Curated OER
E-mailing the Chamber of Commerce
Encourage effective internet research and e-mail correspondence as scholars investigate a US capital city they've never visited to find pertinent and relevant information. They begin by picking a city, then visit that city's chamber of...
Curated OER
Studying Mind Maps Created at Other Schools
Students explore Africa and mind maps created by students from other schools. They discuss Africa and the number of countries, diversity of language, cultures, races, religions, and lifestyles and in groups study a mind map from another...
Curated OER
A Soldier's View of the American Civil War
Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing instructional activity. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The instructional activity...
Curated OER
Where in the United States Are We?
Students spend the lesson plan identifying the location of the fifty states and the capitals. Using a software program, they retrace te outline of each state numerous times. To end the lesson plan, they write a story about a state and...
National Wildlife Federation
I’ve Got the POWER Wind Energy Potential at Your School
The 20th lesson in a 21-part series connects the wind data and expectations of a turbine to whether such devices should be built in your area. Scholars begin with estimating the wind potential at school by using long-term climate...
National Endowment for the Humanities
How "Grand" and "Allied" Was the Grand Alliance?
Learn more about the Grand Alliance with a scaffolded lesson plan that includes four activities. Class members use primary sources to complete a map exercise, understand the goals and objectives of each individual nation, and participate...
Curated OER
Silk Roads Big Map
Students create an oversized map from Europe to East Asia. They include information such as Silk Roads, geographical features, major cities and cultural information on their map.
Curated OER
My Daily Routine
Foreign language learners work in pairs to translate the daily routine of celebrities or everyday people, presented in daily planner format, into English. They then illustrate and record their own daily routines in storyboard (film...
Civil War Trust
Civil War Soldier: Experiencing the Battle of Franklin
Fighting a war over home soil makes a living nightmare even more real. Class members describe the experience of a Civil War soldier during the Battle of Franklin, poised right at a major turning point of the war, after researching the...
Curated OER
Amazon Rainforest Unit
Learners study the Amazon Rainforest. In this geography skills lesson, students complete assigned textbook reading on the region and then complete an Internet activity that requires them to identify countries in the region as well as...
Curated OER
Capitals, Oceans, And Border States
Students investigate geography by completing games with classmates. For this United States of America lesson, students examine a map of North America and identify the borders of Mexico and Canada as well as the Pacific and Atlantic....
Curated OER
Our City
Second graders familiarize themselves with the town they live in by practicing their imagination, library research and writing skills.
Curated OER
Balanced Literacy: Presidents
Students participate in a unit (all lessons on the same page) to explore the Presidents of the United States. They choose one President to write a mini-book about, create a puppet and an original puppet show to perform about their chosen...
Curated OER
A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution
Sit back, relax, and transport to 1787! This lesson on the Constitution begins with guided imagery of the Constitutional Convention. The class reads A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution in an...
Curated OER
Lesson 8: Changes in Deerfield, Massachusetts Shown in Maps
Eighth graders study maps of the same area from different time periods which show the ways in which the land stayed the same, and the ways this New England village changed over the years.
Delegation of the European Union to the United States
The Geography of Europe
What is the European Union? Where is it? Why is it? To begin a study of the EU, class members examine the physical geography of Europe and the size and population density of 28-member countries in comparison to non-member countries...
American Immigration Law Foundation
No Pretty Pictures
Here is a nice set of activities and discussion questions to accompany your class reading of No Pretty Pictures, a memoir of a young girl's experiences and struggle for survival during the Holocaust.
The New York Times
Kiev in Chaos: Teaching About the Crisis in Ukraine
Provide a historical context for the political unrest between Russia and Ukraine that began in late 2013. Learners review their prior knowledge and chronicle new understandings with a KWL chart, watch a video explaining the Ukrainian...
NPR
Same-Sex Marriage
The battle over same-sex marriage is a prevalent issue in the United States, and a valuable topic to be discussed in your social studies classroom. Here is a basic outline of introductory questions, focus questions, vocabulary, and media...
ReadWriteThink
Biography Project: Research and Class Presentation
I Have A Dream ... that after the lesson, all individuals master the reading, writing, researching, listening, and speaking skills the biography project helps them develop. Martin Luther King, Jr. serves as a topic example for a model...
Curated OER
President's Day: George Washington
Young scholars celebrate President's Day by studying George Washingtion, the US flag, and the American colonies. They sing, Yankee Doodle Dandy.
Curated OER
Immigration and Ellis Island
Fourth graders explore family histories. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders identify the countries from which their ancestors came and locate them on a map. Students discuss the role that Ellis Island played in immigration in the...
Curated OER
Touring the Regions of the United States
Fifth graders explore the regions of the United States. They use maps, research on the Internet and use measurements and estimations. Students create a presentation using spreadsheets and publishing software.
Curated OER
Unit 5 - Food
Students study the biodiversity existing in the Amazon rainforest. In this Amazon biodiversity instructional activity, students study diagrams, maps, and information about the biodiversity in the Amazon.