Space Awareness
Navigation in the Ancient Mediterranean and Beyond
Ancient texts, like Homer's Odyssey, mentions navigating ships by observing constellations. Pupils learn about the link between history and astronomy as they relate to navigation in the Bronze Age. Scholars complete two hands-on...
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Getting to the Point
Students determine location by using the technique of triangulation. They imagine that they are out in the wilderness and have come to the top of a ridge. How can one identify the ridge on the topo map? How can one figure out where you...
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Captain John Smith's Shallop
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.
The New York Times
Revolt! Comparing Historical Revolutions
What elements are needed to have a revolution? How do historical revolutions from across the globe and generations compare with one another? This is an excellent activity that incorporates group work, source analysis, and an engaging...
Education World
A Spooky Adlib Story
Learners navigate a simple spreadsheet and develop their creativity. They answer questions, filling in cells on Excel, using a template after filling in all the fields, a silly spooky story is created from the answers they give. Students...
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Understanding the Compass
Young geographers view an excellent description of how compasses work, then work in partners to make a compass of their own. There is a heavy religious component in this lesson; for example, as closure, the teacher reads a verse from the...
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Rockefeller's Revenge: Exxon and Mobil Unite
Study the impact and possible outcomes of the Exxon-Mobil merger in your language arts, social studies, or economics class. Secondary learners evaluate a series of graphs, write a paragraph interpreting the data, and engage in class...
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Folk and Popular Culture
Good enough for a college class, this resources discusses multiple aspects pertaining to the issues with globalization and the differences between pop and folk culture. It defines major terminology, provides concrete examples, and...
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Funding a Way to the Top
Review economic vocabulary, presidential election campaigns, and current campaign budgets (2004). Your class will determine how they feel about the amount of money spent on presidential campaigns, they will read an informational article,...
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Taking Age into Account
Have your class consider the issue of minors' accountability for their crimes. They discuss specific cases and the general issue of juvenile crime in round table discussions. Use this lesson to emphasize the rules and individual roles...
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Follow the Light
Here is another in the interesting series of lessons that use the special State Quarters as a learning tool. During this lesson, pupils learn about lighthouses, maps, the cardinal directions on a compass, and U.S. geography. There are...
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Dude, I'm Interviewing the President
Student define issues and questions they would discuss with a president. Students read "Bill and Leo's Excellent Encounter". Students choose famous personalities, research their celebrity, and create a mock interview with them.
The New York Times
The Horror! The Horror!
Gear up for Halloween by studying the horror genre with your class and analyzing films and texts to uncover the genre's traditional conventions.
The New York Times
Sequencing the Stages: Understanding H.I.V. Infection at the Molecular Level
How does HIV operate at the molecular level? Pupils discover the progression from a healthy immune cell to one infected with HIV, watch an animation of the HIV life cycle, and finally identify each of the stages with illustrations on...
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Christopher Columbus Who?
Students recreate a "60-minutes" interview using cue cards and historical information on the Chinese explorer Zheng He. This lesson is an excellent introduction to World History during the 1400's.
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People Change the Landscape
Students examine ways in which humans have brought change to the natural environment. In this ecology and literacy lesson, students listen to the book Island Boy by Barbara Cooney. Students observe and define map-reading vocabulary as...
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Learning and Population Information - Where I Live
Students study their county populations in a multimedia presentation format. In this populations lesson, students work in groups of 3 to research the county populations in their state. Students chart their results in an Excel document...
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Graphing Data on Ellis Island
Third graders use data to make a bar graph. In this graphing and social studies lesson plan, 3rd graders use data about where Ellis Island immigrants came from to complete a bar graph on Microsoft Excel.
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Designing Another Juilliard
Ninth graders explore the characteristics for a top notch school. In this Social Studies lesson, 9th graders create their own fictional school that promotes excellence in a discipline of their choice. Students read Frank Rich's essay...
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The State of "No Child Left Behind"
Your class can read about the changes Obama considered making to Bush's No Child Left Behind Act. After reading the article, pupils answer 13 questions that ask, who, what, when, where, and why.
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Country Comparisons in Current Events Class
Learners collect political, socioeconomic, geographical, and other data about 10 countries and record their data in a spreadsheet. The information is used to fuel current events discussions.
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Bullying and Homophobia
Having difficulty in class broaching controversial issues? This lesson offers several linked online tools to get students engaged in discussion about bullying and homophobia. Coastkid.org offers an interactive scenario activity, which...
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Sunday Night With Oscar
And the winner is.....! The Academy Awards are a big deal in film and often make top headlines in the paper. Kids read an article about the most recent Academy Awards Ceremony and answer 11 questions about who won what award, and why.
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Work Cut Out For You
Students read about teenagers who forgo college for work. They plan their own progression toward their careers of choice by creating 'fantasy résumés' that list both their present accomplishments and things they hope to do in the future.