Students explore cartography.  In this map skills and map making lesson, Students work in groups to create wall size world maps including legends, compass roses, latitude and longitude, and physical features.  Students collect...

What's in a name? Historians consider the question as they examine places important to the Hopi people and the meanings of their place names. Included worksheets include maps and charts to help class members examine the geography of Hopi...

Students investigate early presidents of the United States. Students complete a series of lessons in which they research the contributions and political climate during the terms of U.S. presidents from George Washington to Andrew Jackson.

Students examine primary sources as related to Nevada and the Civil War. In this United States history lesson, students gather and analyze various primary sources in small groups and interpret unknown vocabulary words by using context...

Students define the meaning of the word country. In this countries of the world map lesson, students identify boundaries, countries, and symbols within countries on the map. Students distinguish the words country and continent.

Students use primary sources to see how Maryland was a divided state during the time leading up to the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson plan, students go over vocabulary, and look at maps that show the division of opinions of people...

Fourth graders propose possible sites for the heart of Florida state capital by mapping collected data onto a Florida state map and recording data in a Travel Log.

Students investigate U.S. Geography by creating a map in class. For this natural resource lesson, students create a map of the United States and research the Northeast based on their resources and recyclable materials.  Students...

Students break into families of 4 members. They brainstorm issues that they would encounter as an immigrant family by creating a web. Students are given roles to research focusing on that perspective: father, mother, grandparent, and child.

Students, working in small groups, research seven of the most famous monuments found in Washington, DC. They design brochures based on the information they gather from Internet and print resources. Upon completion, they share the...

Students describe the social and political life of Abraham Lincoln with a focus on his contributions and how they changed the United States of America.

Students investigate the regions in which particular grains are grown. Using the packaging from a variety of foods, grains are identified and the general locations where they are grown are plotted on a map.

Students read and predict the outcome of a story set during the Civil War, then map the story. To prepare for the activity, students determine why it is important to look at historical events from all angles by using primary and...

Students compare a political map of North America today with one from 1845. They identify items of continuity in the political map of the United States today and that of 1845 and describe the influence of Indian and Hispanic cultures on...

Students identify the four cardinal directions. In this map skills geography lesson, students use a magnetic compass to label the four directions in the classroom. Students use the four directions to locate objects in the classroom.

In this Oregon Trail worksheet, students practice their map skills while they explore the states of Oregon, Missouri, Idaho, Nebraska, and Wyoming. Students us a map of the US to plot six points on the map that show the Oregon Trail.

Young scholars complete a Venn diagram comparing the United States and Afghanistan. They research the history of the Taliban and how they relate to the United States and its foreign policy. They write a paper on possible solutions.

Students examine how the Hudson River was important to the development of the United States. They examine the role of steamboats played in the development of the Hudson River Valley.

Students investigate the geography of the Northeast states. In this map skills lesson, students are shown a map of the Northeast states and identify the state names and borders. Students construct individual maps of the Northeast using...

Fourth graders investigate the Civil War by researching the state of Virginia.  In this US History lesson, 4th graders identify Abraham Lincoln, James Chestnut and Fort Sumter, and discuss their roles in the start of the Civil...

Students explore the role of women during times of war. They examine the various roles that women have played in wars throughout United States history and how they have changed over time. In addition, they role-play presentations as if...

Combine a fantastic review of primary source analysis with a study of Captain John Smith's influence on the Chesapeake Bay region in the seventeenth century. Your young historians will use images, a primary source excerpt, and maps...

Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. In this Texas history instructional activity, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.

Students are introduced to the term of mental mapping. Individually, they develop their own mental map of Washington state and discuss as a class what makes a boundary. They draw their mental map on paper and compare it with their...