The water cycle is one of earth's most easily observable processes, but demonstrating each step within classroom walls can be a challenge. Through a series of videos and quick demonstrations, cover each aspect of the hydrologic cycle in...

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...

Prisons in Victorian England were miserable places, designed to deter people from committing crimes. To understand why these prisons were so tough, young historians review documents and pictures from Coldbath Fields prison. After...

Pupils investigate the changes in the population of major U.S. cities from 1920 to 2003. They write down as many U.S. cities as they can in one minute. Students discuss the top five cities on their lists and they disucss why there are...

Students examine the causes and effects of soil runoff. In this environment lesson, students look at ways in which soil runoff is controlled. Students then play a game  and discuss how the Peace Corps deals with soil runoff in...

Conflicts between Native Americans and colonists are the focus of a comprehension worksheet that asks readers to use information found in the provided article to answer comprehension questions.

What did railroads, iron, and industry contributed to Birmingham's successful growth? The lesson explains how the iron industry worked. It also describes how the location of Birmingham and its proximity to railroads. played a key role in...

Students read various articles related to transportation and land use. They cite textual references as they engage in panel discussions, shared inquiry discussions and debates. They write a persuasive essay on the topic.

High schoolers read "The Negative Effects of Urban Sprawl." They discuss the main forms of transportation in their city and conduct research about the development of their community in terms of land use. Students sketch a map of their...

Students practice planning for the development of an area using the goals of Smart Growth as a guide. They analyze how regions can affect government policies. They role-play citizens who recommend how an area should be developed.

Students examine modes of transportation. In this transportation lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on modes of transportation over the past 300 years. Students respond to questions about...

Fifth graders write a paragraph comparing their lives to the lives of a child working in South Carolina during the early 1900's. In this Industrial Revolution lesson plan, 5th graders explore primary and secondary sources to teach them...

Students explain the people and the political, geographic, economic, cultural, social, and environmental events that have shaped the history of the state, the United States, and the world.

Students create a population distribution map of Goodland Island indicating where people live by marking the locations with dots. After reading a written description of the island, they write short paragraphs explaining and justifying...

Students make inferences on how physical geography affected the development of early civilizations and come up with solutions to global issues. In this physical geography lesson plan, students compare maps of the past to maps of today to...

Fifth graders research physical and cultural features of a place. They practice skills in gathering information from various sources, using tools such as graphic organizers, word processing, multimedia, and use of the Internet.

In this environment activity, students read a passage on why alien species should be introduced to ecosystems. Then they respond to four questions that refer to the passage read. Students also respond to two decision questions by giving...

Four different activities focus on the amount of trash generated and how humans can better manage waste. Learners analyze two days' worth of household garbage, test materials for biodegradability, and rate recyclability of various...

Students order numbers and sets of objects from 0 through 10 and organize and interpret information collected from the immediate environment. They read and interpret graphs usin real objects and the computer. Finally, students sort a...

Students investigate the Earth's major landforms and how they occur, and how engineers apply this knowledge for the design of transportation systems, mining, and measuring natural hazards. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, match...

First graders read "Where the River Begins" by Thomas Locker and discuss the Texan landscape. They use construction paper to make suitcases and then fill them with types of Texan landforms and scenery they might see on a trip to Texas.

Students explore natural resources by conducting a geology experiment in class. In this mineral mining lesson, students discuss the types of geological material that can be found when mining and the uses for these resources such as coal....

Students explore the lifestyles of the American colonies. They conduct various activities according to their grade level including jigsaw research and creating a poster. Lesson includes primary source readings related to the topic.

Students complete a Web quest about Biddy Mason's journey Westward to California as a slave and her ultimate rise to one of the wealthiest and generous woman of the Westward Movement. They present an exhibit of their research.