Fourth graders explore the migration to Texas from other parts of the United States. Through journal entries they write about the trip as if they were the settlers coming to a new and foreign country. Working in small groups, 4th graders...

Students are introduced to the Caddo Indians of Texas. Using a compass, they draw a circle given specific dimensions and cut them out. Using the text, they read one section abut the Indians and complete the task listed on one of their...

High schoolers examine extension ideas concerning 9/11, Defining Moments. They analyze a variety of Supreme Court cases, the U.S. Constitution, Mass Media Interpretations, Racism, Immigrant groups and U.S. geography. Many questions are...

Sixth graders read and discuss background information and brainstorm reasons for wildfires. They use a Venn Diagram to list the similarities and differences between wildfires and prescribed fires and then track the weather forecast for...

Fourth graders read about homes in Utah over time and design models of the homes.  In this homes of the west lesson plan, 4th graders draw and label five homes that existed in the west. Students research each home and gather...

Fourth graders research and take notes while viewing a video on the Navajo Indians. In this Indigenous people lesson, 4th graders use the notes they've taken to compare and contrast the Navaho tribe to other Indigenous tribes. Students...

Middle schoolers become familiar with procedures for helping Indians assimilate in the 1800's. In this history lesson plan  middle schoolers explore how football helped Indians to assimilate in a positive way. Middle schoolers...

Students see how to use primary and secondary sources to investigate history. Whether it is a photograph, book, map, letter, postcard, newspaper, or official document, students can use sources to reconstruct and relive history.

Students examine the role of the explorers. In this explorers and conquistadors, students create word puzzles (Wordles) regarding the time period in history. Students conduct research regarding a particular explorer and create foldables...

Students, during a (virtual) visit to a burial ground, think about the past by viewing tombstones as primary sources. They explain how the attitudes of Deerfield residents toward death and burial evolved from 1780-1880.

Students read about and discuss the reasons European countries were interested in the Ohio Valley. They complete a puzzle to review vocabulary and watch a video on the Illinois Prairie and the I & M Canal. They rewrite the historical...

Learners study the goals set out for the Constitution. They examine the resolutions arrived at to resolve three major conflicts which arose during the writing of the Constitution. They discuss or write down a one-sentence summary of...

Students engage in a discussion about their experiences with goods, services, and money.  In this bartering lesson, students read The Wampum Bird story and brainstorm their personal experiences with economics.   

Learners describe difference between immigration and emigration, and summarize impact that immigration and emigration have on a community.

Young scholars read and analyze journals written by Lewis and Clark. They watch and discuss a video segment, complete a graphic organizer, and write a journal entry written from the point of view of someone involved with the Lewis and...

First graders through a variety of strategies assess how to write in journals openly and effectively. Those strategies include integration of technology, story telling, group and team work, performance-based assessment/rubrics, visual...

Students examine primary sources in the form of auction records, create frequency charts, graphs and diagrams that they analyze to anwer questions followed by the writing of a paper that demonstrates their comprehension of the...

Students discuss the origin of strawberries and employees involved with picking strawberries. In this algebra lesson, students discuss how much a worker who picks strawberry makes based on their flats. They create a table with the...

Students research colonial Maryland. In this colonial Maryland lesson plan, students participate in a WebQuest to investigate how families led their lives long ago. Students compare family and city life from long ago and today. Students...

To compare how the Spanish, French, and English approached the exploration of North America, class groups examine primary source documents and become experts on one of four explorers: Francisco Coronado, Robert LaSalle, Samuel de...

Young scholars create a sculpture inspired by the masks, pendants, or human and animal forms found in ancient Indian art of the Americas. They focus on the techniques of metalworking, especially repousse.

Explore New England's economic and cultural past and possible issues New Englanders will face in the future. Middle and high schoolers research the fishing industry and the need for regulation. They analyze the topography of New England...

Students examine the difference between primary and secondary sources by examining the journal of Cabeza de Vaca and creating a poster about the Coahuitecan Indian groups. They portray a scene of the groups in 16th Century south Texas.

Students, in groups, examine the use of artifacts and fossils to study people, plants and animals from the past.