Curated OER
European Exploration, Trade and Colonization
Students complete many activities including mapping, reading books, and Internet research to learn about European exploration. In this European lesson plan, students study geographical mapping, trade, and colonization.
Curated OER
How Far Away
Students investigate how a historic map drawn in the early days of interstate automobile travel represented distances. They measure distance within their personal space.
Curated OER
A Study of Alaska
Students explore Alaska. This lesson is gearing mostly for students who live in Alaska.
Curated OER
Kids and Leisure in Early 1900s Ann Arbor
Fourth graders describe how Michigan has changed and stayed the same over time; describe and classify human/cultural characteristics of Michigan; describe and explain the importance of individuals and groups who have made a difference.
Curated OER
Explorers in Kansas
Fourth graders read cards about the explorers: Coronado, Lewis, and Clark, Pike, and Long. In this influential expeditions instructional activity, 4th graders describe and observe explorers who came to Kansas. Students locate main...
Curated OER
Anne Frank: One of Hundreds of Thousands
Young scholars conduct research to put Anne Frank's diary into historical context. They use maps, timelines, essays and websites to examine the early victories of the German army, paying special attention to the Netherlands and...
Curated OER
U.S. Mint Releases New Jefferson Nickel
Students share their knowledge of Lewis and Clark, then read a news article about the redesign on the U.S. nickel to commemorate Lewis and Clark's expedition. Introduce the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students...
Ocean Explorer
Looking for Clues
Upper graders become "shipwreck detectives" by studying the debris field from a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea which took place in the 700s. A website is accessed that gives specific information about the debris field, and pairs of...
Curated OER
Stellar Navigation
Middle schoolers are introduced to the concept of stellar navigation. Inside a portable digital planetarium they identify various stars that were used as a navigational tool. They go through several activities in which they attempt to...
Curated OER
Four Immigrant Groups: Their Lives and Music
Fourth graders examine the experiences of four immigrant groups. Class members brainstorm a list of misconceptions of those groups and discuss if these perceptions are still present today. Using maps, groups locate the countries of...
Curated OER
Matthew Henson
Discuss the work of Matthew Henson, an African American who traveled to the North Pole with Robert Peary. After reading the story "Matthew Henson" by Maryann N. Weidt, learners answer questions by drawing inferences and conclusions,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The War in the North, 1775–1778
Using primary source documents, including maps, learners examine Revolutionary War events from 1775 to 1778. The focus here is on the challenges George Washington and the Continental army faced and how they persevered in spite of those...
Curated OER
Ann Arbor Growth & Immigration
Third graders describe some of the factors that brought early settlers to Ann Arbor. They read Narrative-A Trip from Utica, New York, to Ingham County, Michigan in 1838. As an added challenge, 3rd graders can use maps to track Silas...
Curated OER
The War in the North, 1775-1778
Students investigate the hardships and difficulties that the Continental army faced in the early years of the American War for independence. the battles of Lexington and concord and the expectations of the Continental Army forms the...
Curated OER
Western Civilizations, Chapter 23: Modern Industry and Mass Politics, 1870-1914
Looking for an interactive way to supplement your western civilization course? Check out this comprehensive website, designed to accompany the Western Civilizations text (although it is valuable independently). Scholars investigate...
Curated OER
Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Landscape Long Ago and Today
Combine a fantastic review of primary source analysis with a study of Captain John Smith's influence on the Chesapeake Bay region in the seventeenth century. Your young historians will use images, a primary source excerpt, and maps...
K12 Reader
Conflict Over North American Lands
Readers are introduced to some of the conflicts that arose over land and resources in the Americas in a two-part cross-curricular comprehension worksheet that asks kids to study the article and then to use information provided to...
Curated OER
Ozark Folk Culture and Geography in the Mountain View, Arkansas Area
Upper grade through early high schoolers develop an understanding of Ozark culture, and the geography of the Ozark Plateau. They study place, location, human environmental impacts, and movement. This interesting plan incorporates muic,...
Curated OER
Social Studies 11: Canada
You'll find questions regarding government, immigration, ethnic issues, suffrage, and turn-of-the-century history to complement any lesson on Canada. There are 17 questions in need of full-paragraph answers. A great resource to finish a...
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Thanksgiving 2—The Pilgrim Story and My Immigrant Story
The tradition of the First Thanksgiving is really a story of immigration. Connect the feelings and customs of the early Pilgrims to the experiences of the immigrants in your class with an introduction to the 13 colonies, the Mayflower,...
Curated OER
A Visit to China
Sixth graders study the history of China. They explore the Chinese people, the Great Wall of China, religions, government and Dynasties. In groups, 6th graders collect information on China. They write a report on their findings and...
Curated OER
Trekking to Timbuktu: The Geography of Mali -Teacher Version
Students investigate the geography of Mali. They locate Mali on a satellite map, explore various websites, describe the landscape and climate, label a map, and write an essay about the Niger Riger.
Society for Science & the Public
Easter Islanders Made Tools, Not War
When studying artifacts, especially tools, how do archaeologists determine what the devices were used for? In what ways might researchers' previous experiences influence their perception of an artifact? An article about researchers'...
Curated OER
Discovering Conic Sections in the Motion of Heavenly Bodies
Math scholars study conics and how they are used today. For this mathematical lesson, pupils construct and slice cones after viewing a demonstration.