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Where is Kansas?
Students explore U.S. Geography by analyzing a map. In this state vs. country lesson plan, students utilize a U.S. map and locate the state of Kansas before researching the history and customs of the state. Students collaborate as a...
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Texas, Our Texas
Students explore U.S. geography by completing a coloring activity in class. In this Texas history lesson, students utilize the web to locate Texas on a map of the U.S. Students view a PowerPoint presentation which showcases the state...
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The Great State!
The creation of state home pages is the focus of this lesson. Learners research one of15 states for which special State Quarters have been released, and create a home page for that state. They also perform Internet research and utilize...
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Expanding the Mission: Historical Parks
Students explore U.S. geography by viewing a documentary in class. For this national parks lesson, students view video clips of individual national parks and locate them using Google Earth software. Students create a persuasive...
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States and Capitals Activity
Students explore states and capitals. In this U.S. geography lesson, students practice locomotor skills playing Freeze Tag. Students generate the matching capital when given a specific state name in order to continue the game.
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U.S. Geography- The Northeast
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...
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People Behind the Parks
Explore U.S. geography with your class by viewing a documentary. Show a portion of the Ken Burns documentary "The National Parks," and identify the individuals responsible for keeping the parks in order. Elementary and middle schoolers...
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Maps Can Help Us
First graders explore the geography of Montana by analyzing geographic maps of the area. In this Native American reservation lesson, 1st graders discuss the similarities and differences between reservations in the state of Montana....
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Agriculture Cares for the World
Students explore world geography by analyzing agriculture. In this dietary habits lesson, students discuss the role parents play in their children's diet and where the food comes from. Students write agricultural research paragraphs and...
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Colonial Vacation Planner
Looking for a good lesson on the Colonial Period for your upper-elementary class? Then, this lesson is for you! They use website designs, U.S. travel publications, and maps to plan a family vacation to states which were part of the...
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Where Did My Lunch Come From? A U.S. Regional Tour
Young scholars explore the regions from which their food comes. In this social studies lesson, students identify the different agricultural products that are found in the major regions of the United States. Young scholars create a lunch...
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My Summer Vacation
Students study the United States geography using Google Earth. In this U.S. geography lesson, students create travel journals about five U.S. geographical locations. Students research the human and physical characteristics for each region.
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Kansas Crops: From Seeds to Food
First graders explore U.S. geography by researching food production. In this agriculture lesson, 1st graders identify the process of crops from a seed to a plate and discuss the importance of farmers in the production of such crops....
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We Flip for Quarters!
Flip-books which represent one of five states are created by your class in this art and geography lesson. All of the materials for the flip-books are embedded in this inventive plan. They will make a book for: Kentucky, Vermont, Rhode...
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Immigration: Marijana's Story
Second graders explore world geography by researching U.S. history. In this immigration lesson plan, 2nd graders read the book Marijana's Story and discuss the main character, her goals, and the plot. Students complete a worksheet about...
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Geography: Intro to Canada
Students investigate the geography of Canada by analyzing a map of the country. In this North American geography lesson, students identify the 13 provinces of Canada and their locations by examining a Canadian map. Students may use...
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Trading Traditions: Based on the American Samoa Quarter Reverse
Students investigate U.S. Currency by researching American Samoa. In this monetary unit lesson, students define the reverse and obverse of a coin while completing a currency related worksheet. Students identify American Samoa on a...
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Canadian Symbols
Students discover the ideals of Canada by analyzing its symbols. In this Canadian culture lesson plan, students identify the symbols that established the U.S. as its own nation and compare them to important Canadian symbols. Students...
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The Underground Railroad and The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Students discover racism and slavery by completing a role playing activity. In this U.S. history lesson, students analyze documents from the Civil War era and describe the Fugitive Slave Law. Students view a video on YouTube about the...
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Sense of Place: No River Too Wide-Bridges
Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River. In this U.S. Geography lesson students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River. Students document their...
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Corn Exports Visually
Students study imports and exports and the countries that import the most corn from the U.S. They construct mini paper corn plants and label a map with these plants to represent the amount of corn the U.S. exports to countries around the...
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Personal Stories of the National Parks
Middle schoolers explore historical information about U.S. national parks using the stories of Edward and Margaret Gehrke as a primary source document. In this United States geography, history, and literacy lesson, students view the...
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The Role of Geography -- The United States and the Republic of Turkey
Preteens review the five themes of geography. In groups, they examine the United States and Turkey to discover how geography can impact the way people live. They create a foldable for each country, listing information for each of the...
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Inventions Change the World: The Enigma Machine
Third graders explore WWII by analyzing technological advances. In this invention lesson, 3rd graders discuss the use of the Enigma machine which decoded private German messages that communicated with U-boats. Students utilize a timeline...