Syracuse University
Erie Canal
While canals are not the way to travel today, in the first half of the nineteenth century, they were sometimes the best way to move goods and people. Scholars examine primary sources, including maps and pictures, to investigate the role...
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Kosovo: A Thousand Year Old Border Conflict
Students present proposals and negotiate with other representatives to bring lasting peace to the area through a simulated "Summit Conference."
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Creating a Thematic Map
Students create and analyze a weather-related data table and a thematic map based upon information provided.
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D. A. M. Agriculture Lesson Plan
Pupils explore agricultural concepts and how humans modify the physical environment. They participate in card sorting activities to determine agricultural concepts: Dependence, Adaptation, Modification (D. A. M.). Students identify...
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California Native American Basket Weaving
Fourth graders consider the role that baskets play in the traditional lives of Native Americans in California. Students investigate types of baskets and their various uses and then weave their own baskets.
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Mapping Perceptions of China
Students discuss what types of things are included on a map. They compare and contrast maps of China with a map they create and practice using different types of maps. They write analysis of their classmates maps.
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Fairy Tales Unit Ideas
Students listen to children's fairy tales and watch them on a video. Afterward, they list the heroes from each story. Students write a short paragraph about a typical day for the hero. Students dress up like their character and give a...
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Injustice on Our Plates: Immigrant Women
Students investigate the plight of undocumented workers. In this social justice lesson, students research undocumented workers as well as consumer boycott movements and write about their impressions.
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A River, Dead or Alive: Native Americans and European Colonists' Treatment of a River
Students write an expository paragraph about the uses of the Nashua River for the Native Americans and the European Colonists. In this river uses lesson plan, students determine the causes and effects of both parties using the river.
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Much Ado About Nothing
Students read and analyze the works of Shakespeare. In this "Much Ado About Nothing" activity, students deicper the play and research Shakespeare's works. Students create a quiz based on his life and re-enact a scene from the play.
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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...
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Novel Guide for My Brother Sam is Dead
Fifth graders explore the effects of war. In this American Revolution lesson, 5th graders read My Brother Sam is Dead and complete the provided comprehension, characterization, and vocabulary activities
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Life in a Coal Patch
Young scholars study life in a coal patch town. In this American History instructional activity, students read material about life for coal miners and their families. They answer questions, create a poster, and complete a creative...
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Meet Geodesy-The Science Behind GPS
Students discover how a datum of reference points are used to to describe a location. In this Earth Science lesson, students will simulate how a GPS accurately determines the location of reference points within a datum.
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Population Vs Consumption: Which is a Bigger Problem for the Environment & Who is Getting the Lion's Share of the World's Resources?
Students develop critical thinking and awareness about the complexity of natural resource use, wealth distribution, population densities, poverty, and the environment. They think about people living in different parts of the world and...
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Deportation and Loss
Seventh graders discuss the issues of isolation and deportation as they are related to the Holocaust. After reading a brief passage about deportation and confinement in a concentration camp, 7th graders discuss the feelings involved in...
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For Sale!
Young scholars give an oral presentation. In this Spanish instructional activity, students work in groups to describe a house for sale using Spanish. Young scholars use a digital camera to take pictures of their house and create a...
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Children of Clay
Fourth graders identify and interpret the Pueblo Native American culture and history and comprehend their folklore and songs. They also create their own piece of pottery with clay and write a myth about the piece of pottery they made....
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Science: Finlay and Yellow Fever
Ninth graders research the work of Carlos J. Finlay and his contributions to science. Once they have discussed his theories about diseases, they create tables comparing diseases that use insects as carriers. The lesson also includes a...
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Southeast Asian Folktales
Fifth graders locate and identify the countries of Southeast Asia on a map. In groups, they compare and contrast photographs and artifacts from their own lives with those living in Asia. They write their own folktales based off of...
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I Get By With a Little Help From My Friends
Eleventh graders "walk a mile" in a person's shoes who had a role in the Underground Railroad and examine the risks and complications of the Underground Railroad.
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Chinese Shadow Puppet Play
Students experience through role-play the art of shadow puppetry and appreciate the role of oral traditions in Chinese history. They research the origins and history of puppetry as a part of a unit on China. They discover what Chinese...
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If the World Was a Village...Examining Ethnocentrism
Seventh graders examine their own perceptions of world's people, compare those perceptions to real demographic data, provide definition and understanding of term "ethnocentrism," and examine their own ethnocentrism based on comparison of...
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Solid Waste and Our Natural Resources: Utilizing the Story THE LORAX
Learners gain an introduction to our planet's solid waste problem and our personal responsibility in curbing and solving said problem through the use of Dr. Seuss' book, The Lorax. After hearing the book, class discussion follows.