National First Ladies' Library
Brrrr! Expeditions to the North and South Poles
Students examine the first successful explorations of the North and South Poles, through a study of the four men who accomplished them. They present the fruits of their research on posters, or with PowerPoint presentations.
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Asia's Global Influence
Middle schoolers explore Hong Kong. In this geography skills lesson, students watch "Asia's Global Influence," and then research the culture, landmarks, and geographic features of Hong Kong. Middle schoolers use their research findings...
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Global Intelligence
Students discuss the war in Afghanistan and the conditions surrounding the hunt for Osama bin Laden after reading the article "Bin Laden and Omar: Far Harder to Find" from The New York Times. After the class discussion, students...
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Chinese Lion Dance
Students celebrate the Chinese New Year and listen to the story behind the Chinese Lion Dance. In this Chinese New Year lesson, students research the geography and culture of China. Students create puppets, dance the Lion...
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Yodeling in the Swiss Alps
Students become familiar with the country of Switzerland, its geography and yodeling music. In this Switzerland instructional activity, students recognize that Swiss cheese is a producct of Switzerland and write about the process...
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10 Biggest Islands Map Quiz
In this online interactive geography quiz worksheet, students respond to 10 identification questions regarding the biggest islands in the world.
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All for One, and One for Oil?
Students explore the way the oil market both informs and complicates international diplomacy. They examine the relationships between and among some of the world's leading oil producers using a graphic feature from The New York Times as a...
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Giving Students a Little Latitude
Students use a world outline map to locate places using coordinates of latitude and longitude. They answer questions about places based on their knowledge of the map and on their research and make up more questions of this sort for each...
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Operation Iraqi Democracy
In this lesson, students consider various forms of government and examine the idea of political sovereignty, then prepare outlines for oral presentations on international models of government. For homework, they write response papers...
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Geography: World Dynamics
Students discuss and examine how the world is changing. After reading an article, they discover the immediate changes that have taken place and how they have effected living things. They complete a worksheet identifying the changes as...
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Beach Sands of the World
Middle schoolers examine a variety of sand samples from throughout the world. On an index card, they write the characteristics of the sand and draw what the grains look like to use during the activity. Using a map, they practice...
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Geography
Students, after hearing a radio broadcast on 'A Day in School Abroad,' explore and study the lives and experiences of children in a variety of places. They assess the advantages and disadvantages of living on a small island, find out...
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Water Sources in Cape Verde and West Africa
Young explorers study the scarcity and importance of a continuous supply of fresh water in Cape Verde. They research the five main ways that fresh water is obtained in these countries. Each research group prepares a presentation, and...
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Earth from Space Maps
Students use photo images from space to create a large map of the United States or the world, find where they live and label other places they know. They are exposed to a Web resource that allows them to view photo images of Earth taken...
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Colossal Squid Caught in Antarctic
Students define the word colossal, then read a news article about an enormous squid caught off Antarctica. In this animal studies and current events lesson plan, the teacher introduces the article with dictionary and vocabulary...
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Social Studies: Great Circle Route
Students compare routes between Minnesota and China using a map and globe. Using the "great circle route" method, students find the shortest route between two points.
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Where In The World Is Bermuda?
Students locate the Island of Bermuda, and identify its absolute and relative location.
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Controlling the Flow of the Colorado River: A Study of Dams
Students research and map the Colorado River and its dams and predict the effects of a dam on an area. They suggest reasons a dam would be built and compare the Colorado River system with other major river systems within the US and...
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Finding Your Spot in the World
Students practice locating places on a Thomas Brothers map. In this map skills lesson, students locate places on the map of where their ancestors are from and then practice finding various community places on a map. Students graph the...
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A Trip Around the World
Students role play the role of a travel agent. In groups, they must plan a trip around the world making stops in a different biome. They use the internet to discover the characteristics of each biome and create a travel brochure for...
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Breads Around the World
Sixth graders explore world cultures by researching dietary habits. In this bread identification lesson plan, 6th graders explore different regions around the world and the types of breads they produce. Students read assigned text about...
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Labeling the World
Sixth graders conduct research on the countries found on the labels on their clothing. They locate the countries on a map, research the labor practices on countries that export clothing to the U.S., and create a graph using the information.
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Central America Region: Physical Map
In this Central America physical map activity, students make note of the major landforms located in this region of the world.
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Eurasia Physical Map
In this Eurasia physical map worksheet, students make note of the major landforms and bodies of water located in this world region.