Students examine how U.S. population patterns have changed over time. Using the growth of major league baseball to illustrate these patterns, students create maps, examine regional migration patterns, and make predictions for the future.

Students view and discuss "The Transportation Revolution," a lecture by Peter A. Coclanis. They read and respond creatively to brief descriptions of railroad workers and their job responsibilities.

Students write a persuasive letter home defending their decision either to settle in Utah and farm the land, or to go on to California to seek gold. They analyze a problem, make a decision, and write a letter defending their choice.

Students research and report on an endangered Utah species.

Students explore oceans, and demonstrate reading comprehension skills, including reading strategies, inference, literal meaning, and critical analysis.

Seventh graders gain insight into the daily lives of Muslims and to develop empathy for them by studying the Islamic world and creating presentations.

Students explore exploring and expiditions then simlate their own on campus. They divide into small "expedition groups." Have each team report back to the class about their expeditions, using written, oral, or videotaped presentations.

Exploring the concepts of free trade and protectionism, students compare and contrast 19th and 21st century arguments for and against the tariff.

Students deduce from reading political party platforms from the 1840s-1860s which party and what year the platform is from. They analyze the foundations and political philosophies underlying the platforms and the parties.

Sixth graders explain the importance the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the role it played in the Cold War. After studying the crisis, 6th graders compose an essay describing the crisis and how the U.S. became vulnerable to nuclear...

Seventh graders locate the Illinois & Michigan Canal and related landmarks on various maps. They explain the challenges associated with building a canal. They access websites imbedded in this plan and watch a video to aid their...

Eleventh graders, in groups, design a self-sufficient community. Groups present the communities they've designed. They compare and contrast the communities presented. They research the theories of Johann Heinrich von Thunen online and...

High schoolers explore the many resources that one can use to explore a community, the Colonial Revival movement, and how the industry and technology reshaped life in Deerfield the Connecticut River Valley.

Students research the anti-railroad movement of the mid-19th century. They review propaganda from the period and consider various points of view. They develop role-plays and write essays using their research.

Young scholars examine 19th century newspapers, a last and testament, and census manuscripts to analyze the Irish and German immigrant communities in the 1850s and 1860s. They write a letter from the perspective of an Irish or German...

Eleventh graders are divided up into groups and work on separate worksheets. They reassemble as a class and discuss the different articles and how the railroads affected people's lives.

Seventh graders research European Explorers lives. They create a Word Document, or slide show based on their research.

Students examine websites and video clips to become familiar with tenets of the Homestead Act, challenges faced by settlers and misconceptions about settlers. They role-play colonists on the Planet XR-38 and make choices similar to...

High schoolers study the struggle for abolition in Pennsylvania starting with the Quakers first protest through the burning of Pennsylvania Hall. They conduct research using primary source documents.

Eighth graders compare and contrast transportation and agricultural methods in the United States from Colonization to Reconstruction. They, in groups, create and present Ohio Memory Scrapbooks to rest of class.

Students explore how landscapes undergo constant changes with urban development. They plan and build their own "city" by including features that have minimal resource demands to sustain the city itself.

Students explore the the legends and myths of the Orient, Africa, Europe, Asia, and the Americas in this six lessons unit. Different cultures and belief systems of the inhabitants of these areas are examined through storytelling techniques.

Students develop their own social studies textbook. Students gain knowledge of American immigration and Ellis Island. Students discover the process of becoming a naturalized citizen and what it means to be a citizen

Students investigate the types of food the pioneers ate, and how they prepared and preserved their meals. They explore websites, view video diaries from PBS Frontier Life, read recipes, and complete a crossword puzzle.