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The Mother Culture of Mexico: The Olmecs
Sixth graders study the Olmec civilization. They develop a map of Mexico and a map of the area of the Olmec civilization. They research Olmec art, religion, and architecture. They construct Olmec symbols including giant heads, altars,...
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Mining Riches
Students research and map how various mining ventures have changed local geographies and populations. First they read the article provided--Examining the Environmental and Social Impact of the Mining Industry.
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The Conquest of the Aztec Civilization
Students use the classroom atlases, the Internet or textbooks to draw a freehand map. They work in groups using the maps in the book The Broken Spears (Portilla) and The Conquest of New Spain (Diaz) to draw a freehand map identifying...
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The American Trail System
Students research a trail system. They create a display board of the trail system, generate a map of the trail system, and develop a commercial advertising of the trail system. They design a display board featuring facts about the...
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Letters from Rifka
Fourth graders read Letters from Rifka and discuss the feelings of people forced to leave their homes and countries. In this migration instructional activity, 4th graders relate their feelings about moving from their home forever....
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Making the Invisible Visible
Students evaluate the various ways in which cyberspace is beginning to be mapped by geographers, cartographers, artists, and scientists and use their understanding of the information these new maps can convey to create their own maps of...
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Exploring China
Second graders explore the geography, holidays, important teachers, and inventions from China in the nine lessons of this unit. The results of their inquiries are expressed through a variety of products, writings, and presentations.
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The Return of the Taliban
Students view a news program from Frontline. They discover who the Taliban are and identify their locations on maps. They compare and contrast the changes in Pakistan from 2004 to 2006.
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Off to the Future
Students read a handout and predict the position of the San Andreas Fault far in the future. In this future world instructional activity, students use a map worksheet to demonstrate the path of the Pacific Plate millions of years from now.
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Mending the Rift
Students determine what factors identify a country's political borders. After reading an article, they investigate questions surrounding the Great Rift Valley. On a map, they trace the valley from Asia through Africa and research the...
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Community Treasures (Rivers and Trees): An Integrated Curriculum Unit
Third graders demonstrate an understanding of geography and its effects on lifestyles and culture. Then they apply basic economic terms and principles
and identify the United States government and history. Students also identify and...
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Rising Temperatures Threaten Penguins
Students examine the continent of Antarctica, then read a news article about the decline in the Antarctic penguin population. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity,...
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International Festival: Venezuela
Students become familiar with the Venezuelan culture and geography. In this Venezuelan Festival lesson, students compare and contrast themselves to the people of Venezuela. Students participate in activities to understand the...
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Drought Threatens Huge Man-Made Lake
Students locate Lake Mead, then read a news article about Lake Mead drying up and how that would effect water and power supplies to the region. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and vocabulary...
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Lake Tahoe Then and Now
Young scholars investigate the differences in Lake Tahoe from the past to the present. In this geography lesson plan, students read the book Washoe Seasons of Life and identify the descriptions of the land and lake. Young scholars create...
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Microclimates of Our School
Students read the story "Weslandia" by Paul Fleischman, define the term microclimate, gather and record data in various places on school grounds to establish the presence of difference microclimates, analyze and compare microclimates,...
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The Dip Felt Around the World
Young scholars share their opinions about a story about a sudden decline in China's stock markets. After reading an article, they identify the global impact of China's falling stock markets. They create a cause and effect map about the...
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Sense of Place
Students identify the major folk regions of Louisiana and the relationship between folklife, geography, and ecology. They give deeper thought to what makes their own community unique, what their sense of place actually is. Students...
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Louisiana Regional Foodways
Students strengthen their research techniques in locating, selecting, and synthesizing information from a variety of texts, media, references and internet resources to study regional food way traditions in Louisiana. They assess the...
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Bushy Run: A Decisive Battle of Pontiac's Rebellion
Students study the battle at Bushy Run. In this Pontiac's Rebellion lesson, students examine an 1765 map of the Bushy Run battle as well as letters and a modern topographic map of the area in order to simulate the event and research how...
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Strawberry Girl: Lesson 3 - Trains, Sails, and Trails
Students read two chapters of Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski and complete activities about Florida's transportation history. In this literacy and economics activity, students read two chapters of the book, talk about their journal...
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The Dawn of Humanity
Learners investigate recent archaeological challenges to theories of human origins. They research the history and geography of various African regions to create proposals for future excavations.
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Water: The Flow of Women's Work
Learners view photographs, read, and reflect on their own environments to gather information about gender roles in Lesotho and the United States. Students role-play gender role related scenarios and write about their reflections on the...
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The Clever Monkey Rides Again
Students explore a West African folktale. In this folktale lesson, students read the book The Clever Monkey Rides Again and discuss the trickster characters from the tale. Students participate in a discussion about the folktale and...