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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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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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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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Pictures of the Past: I Remember When...
Young scholars, 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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Be a Quilt Detective
Learners examine handmade quilts. They conduct research to learn the story behind the stitches. They write a report on their research with the quilter or from Internet sources.
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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
Learners 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
Students 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
Students 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 own...
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The Sahara: Home of the Tuareg
Young scholars study inhabitants of the Sahara. In this Tuareg culture lesson, 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?
Learners 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.
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Fallen Angels
Learners read the novel, Fallen Angels, and examine the theme of coming of age during the Vietnam War. They create timelines of the 1960s, highlighting important issues of the era. They write research papers focusing on one particular...
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"Jazz is About Collaboration": Jim Crow Laws And Segregation
Students explore development of jazz music in the 1930s by forming imaginary jazz bands which tour several cities in Depression-era America. Jazz band members create imaginary identities for themselves, develop publicity for their tour,...
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Through the Eyes of Al McIntosh
Students examine World War II through the eyes of local journalists such as Al McIntosh. As a class, they discuss how stories about the war affects the public back at home. In groups, they compare and contrast how newspapers reported...
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Boston Women: The Struggle for Freedom 1760 -1850
Fifth graders investigate the lives and various accomplishments of selected women of Boston.In this famous women writing lesson, 5th graders research biographical information. Students discuss the achievements of these women using...
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Religion and Ethics: Living with Special Needs
Students explore human behavior by exploring mental and physical disabilities. In this learning disability lesson, students identify the different disabilities students have which prevent them from working at the same pace as the rest of...
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Immigration and Migration: Today and During the Great Depression
Students conduct interviews, analyze primary sources including docuements and images to gain an inderstanding of the causes and effects of he Great Depression and immigration.