Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Explorers Unit

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders complete a unit on early explorers. They develop a timeline, sing a Viking song, watch a video, compile a checklist of supplies needed for an expedition, participate in a scavenger hunt, write a letter from Christopher...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Navigating with the Kamal

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Historians have proven that as early as 1497 skilled navigators were using a kamal to sail across oceans. Scholars learn about navigation tools and astronomy before building their own kamals. They then learn how to use it to determine...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Early Explorers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover why explorers left their homes to explore and how they played an important part in the discovery of the New World. Students create PowerPoint presentations of a specific explorer's journey and discoveries and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My First Biography: Christopher Columbus Storia Teaching Guide | Scholastic.com

For Teachers K - 1st Standards
Sail with Christopher Columbus on a biographical reading adventure. Young explorers learn about the life of Sir Columbus as they hone their comprehension skills through guiding questions, shared reading, and fluency practice. Included in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Captain John Smith's Shallop

For Teachers 4th - 5th Standards
Young explorers, all aboard the shallop to discover how early European explorers would navigate the American coastline to find resources, map terrain, and trade with Native American tribes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Magellan

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students identify the route of Magellan's voyage. In this map skills lesson, students use a globe to identify various coordinates where Magellan traveled.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Theatre: Persuasive Explorers

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Young scholars act like a famous explorer. In this explorer lesson, students research an explorer and act out persuasive arguments in which that explorer might be involved.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Adventure to the New World

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders role play the position of an explorer traveling to the new world. They research the explorers journey and create their own explorer's notebook. They complete different activities and then present their evidence to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The West "The People": The Lewis and Clark Expedition

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders become familiar with the conditions facing the members of the Expedition in the early 1800's, as well as the causes and consequences of the Expedition. They describe the conditions of the land in the 1800's and during the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Christopher Columbus

For Teachers 3rd
In this Christopher Columbus worksheet, 3rd graders will read a six paragraph passage. Students will then answer seven multiple choice questions about what they have read.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Features of Virginia

For Teachers 4th
Students locate and identify water features important to the early history of Virginia. Thye recognize where most cities developed and locate and label the rivers on a Virginia wall map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Star to Steer Her By

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students determine their latitude using a protracdtor and/or cross-staff to find the altitude of Polaris.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Deadly Arctic Expedition

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students view a documentary of an Arctic expedition. In 1913, Arctic explorer and scientist, Vilhjamur Stefansson put together a crew of seamen and scientists to explore the Arctic. After viewing, students discuss what they saw and do a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microbes & History: Microbial influence on the spread of Civilization

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students explore how to extract plant fibers from the flax plant Linum usitatissimum in the process of making linen fibers. Doing so spark interest in the importance of microbial action on the spread of human culture and civilization.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jamestown

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research the Jamestown settlement and examine life in the colonies from 1607-1610. They explore websites, develop a timeline, select two settlers to research, and write three letters written from the point of view of their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Kansas Prairie Homes

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students read about settlers in Kansas and the adaptations they made in order to build different kinds of houses. In this Kansas settlers lesson plan, students participate in choral reading and retell information they learn.