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Slave Culture during the Age of Jackson
Students consider slave culture during the time of Andrew Jackson. In this lesson on slavery, students watch a PowerPoint presentation, take notes, then analyze an extensive list of primary sources in order to understand what and how...
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The House at 97 Orchard Street
Students examine the living quarters and belongings of immigrant families living in one tenement building spanning the years from 1830 to 1940. They explain how the national background of immigrants added to the "melting pot" of American...
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Frighteningly Fabulous Festivals
Students explore the significance of holiday foods, first by researching Halloween-type festivals from around the world, and then by reporting on foods related to different holidays celebrated in their homes.
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Gender Roles
Students explore psychology by answering gender study questions. In this sexuality lesson, students discuss the stereotypes often referred to men and woman and what the truth is about their characteristics and abilities. Students...
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Castle/Fort Unit
Students compare and contrast castles and forts. They observe buildings in their community and consider how castles and forts are similar. They design their own castle or fort and brainstorm materials to build with, discuss how the...
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The Story of Kwanzaa
Celebrate Kwanzaa with a game of Kalah, also known as Mankala or Owara. Using an egg carton and a set of beans, players take all of the beans out of one of his or her cups and move to the right, dropping one bean into each of the...
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From America, With Love
Students research the experiences of specific immigrant groups in the United States. Letters are written from imaginary immigrants to relatives in their countries of origin, including historically accurate details.
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Navigation
Students explain that globes are the best way to show positions of places, but flat maps are portable and can show great detail. They make a mercator projection of the route Lewis and Clark took on their journey.
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Preventing Picky Eaters
Students examine how to encourage proper eating habits in children. In this nutrition lesson, students explore ways to encourage picky eaters to eat healthy foods. They discuss eating habits that include behavior and nutrition.
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Entertainment and Recreation in the Early Twentieth Century and Today
Eleventh graders research entertainment and recreation in the early twentieth century using primary sources and the book From the Hidewood, by Robert Amerson. They compare the rural experience of the time period to the national...
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Bring No Poor Articles with You
Students compare their travel needs to homesteaders from the late 1800's in this multi-lesson unit. Students analyze a historic document, explain modes of transportation of the homesteaders, and articulate the personal and economic...
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Connection to the Past
Students learn basic interviewing and biography writing skills. They first identify a senior citizen in their community who remembers the Great Depression.
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Members Only
Students discuss the advantages and disadvantages of private communities and the lives led by their residents. They design ideal planned communities for people featured in other Class Matters articles.
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Class Quilt
First graders engage in a lesson which promote acceptance of diversity within the classroom through the creation of a class quilt. They evaluate the final product to find commonalities with other students.
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A Wolf by the Ear
Students examine Thomas Jefferson's complex and contradictory relationship with slavery.
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Pictures of the Past: I Remember When...
Students, after discussing and analyzing the value of reminiscence for people of all ages, write a reminiscence essay on their own lives and then create a story form the perspective of an older person.
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Thanksgiving Math Lessons: Count Your Blessings!
Thanksgiving math can be a way to delve into the true meaning of the holiday.
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Colonial Life in Virginia
Fourth graders compare and contrast life in England with plantation life in America. They study the dependencies or mini-industries that could be found on plantations.
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Lena Horne: Race and the American Artist
Students examine how race played a critical role in Lena Horne's life. They conduct Internet research, participate in a class debate, write a letter, and create a presentation based on their Internet research.
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Problem Solving In Genetic Disorders
Young scholars explore the causes and effects of genetic disorders. They examine the phenotype and genotype of individuals and predict the recurrenence risks. Students generate a Punnett square and construct pedigree charts.
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Reduce, Re-use, Recycle
Young scholars determine the importance of recycling to reduce waste, to employ trash in useful ways, and to save the environment. They estimate the percentages of landfill waste that items constitute, based on what they found in their...
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The Sahara: Home of the Tuareg
Students study inhabitants of the Sahara. In this Tuareg culture activity, students explore the how the Tuareg people adapt to their environment as they research specific Internet sites.
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Where Do I Come From?
Students research immigration from Europe to the United States. In this immigration lesson, students read the book, The Long Way to a New Land. Students use a world map to locate Sweden and other countries in Europe. Students pretend...
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Liberty, Equality, Uniformity?
Students examine the French draft law to ban religious symbols from public schools. They research "secularist" and "pluralist" positions regarding this ban, debate the topic in class, and draft a position paper on the ban.