Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
The Backpack Travel Journals
Strap on those backpacks, it's time to travel through history with this literature unit based on the first four books of The Magic Tree House series. While reading through these fun stories, children create story maps, record interesting...
Intel
Starquest
Almost every ancient culture observed the stars and saw pictures in the patterns. Studying stars allowed them to guide travelers, determine when to plant crops, when to harvest food, and the stories surrounding the images include some of...
Curated OER
Putting History in its Place
Examine ways in which historic places and landmarks represent significant themes and events in American history. Then create theme-based travel guides for related historic locations. This lesson plan requires informational reference...
Curated OER
Literature Focus Unit: Civil War
Fourth graders complete a two-week unit on the U.S. Civil War and the Underground Railroad. They read the books "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and "Pink and Say," complete story maps, and dramatize a scene from "Follow the Drinking Gourd."...
Curated OER
Let's Travel!
Students review the rules and expectations, they earn points each day by making the correct behavioral choices. They read maps and do Internet reserach, students become aware of United States and or world geography. Students check...
Curated OER
All Across America
Learners share experiences of places they have visited or would like to visit. They create travel guides for trips to take in the United States based on themes from their studies, incorporating both historical and current data about...
Curated OER
Bon Voyage - Literature Travel Unit
Eighth graders locate and interpret information about the culture of another country using multi-media tools. Students read and interpret literature about characters and cultures from a foreign country. Students create a travel guide...
Curated OER
Key Ingredients: America by Food
Students participate in a series of activities to explore the types of food Americans eat, how food choices differ in various parts of the country, and how the availability of various foods has changed over time.
Curated OER
Backseat Travelers
Fourth graders investigate the geography of the Southeast regions of the United States. They conduct Internet research, listen to the book "No Star Nights," and plan and write a trip through this regions.
Curated OER
America Grows - Trailblazers Pave the Way
Young scholars study the time period after the Revolutionary War when people were striving to move away from the coastal areas and look for pathways to the west. Westerward expansion is a central theme and students use a variety of...
Curated OER
"Theseus and the Minotaur"
Young scholars analyze the features of myths and legends. They read the myths "Theseus and the Minotaur" and "Orpheus and Eurydice," identify the myth story elements, evaluate each story for the overall theme, describe the characters,...
Smithsonian Institution
Latino Expression
How much of your daily life is influenced by Latin American music? Take a listen—the answer may surprise you! High schoolers keep a journal to note any instances they see Latino culture represented, including the media, their school, and...
Curated OER
Langston Hughes: Artist and Historian
High schoolers examine the life and works of Langston Hughes. In groups, they research the characteristics of the Harlem Renaissance and how Hughes' poems relate to the era. They use the themes in his writings and relate it to the...
Reed Novel Studies
There's a Boy In The Girls' Bathroom: Novel Study
People travel to Washington, DC from all over the world to take a tour of the White House or catch a glimpse of the Washington Monument. Using the novel study for There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar, scholars research an...
Curated OER
Practical Marketing Skills in Travel and Tourism 2
Student review and identify the main marketing and promotional methods in the travel and tourism industry. They examine advertising, press releases, brochures, leaflets and other techniques. They complete an activity sheet while...
Curated OER
Traveling Across America
Students plan a trip to a state capital of their choice with a budget of $2,000. The budgets include site seeing, lodging, food and all necessary expenses. Students keep a daily journal and maintain their budget.
Curated OER
Westward Expansion
Young scholars explore the Westward Expansion Movement of U.S. history. In this Westward movement lesson, students use primary and secondary source documents research personal accounts of those who travelled west during the era. Young...
Curated OER
Laura Ingalls Wilder and Pioneer Life
Fourth graders complete a three-week unit about Laura Ingalls Wilder and pioneer life. They research the topography of Michigan in the 1870's, conduct Internet research, write journal entries, participate in polka and waltz dancing, and...
Curated OER
Aztec and Mayan Mythology
Sixth graders write myths to show tolerance in creation. They read from both the Aztec and Mayan eras and develop an understanding of the similarities and differences of these two closely related cultures. They track the travels of...
Reed Novel Studies
Stone Fox: Novel Study
Wyoming has the lowest population of all 50 states. Using the novel study for Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner, pupils create brochures to attract visitors to the state, which is the setting for the novel. Additionally, they answer...
Curated OER
Slave Trade Memorial
Learners develop a memorial to the slave who endured the Middle Passage. In this slavery memorial lesson, student culminate a unit of study about slavery by creating a memorial for Africans who traveled the Middle Passage to slavery....
Curated OER
The Middle Ages
Students read books about the Middle Ages. They discuss characteristics of the Middle Ages. In groups, students construct a castle and draw a map to scale. Pupils create a Venn diagram comparing rules in different countries in the...
Curated OER
Music of the Civil Rights Era, 1954-1968
Students experience the aesthetics of music and learn about freedom songs that motivated the Civil Rights activists. In this music history lesson, students learn how music can motivate and move listeners. Students then describe how...
Curated OER
Cinderella: A Story Found in Many Cultures
First graders explore, discuss and examine fairy-tale and make-believe stories. They assess two different types of Cinderella stories to surface a broader look at cultural diversity. Students construct a Venn Diagram or a chart of the...