Young scholars explore the environment by reading a story in class. In this water formation lesson, students define environmental terms such as rivers, streams, gulf, oceans and lakes. Young scholars read the story A River Ran Wild and...

Students create a state map using Playdoh. In this hands-on state geography lesson, students work in groups to form a three-dimensional  map of their state using Playdoh made at home following a (given) recipe. Students use four...

Students are introduced to the state quarter program and examine the Colorado state quarter. They locate Colorado on a map and create a map with a key. They discuss the state motto and examine pictures of the state's geographical features.

Albert Bierstadt is a highly celebrated artist who was able to capture the beauty of the American landscape. The class will first learn how Bierstadt explored America during the 1800s and painted the majestic countryside. Then, they will...

Students draw animals and plants that are described to them as they read passages of people who traveled across the Gila Trail in the Southwest. For this Gila Trail lesson plan, students also write a letter describing a plant or animal...

Students examine various photographs and identify three conclusions from them. Using the pictures, they write their own story based on their observations. They share their stories with the class and discuss how some of their...

Informative site that tells about the act that authorized the building of the Hoover Dam. Read the complete text of the Boulder Canyon Project here.

The Hoover Dame was viewed as an engineering feat, in the 1930s. This documentary examines the construction and engineering problems that occurred and the questions that arose about the economic and environmental impact this project...

A wonderful, informative site on the Hoover Dam. Find out how the largest dam of its time came to be in this fascinating story.

A Smithsonian website plus lesson plans on the art of landscape painting. Includes details on landscape painting techniques to create the illusion of depth and space as well as information on four landscape artists.