Missouri Department of Elementary
Celebrate Your Culture
After a class discussion about celebrations and customs, class members draw pictures depicting special events from their family cultures. Next, they draw pictures of an event from a different culture and share their work with classmates.
Curated OER
Abstract painting - Inspired by Textiles
Learners compare and contrast various forms of artistic expression associated with specific groups of people, geographic regions, or time periods, specifically art of Andean cultures, and create art works using procedures borrowed from...
Curated OER
Historical Air Photo Interpretation
Students identify and analyze land use changes over time with historical aerial photographs. They classify different land use into categories.
Curated OER
One Grain of Rice
Upper graders read the story One Grain of Rice, and use a Venn diagram to compare and contrast topics found in the story to current event topics today. Groups of three learners work together to create their diagram. The topics they must...
Curated OER
What's In Your Bag?
Guess what is in the bag! Use this lesson plan at the beginning of the year to discuss appropriate items for 4th grade students to have in school. Each group develops a list of appropriate items as well as inappropriate items, and...
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Stories in Quilts
Have your class analyze the narrative art in quilts. They identify elements in this domestic art and the stories they tell. They define a story quilt, view an example, and analyze the work of Harriet Power. This is a great instructional...
Curated OER
Secret Life of Bees Research
The Secret Life of Bees provides high schoolers an opportunity to connect the events in the novel to events in America’s history. After choosing a topic from a provided list, individuals research how the event affected the Civil Rights...
Curated OER
Texas Commemorative Maps: Honoring Our Past
To celebrate Texas, groups plan and create a commemorative map for a topic or theme in Texas history. The richly detailed plan and the approach could easily be adapted to any state. Samples are included.
California Polytechnic State University
Australian Geography Unit
At the heart of this resource is a beautifully detailed PowerPoint presentation (provided in PDF form) on the overall physical geography of Australia, basic facts about the country, Aboriginal history, and Australia culture and lifestyle.
Annenberg Foundation
Reading Maps
Can you read a map? Scholars use an interactive technology tool to analyze maps of various kinds to gather evidence and data to better understand their meanings and usefulness. Using newly obtained knowledge, they form an interpretation...
Curated OER
Where Did My Lunch Come From? A U.S. Regional Tour
Learners explore the regions from which their food comes. In this social studies lesson, students identify the different agricultural products that are found in the major regions of the United States. Learners create a lunch menu.
Curated OER
Native American Homelands
Students discuss the Navajo, Sioux, and Iroquois tribes, noting their distinctive characteristics. They trace the homeland of each of the tribes on maps and create map keys. Students explain how they developed their map keys.
Curated OER
Contributions of Ancient Egypt and China
Second graders study the contributions of Ancient Egypt and China, which have had an impact on world history, with emphasis on written language, laws, calendars, and architectural monuments such as the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China.
Curated OER
Me on the Map: Homes, Neighborhoods, and Communities
Young scholars read a book about maps and identify the differences between a picture and a map. In this maps lesson plan, students also label maps of their home, neighborhood, and community.
Curated OER
But We Need More, Where Will It Come From?
Students write a persuasive letter and create a poster about pollution and conservation. For this pollution and conservation lesson plan, students learn how humans are the number 1 cause of pollution.
Curated OER
A River Through Time
Students explore how construction of a dam on the Gila River affected the lifestyle of Pima Indians. In this social studies lesson, students locate the Gila River and the Coolidge Dam. Students record dates on a timeline and discuss how...
Curated OER
Canada, O Canada
Students study the similarities and differences between Canada and the United State in this unit. They examine geography, government and culture as they "travel" through Canada.
Manchester College
Spain – Culture and Famous Landmarks
Introduce your class to Spain and liven up the class period with some Spanish pop music! Learners view a presentation about Spain and take notes on the information before watching a couple of music videos in Spanish. They use listening...
Curated OER
A Newer, Better, Older Me
First graders engage in a lesson that is concerned with self-respect and interpersonal relationships. They create a character clover as an art project that lists positive character traits and specific attributes of strength. Then...
Curated OER
Sally's Super Day
Second graders engage in a activity that is about having a super day with an example of a fictitious child. They read "Sally's Super Day" and reflect upon the events and how they affected the character and the outcome of the story. The...
Curated OER
What Does Respect Look Like at Home?
Fourth graders conceptualize the value of respect for self, and give examples and non-examples. They describe how things could have been done differently within the family or the community for non-examples. Students conceptualize the...
Curated OER
Going for the Gold!
Fourth graders discuss their success and failures. They write a short essay on what they have been taught about the personal and ethical skills needed to work with a diverse group of people. Students discuss in small groups to determine...
Curated OER
My Conflict Shield
Eighth graders discuss conflict. Working in pairs, they create lists of skills they have used in conflicts, skills they have seen used successfully but not used themselves, and skills they wish to develop. From their lists they identify...
Curated OER
Families and Communities
Here is a week-long lesson on the roles of family members designed for first graders. In it, learners share stories of their families, listen to books about families read to them by their teacher, complete homework assignments and...