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Banana Farming Practices
Students explain the history of banana cultivation in Costa Rica and explain the threats to the environment banana farming holds. They analyze banana-farming procedures and explore options to limit negative environmental impact.
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Where in the World is Cynthia San Francisco? A weather-related challenge
Students investigate concepts of weather using a guided, essential question. They collect data from satellite weather images and create models to track the progress of weather changes.
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Pioneers Heading West
Students research Pacific Northwest Pioneers in order to create a bio-web poster about the author in which they illustrate and write facts about the pioneer. Students then create a book page about their pioneer to add to a class book of...
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Let Me Tell You About My State
Students develop an awareness of the concepts of the United States through the Amateur Radio communication services by verbally sharing information about their state such as cultures, current events, geography, history and much more.
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Primary Sources
Students write personal facts on a photograph of themselves to create a Primary Source. They then define Primary Source and list examples as a class of places where they could find primary sources. They also discuss the importance of...
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People of the West
Sixth graders research and identify key facts about men and women of the Westward Movement. They assess the events and reasons that motivated people to move west, hardships they faced and their contributions to the nation. Each student...
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Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution
Students become aware of the Japanese American internment camp experience. They develop a sense of empathy by simulating the situations which Japanese American children faced.
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The American Home Front During WWII
Students analyze World War Two era government propaganda, biographies, and historical data in order to better understand the effects on Americans at home. In this American Home Front During World War Two instructional activity, students...
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Integrating Japanese Folk Tales into the Classroom Using Japanese Kamishibai
Students study Japanese folk tales focusing on the traditional values and key elements. They compare the Japanese values with their own. They discuss Japanese art before designing a set of kamishibai on which they write a summary of a...
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An Audio Travel Album
Students interview someone who has recently visited a country that students are studying. They use iPod and voice recorder to record the interview and use iPhoto to review and orgainze the interviewee's photos of the trip as well as any...
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Do Dams Affect the Paddlefish Population?
Students study why dams are built and what is affected by them. They build model dams and explain how dams can be a detriment to paddlefish population.
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My Hero Learning Circle
Learners participate in a collaboration activity. For this My Hero Project lesson, students discover what a hero is to someone halfway around the world and themselves. Over the 16-week session, circles, made up of between 6-9 classes...
National First Ladies' Library
Who Invented Crayons?
Pupils use a specified website to study the history of Crayola crayons. In groups, they discover who invented the colors, their cost, and who thought of the name. Students create a timeline of Crayola colors and choose one project from...
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Daily Academic Language Development
Five minute mini-lessons designed to expose learners to high-frequency academic language.
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Bring Your Classroom to Life with Educational Songs
Using music to get in tune with content has great benefits for learners!
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Using Artifacts to Engage Students in Critical Thinking Activities
Creating learning centers with artifact-related activities are a great way to promote deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills.
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House Keys: The Architectural Features of Victorian Homes and Buildings
Young scholars analyze Victorian architectural patterns wit regard to materials, doorways, windows, towers, bays, roofs, and decoration. Students discern varying architectural traits by studying Victorian era pictures and drawings and...
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Nineteenth Century Family Portraits
Students compare two nineteenth century family portraits using historical data, statistics, and historical context. Students analyze their own family pictures adjusting the criteria to the current decade. Lastly students study the...
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The West the Railroads made
Young scholars investigate the effects of time and distance for the creation of a successful railroad. In this railroad lesson, students recognize the railroad's need for an exact time schedule was the cause for the creation of...
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Trash! How Cities Work: Dealing with Garbage in the US and India
Students identify how different cultures deal with the challenge of trash. Read an excerpt from a chapter book based on real life written from the Southern Indian perspective. Describe the life of a street child in Southern India....
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Integrating Science and Literature: Life as We Knew It
Supplement your science units with science fiction novels!
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Water: Access and Use
Students get a personal sense for another culture's way of doing things. Develop a list of sources for water. Practice using the scientific method. Examine means for conserving, or for generating, reliable sources of water.
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Great Basin Tribes- Use of Land for Sustenance
Students explore four Native American tribes from Nevada. In this Native American history lesson, students identify and generate important corresponding attributes of the Southern Paiute, Northern Paiute, Washoe, and Western Shoshone...