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Torn from Each Other's Arms
Students consider how the institution of family suffered under slavery. In this slavery lesson, students watch segments of "Slavery and the Making of America". Students examine the structure of the Driggus family and discuss how slavery...
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Patriot or Loyalist? A Revolutionary Decision
Students research as a reporter would and present the loyalist and patriot point of view on the American Revolution. In this patriots versus loyalist lesson, students produce a project such as a video debate or webpage explaining the...
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Plants and Animals: Partners in Pollination
Students 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.
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Mineral Scavenger Hunt
Students complete a scavenger hunt worksheet as they find examples in their classroom, at home, etc., of minerals. Excellent worksheet!
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Create a Classroom Exhibit: Rocks and Minerals
Students bring in rocks and minerals from home. They observe them and describe them carefully, completing a worksheet. Finally, a classroom exhibit is created.
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Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
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Abolishing Slavery
Students explain the goals and methods of the abolitionist movement.
They identify key leaders in the movement. This instructional activity has adaptations for elementary through high school. Links are provided for resource readings.
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Plants and Animals, Partners in Pollination
Students participate in multiple hands-on activities to explore reproduction and pollination. In groups, using a cotton swab and powder, students simulate being pollinators and plants. They name the parts of the flowers and the function...
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Rocks and Minerals
Students bring rocks and minerals from home to investigate in the classroom. For this rocks and minerals lesson plan, students observe all the rocks and minerals brought into the class and answer 7 questions about the features of the...
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Under the Spell of Spiders
Learners examine spiders. In these spider lessons, students will view spider images and live spiders to determine physical characteristics, habits, and habitats. Learners will examine fantasy and folklore about spiders to create and...
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The Westward Movement
Learners 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...
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How Size Shapes Animals
Students investigate how size affects large and small animals differently. In this animal lesson plan, students determine how size affects different animals by constructing their own animal out of marshmallows. Once students create...
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Fossils Footprints Across Time
Students examine fossils to understand how they are formed and how they give information about geological history. In this fossil lesson plan, students research and write about fossils and make models of different fossil types.The PDF...
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Going...going...gone? Tropical Rainforests-How They Work, What They Do for Us, What's Being Done to Them...
Sixth graders explore the Tropical Rainforest and come to understand what it is and how it affects the ecosystem. In this rainforests lesson plan, 6th graders write about the Tropical Rainforest, imagine they are in the Tropical...
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The Making of a Holiday: MLK, Jr. Day
Students explore the life of Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement. They discuss the events surrounding his death and the significance of the federal holiday honoring Dr. King. As a class, they read about Dr. King's work for...
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Bill of Rights
Students research, list, define and discuss all the aspects to the United States Bill of Rights. They assess their foundations by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson and reflect on all the conditions happening at the time period of...
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Kwanzaa
Learners recognize that families can be strengthened as a result of a holiday. They identify things about holidays that have strengthened their families. They explain some of the symbols of Kwanzaa. They draw one of the purposes of Kwanzaa.
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Rwanda: You Go, Girls
Pupils examine the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994 and focus the post-genocide success of women. They study websites to examine how women are challenging their traditional roles in Rwandan society.
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Kente Cloth
Learners attempt to research the history of using the kente cloth for its cultural purposes. They comment in discussion about the highly visual appeal of the cloths while going through the process of creating their own. The importance of...
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Theatre: Oral Traditions
Students investigate cultural traditions. In this multi-cultural lesson, students discuss various cultures and research their traditions.
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Criminal or Hero
Fifth graders explore the origins of slavery. In this US History lesson, 5th graders create a map of the United States that shows where slavery existed. Students examine the life of a Northern slave through the use of a video.
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Plants and Animals: Partners in Pollination
Learners identify the plant parts and bee structures that are involved in pollination. They simulate pollination in a group activity and process the information.
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Minerals, Crystals, and Gems
Young scholars discover the relationships between minerals, crystals and gems. They bring in rocks that they find at home, in the schoolyard, etc. and examine them and attempt to identify them. They set up a classroom exhibit that...
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Uncle Tom's Cabin
Students read the novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin, and explain public attitudes towards slavery in 19th century America.