Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Early Explorers

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the routes taken by the early explorers. In this explorers instructional activity, 5th graders use interactive notebooks, discussion and maps to discover the routes taken. Students get into pairs and label maps,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vikings in Vinland

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars examine the role of archaeology in gaining information about past civilizations. After reading an article, they discover evidence of the Viking settlement of North America. They summarize the information in the article...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Columbus wants to find a shorter route to Asia

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders identify the reasons why Columbus wanted to find a shorter route to Asia. They make a timeline of the sequence of events surrounding his explorations. Students draw a map of the routes taken by early explorers around...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trailblazers- Now and Then

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students examine and study the routes of trailblazers. In this American history lesson, students find a route on a map and compare that to the route of trailblazers. Students will then compare that map with a topographical map to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore weather. In this weather lesson, 2nd graders read Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs and participate in four supplemental science activities. Students participate in Internet research, create weather maps,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Kind of Vessel Are You?

For Teachers K - 5th
This is a strange question; but what kind of vessel would you be and why? After examining images of a large Inca jug, the class sets to writing a creative narrative that answers that very interesting question. They start by researching...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voyage to the New World

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate the history of North America by creating a map.  In this world geography lesson, 3rd graders analyze the voyage Christopher Columbus took to arrive at the new world by creating a map of his...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Spanish Colonials Encounter Quechan Culture

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use primary sources from the de Anza expedition of the 1770's to research colonial encounters with the Quechan people from Yuma Crossing, Arizona.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Early European Explorers Map

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders create an explorer's map. In this explorers lesson students use a map of the world as reference to draw their own map of Europe, North America, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands. The students use their maps to show...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Early History of Haiti

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders make list of places Columbus explored on his first journey to Americas, locate island of Hispaniola on map, examine groups of people who have inhabited island, complete blank map and key of Hispaniola, and research early...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Imperialism: Locations of Colonial Rule

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the conquest of the Americas. For this Exploration lesson, 8th graders locate the areas of colonization. Students create a visual map of these areas of conquest.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

European Explorers of North and South America

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore the connection between the geography of America and the migration of the Native Americans to the American continents to the future conquering of the continents by the Europeans. They discuss the causes and effects...
App
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

EarthViewer

For Students 6th - Higher Ed Standards
Can you imagine Washington DC and London as close neighbors occupying the same continent? Learners will be fascinated as they step back in time and discover the evolution of the earth's continents and oceans from 4.5 billion...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Great Explorers

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students research an explorer and present a multimedia presentation on the explorer. In this United States explorers lesson, students watch a video about Lewis and Clark. Students use Google Earth to study their journey and keep a KWL...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Learning About Maps

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Learners investigate the many uses and features of maps and globes and locate where they live on both. For this map lesson, student play a travel game and create their own maps to explore states, continents, countries, and islands.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

BACK IN TIME

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explain what is involved in exploration and settlement of new areas. They become explorers and discover their surroundings through various activities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map It Out

For Teachers K - 4th
Explore how illustrations add to a story. Young learners will look at picture books to see how the pictures tell the story. They create illustrations to go with a chosen story, and then flip the activity so they have to write a story to...
Unit Plan
Student Achievement Partners

You've Been Lied To: The REAL Christopher Columbus

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Looking for resources that explore alternative perspectives of the Christopher Columbus story? Check out the images, videos, cartoons, primary source documents, and other texts in a packet designed to spark...
Interactive
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NOAA

Seamounts

For Students 6th - 12th
How do chains of islands form? Young oceanographers explore the mountains of the deep in the final installment in a 13-part series. The interactive compares types of seamounts based on their overall height and height under the water, as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Context for Exploration

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Young scholars examine watershed maps from the Columbia River. They practice using maps and create their own watershed map. They share their map with the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WANTED EXPLORERS

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students create their own country and explore other unknown lands. Students identify past explorers and complete the included case of the missing trunks webquest. Students research resources and geographical features for their created...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Differentiated Way through Think Dots

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine reasons that led people to explore, identify "West" as defined following Revolutionary War, explain importance of finding natural resources, develop time line of dates and events leading up to Lewis and Clark Expedition,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

When You Were My Age, What Was This Place Like?

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students discover how land use in their community has changed. In this community and ecology lesson, students scan old newspapers to find articles about the development of community land. Students discuss and predict how land use has...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shackleton's Antarctic Adventure

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners research the exploration of Antarctica by the explorer Sir Ernest Shackelton. In this Antarctic exploration lesson, students watch a movie about Sir Ernest Shackelton and his ship the Endurance. Learners study a map of...