Curated OER
Alaska Trade
Students spend two days traveling throughout Alaska, trading as they go. They explore universal principles related to trade and commerce while studying about Alaska's geography and indigenous people. At the end of the lesson, students...
Curated OER
Celebrating the Legacy of Ella Baker
Students research the life of Ella Baker and examine the importance of Civil Rights through citizen mobilization. In this rights lesson, students read the biography of Ella Baker and make suggestions of things to change in their own...
Curated OER
Environment: River of Life
Students assess the impact of human activity on the environment. After reading the book, "A River Ran Wild," they role-play and discuss how people changed the river. Students write stories about living along a river from the point of...
Curated OER
Tooling Around Arizona: Reading Arizona Maps
Students study geography. In this Arizona maps lesson plan, students develop their map reading skills. They have class discussions and work independently with various copies of Arizona maps to practice those skills. This lesson plan...
Curated OER
Introduction to the Barnegat Bay Estuary
Students research estuaries. For this estuaries lesson, students discuss the differences in a bay and an ocean. Students watch a PowerPoint of the properties of the estuaries and geography of Barnegat Bay. Students complete a worksheet...
Royal Geographical Society
An Introduction to Maps
First graders are introduced to a variety of maps such as globes, street maps, atlases, and different types of floor plans. The focus of the lesson requires individuals to create their own plan of the classroom using the PowerPoint...
Curated OER
Population Density
High schoolers examine world population density and population distribution. They create pie charts showing population distribution and analyze population patterns in the United States and major regions of the world. They identify...
Curated OER
WHERE DOES OUR FOOD COME FROM?
Students examine the sources, location and availability of local food, develop mapping skills, interact with Elders to gain pertinent information, and examine subsistence issues of the past and present.
Curated OER
Loco for Cocoa
Third graders research the history of cocoa. In this cocoa lesson plan, 3rd graders investigate how the cocoa bean has been traded from one country to another. Students create a timeline and map to track the history of the cocoa bean.
Curated OER
King Cotton
Fifth graders explore the cotton plant. In this cotton lesson, 5th graders research the process of growing cotton. Students explore the economic and cultural differences in the states that grew cotton for trade and industry.
Library of Congress
Investigating the Building Blocks of Our Community’s Past, Present, and Future
As Ken Jennings said, "There's just something hypnotic about maps." Certainly, the longer you look at them the more you can learn. In this project-based learning instructional activity, individuals study both historic and present-day...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Year 2: Northern Europe
How is life in Northern Europe different from other areas of the world? Historians journey through the various regions of Northern Europe discovering what type of climate, animals, and lifestyles exist in that section of the world. They...
Curated OER
Journey to America
Fifth graders carefully analyze the artwork, Les Emigrants, and explore the reasons that people emigrated to the United States, and what life was like for new arrivals. They discuss what things immigrants were able to bring with them and...
Wild BC
Carbon Sinks and Sources
Earth or environmental science pupils are assigned to be carbon sources or sinks. They ask yes-or-no questions to try to figure out which one they are. Then they discuss ways people can have positive effects on the changing climate by...
Wild BC
Connecting Ecosystems & Climate
Collaborators sort a set of cards into biotic and abiotic categories. Then, as a class, they discuss their work and relate each of the abiotic components to climate change. Finally, they form a web of components by connecting those that...
Lerner Publishing
Teaching Community Helpers
Youngsters discover who the leaders in their community are and what it means to build a community in this four-lesson unit.
Curated OER
Scarcity of Land Throughout the World and in Hawaii
Students discuss the importance of "land." They review the four types of land classification--urban, rural, agricultural and conservation--and participate in an activity involving an apple that demonstrates the use of land in Hawaii....
Curated OER
2.0 "Water Is Life" Global Water Awareness Mini-Unit (Grades3-5)
Students study the amount of potable water on the Earth. In this water lesson plan, students examine the amount of potable water as compared to all the water on the Earth. They discuss why many parts of the world do not have access to...
Curated OER
Oil: Impact of a Resource
Young scholars discover the history and method of oil production. In this natural resource lesson plan, students investigate early oil production. Young scholars discuss the challenges of turning natural resources into safe products.
Curated OER
Thematic Maps of Your School
Students are able to list the essential elements of a thematic map, understand and use scale effectively to represent a geographic area, use research skills to develop a body of information, plan and draw an accurate thematic map based...
Curated OER
Plants and Animals: Partners in Pollination
Young scholars describe the complementary relationships between pollinators and the plants they pollinate, identify adaptations that flowers have developed to "encourage" pollination, and create and draw their own "designer" flowers.
Curated OER
Directions, Directions
Third graders review cardinal directions, moving around the room so that they are standing in the part of the room that is nearest the north, south, east and west. They are asked what would you do if they are lost? Pupils work as a...
Curated OER
Enduring Understanding
Fourth graders explore indigenous people of rainforest and examine their customs and ways of life. They discuss how rainforests should be protected not only for their plants and animals, but also for indigenous people who live in them,...
Curated OER
The Westward Movement
Students study the westward movement through examining stamps. In this westward movement lesson plan, students draw conclusions, determine cause and effect relationships and examine the westward movement of the United States by...