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Lesson 1: The Importance of Rules in Our Country and in Our Classroom
Explore the importance of rules in a community with the engaging first lesson of this series on the US government. To begin, children play a paper clip game that requires them to make up their own rules as they go, after which the...
Facing History and Ourselves
Laws and the National Community
When it comes to the law, is justice always served? Teach scholars about how law sometimes enables prejudice of entire groups of people with a unit on World War II that includes a warm-up activity, analysis of primary sources,...
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Mapping Our Home
Young scholars explore how communities participate in census counting. In this census instructional activity, students recognize the absolute and relative location of a state and understand ideas about civic life and government.
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Buildings in Our Community: What Do You See?
Students investigate the architecture in their hometown by visiting buildings. In this geometry lesson, students examine buildings through photographs and explain the different geometric shapes found in the architecture....
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Give and Take
Second graders are introduced to the differences between goods and services. In groups, they discover whether a given occupation offers a good, service or both. To end the lesson, they pick one occupation that interest them, draws a...
Disney
Renewable Energy
Bring some energy to your physical science curriculum with this engaging Bill Nye the Science Guy lesson. Based on his Renewable Energy video, students explore the concepts of potential and kinetic energy and learn how they are applied...
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Economics Concepts
Students relate economics and government policies. For this lesson, students explore the relationship between economics and government policies. They understand how the economy works and can make better decisions as it relates to the...
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Discovering American Symbols
Help youngsters get to know their states and capitals, explore their own country, and study American symbolism. They take a "trip" across America collecting symbols, images, and information about each state as they go (through text and...
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Exploring Our Community
Students identify nonprofit and profit organizations in their community. They discuss why it is important to have both types of organizations. They create a land use map of their community.
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Youth Obesity: Schools Fight Back
Explore nutrition and healthy eating habits with a study on youth obesity. Learners watch a PBS documentary on the obesity epidemic which discusses government programs aimed at healthier choices, as well as more localized efforts. Kids...
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Water: Our Most Important Beverage
Third graders complete a KWL chart on what they already know about water and what they want to know. As a class, they participate in an activity in which they discover the amount of drinkable water on Earth and are introduced to the...
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Community Map
Students examine the relationship they have with the community and the location of the community in relationship to other communities. They practice using a map of their community and photographs to recongize the area.
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New Traditions in Our Family
First graders discuss the importance of traditions in families. In groups, they share their traditions at certain times of the year. As a class, they read "When This Box is Full" and create a box representing the different seasons. ...
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Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Seven pages of fascinating reading on marine debris preface the activities in this lesson plan. Four different activities are employed to simulate how the debris is distributed in the ocean and along beaches. Early ecology learners...
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Promote Nonviolence
Take a look at the topic of violence as seen in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. Discuss together the values that Atticus holds and brainstorm ways to combat violence in a similar manner to what he portrays in the novel. Get your...
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Water: Our Most Important Beverage
Third graders create a KWL chart about water. In this environmental science instructional activity, 3rd graders demonstrate how much water on Earth is usable. They act out the different stages of the water cycle.
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Looking at the Community Tree
Third graders review the characteristics of living and nonliving organisms. As a class, they observe a tree and describe the interactions between the living and nonliving organisms surrounding it. To end the lesson, they ask a question...
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he Inauguration and the Media
Students read, review, and write about the presidential inauguration as it appears in the media. They use local local and national newspapers to gain information about the inauguration. Students develop their own editorial on the...
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Cutting Down Trees
Students research what kind of problems force a city or town to decide to remove trees. Students research what controversy has occurred in other cities or towns. Students interview those responsible for such decisions in your city or...
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World Statistic Day
Eleventh graders collect data about the state they live in. In this statistics lesson, 11th graders collect and analyze data as they compare themselves to students in other states. They analyze data about a person's education level, and...
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Redefining an Earthquake
Ninth graders build an "Earthquake Machine" (a manipulative model of a fault line) and use it to explore stick-slip behavior of some faults and to develop a more accurate definition of an earthquake and its causes.
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Environment: The River Classroom
Seventh graders engage in hands-on experiments and activities dealing with rivers and greenways. They also observe lectures and demonstrations by experts in water and river restoration. Students and teachers participate in canoe trips...
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Diet: You Are What You Eat
Third graders examine the issue of food quality to assess the dangers of pesticides, additives, and improper food preparation. After keeping food diaries and categorizing foods, they fill in food pyramids based on their journal entries....
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The Dose makes the Poison
Learners investigate the effect of a chemical (they choose) on the germination of seeds. They calculate % chemical concentrations in water, form a hypothesis, and discuss the ethics of using animals in biomedical research.