in the fur-trading era. In this Chicago instructional activity, students discover what life what like during this time. Students read an historical fiction story about life in the fur-trade era. Students...
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Who Are the Arab Americans?
Students explore the concept of diversity. In this Teaching Tolerance lesson plan, students take a quiz titled "Who Are the Arab Americans?" and then use the quiz as a lens through which to discuss misperceptions regarding Arab...
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Kidding Around In The 1980s
Students examine pop culture of the 1980s. In this historical time period lesson plan, students view a Smurfs cartoon from the 1980s and discuss its similarities and differences to cartoons today. Students work in groups to...
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Discovering Details: Shoebox Designs
Students investigate architectural art by creating an interior design for a box. In this art design activity, students analyze modern artifacts such as doorknobs, brackets and mailboxes by using a Venn diagram to identify...
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Lewis and clark...and Jodie, Freddi, and Samantha
Students practice descriptive language when one student describes an object to another student who cannot see it. They guess what the object is and relate the experience to that of the Lewis and Clark expeditionary journals.
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They Also Serve
Students explore the roles women played during World War II. They design a recruiting poster telling women of the ways in which they can serve their country today and present their posters to the class.
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Patriot Women
Students explore the significance of women's roles in the American Revolution through reading selections and brainstorming.
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The French in Texas
Fourth graders use Internet to examine early French exploration and settlement in Texas, and write journal entries from point of view of 17th Century French settler, French or Spanish explorer, or Native American whose land was taken.
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The Mighty Mississippi River
Students acquire in-depth knowledge of the geographic significance of the Mississippi River. They identify and expand their knowledge of the role of the river in the development of cities. Finally, students gain insight into the ways...
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Folk Groups
Students study the characteristics of a folk group, themselves and their folk groups, and write about a folk group that is meaningful to them. They identify various folk groups within the school community and discover that everyone,...
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Lake Tahoe Then and Now
Students investigate the differences in Lake Tahoe from the past to the present. In this geography instructional activity, students read the book Washoe Seasons of Life and identify the descriptions of the land and lake. Students create...
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Mother's Day Poems and Lesson Plans
Mother's Day poems and other types of activities can get students' creative juices flowing.
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Mapping the West
Students determine how Americans' perception of the geographical features of the West changed following the Lewis and Clark expedition. They analyze historical maps of the West.
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Games and Play Today and Yesterday In Louisiana
Students explore the play patterns and games of children in Louisiana's past. Through discussion and Internet research, they explore Louisiana folklore as well as traditional games that students played. Activities for multiple grade...
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A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Young scholars write from an animal's perspective. In this writing activity students explore the landscape of San Francisco prior to the arrival of the explorers. Young scholars research animals indigenous to the area.
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Understanding Treaties: Students Explore the Lives of Yakama People Before and After Treaties
Students role play positions in the Walla Walla treaty negotiations. They identify the significance of the Sacred Circle and other beliefs of the Native Americans. They discover the complications the tribes faced after the treaties...
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The Wall Inspires Letters to Veterans
Students examine the Vietnam war. They listen to and discuss the book, "The Wall," by Eve Bunting, conduct Internet research, and write a letter or send a card to U.S. military veterans in a local Veteran's Hospital.
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The House at 97 Orchard Street
Students examine the living quarters and belongings of immigrant families living in one tenement building spanning the years from 1830 to 1940. They explain how the national background of immigrants added to the "melting pot" of American...
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Pets are Popular with U.S. Presidents
Students discuss their pets and read about pets that have lived in the White House. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a vocabulary activity and pet survey, then the students read the news article and...
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Geometry of Democracy
Students explore the architecture of New England by identifying geometric shapes. In this architectural lesson, students examine photographs of classic building architecture and use a transparency to trace geometric shapes they...
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A Recipe For Democracy - The Delicious Taste of Choice
Children can conduct a mock senate after completing these Declaration of Independence and Constitution lesson plans.
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Why do people mover where they do?
Students read factual stories of migration to Hawaii, analyze and explain push and pull factors, interview parents about their cultural heritage, identify countried of origin of their ancestors, graph migration patterns on an world map,...