Students understand that the Industrial Revolution began in England, spreading to the rest of Western Europe and the United States and with it came an increased demand for raw materials from the Americans, Asia, and Africa.

Eleventh graders study the importance of media through American History.  In this American History activity, 11th graders develop teamwork skills discovering information regarding an assigned time period.  Students predict and...

Learners investigate the Lewis and Clark expedition and how it helped to shape American expansion during its early history. Students reflect upon the period of history and its implications for America.

Hot topics are often engaging and can get heated. High School students engage in an academic discussion were they must learn to engage with a person holding a different view than their own. They practice discussing different opinions...

Fourth graders become familiar with the explorations of Hernando DeSoto. In this DeSoto lesson, 4th graders recognize the routes and territories of DeSoto's explorations. Students use primary and secondary sources and research to answer...

Tenth graders examine the consequences of Spanish exploration of the New World on animals, humans, and plants. They read and discuss an informational handout, define key vocabulary terms, and complete a Venn Diagram with Old World and...

Eleventh graders examine the significant consequences of Spanish exploration and settlement of the New World on animals, humans, and plants. They read and discuss an informational handout, define key vocabulary terms, and complete a...

Students explore history through archaeology. In this critical analysis lesson, students work in teams to recreate a model of the archaeological discoveries made in the excavations at Monticello. This lesson is designed to help students...

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...

Trace Columbus' voyages by locating them on 21st Century maps.  Using a navigators lesson, 4th graders will examine the Age of Exploration and trace Columbus's routes accurately on laminated world maps using different maps. Note:...

Discuss the environment of the Arctic tundra using this resource. The focus of this lesson plan is the story A Walk in the Tundra by Rebecca L. Johnson. The appealing illustrations are bound to captivate your class! After reading...

Fifth graders sequence events of European exploration and colonization by creating timelines. They define the differences between primary and secondary sources. They discuss claims to Texas land in the 17th Century.

Fifth graders, in groups, study the differences between the 13 Original Colonies, then explore the relationship between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.

Colonization, cartography, and circumnavigation. After reading a short article about early explorations, kids use the information provided to answer a series of comprehension questions.

Students practice skills essential to all scientific investigation: carefully observing and collecting data. They become field biologists in a series of hands-on activities to collect and identify specimens, and survey and calculate the...

Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...

In this English worksheet, students read "Map Shows the Chinese Discovered America," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.

In this English worksheet, students read "Map Shows Chinese Discovered America," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.

Students examine the exploration of the New World. They write a descriptive account of the first encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, analyze and label maps, plot Columbus's journey on a map, and write a chapter summary.

Students research the impact of European voyages of discovery and colonial influence on different aspects of American culture. They access a number of online sources and reference maps to trace the influences of England, France, Holland,...

Students are introduced to the Gopher research tools. In groups, they compare and contrast English and German services on the gopher servers. They create their own dictionary of computer related terms and spend time downloading picture...

West of the West's documentary Arlington Springs Man and a two-page scientific article about the same topic provide the text for a reading comprehension exercise that asks individuals to craft a one page summary of information gathered...

While a woman didn't invent the parasol, three women received patents for their improvements to the original design of umbrellas. In the first of a two-part series on inventive women, class members investigate the patent system to...

Students observe art from different Aboriginal cultures.  In this art evaluation lesson, students discover the different traditions of cultures from the Pacific North West.  Students judge the art from these cultures with a...