Core Knowledge Foundation
Unit 1: Contemporary Fiction - They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid’s Poems by David Bowles
They Call Me Güero: A Border Kid's Poems by David Bowles is the focus of a five-week language arts unit unit. Fifth graders listen to various poems and participate in thoughtful discussions, examining vocabulary and learning new words in...
Curated OER
Our Country's Geography
Third graders study geography. In this United States landforms lesson plan, 3rd graders create a map of the U.S. made out of dough. They use various edible treats to mark the country's capital, the plains, the mountains and the rivers...
Curated OER
Lesson Six Where People Live
Students investigate where people live. For this early geography lesson, students read Make Way for Ducklings! by Robert McCloskey and then discuss what neighborhoods are as they identify them on landscape picture maps.
Curated OER
Wild Dog Urine
Students investigate biology by researching wild animals. In this animal extinction lesson, students research African wild dogs and discuss the impact of the environment on their survival. Students read and analyze an article titled...
Curated OER
Mapping the News
Students explore cartography.  In this map skills and map making lesson, Students work in groups to create wall size world maps including legends, compass roses, latitude and longitude, and physical features.  Students collect...
Curated OER
"History of My Family"
Students explore world geography by participating in a family history project. In this U.S.S.R. lesson, students read assigned text regarding the Stalinist era of Russia and the intolerance that thrived there. Students answer a list of...
Curated OER
Geography: examining the Glacial Features of Cape Cod
Students examine satellite images of the glacial features of Cape Cod.  They analyze where human activity is located in terms of those features.  Students make models of the features, including kettle holes.  They also use contour maps...
Curated OER
Geography and Culture in South Carolina
Young scholars explore South Carolina. In this cultural heritage lesson plan, students investigate the topography of South Carolina using maps. Young scholars are engaged in identifying the different regions of the state and examine the...
EngageNY
Reading Maps: Locating the Countries We Have Been Reading About
Show your class how to read a map and decipher all of the markings and features. Start out by connecting maps to their homework from the night before and their current reading, in this case That Book Woman, and a related informational...
Curated OER
U.S. Geography: The Midwest
Students research agricultural products of the Midwest.  In this Midwest activity, students watch a video about the geography of the Midwest, discuss how topographical features were formed and review the agricultural products the Midwest...
Curated OER
Physical Geography- Climate
Sixth graders explore different climates. In this compare and contrast instructional activity, 6th graders look at the differences in climates of America and Europe. Students use KWL charts and graphic organizers to record information...
Curated OER
South Carolina Voices: Lessons from the Holocaust
 
Students read and summarize two different articles that are based on anit-Semitism.  In this Holocaust lesson, students discuss if events in the articles could happen in today's society or not. 
 
Curated OER
Geography and Climate
Students investigate geographical locations and their own personal experiences with the environment.  In this environmental identification instructional activity, students participate in a match game using certain environmental and...
Curated OER
Natural Features
Students identify natural features on a map. For this map skill lesson, students use a landscape picture map to identify mountains, hills, islands, lakes, and rivers. Students use post-it notes to demonstrate their location.
Curated OER
Geography
Second graders study and review geographical terms for features. They classify those features and locate them on a map. They review geographical features of Tall Tales.
Core Knowledge Foundation
Isn’t It Exciting? (The American Industrial Revolution and Urbanization)
America was built on the ingenuity, work ethic, and foresight of our ancestors. Sixth graders learn about the complex Gilded Age in American history, including the prominent inventors and captains of industry, and how they all connect...
Anti-Defamation League
"What is it Like to be an Outsider?”: Building Empathy for the Experiences of Immigrants
This lesson highlights the struggles of immigrants and the importance of showing empathy. Beginning with a read-aloud of a book in another language and a poem, scholars take part in a thoughtful discussion. Then, the class examines a...
EngageNY
Close Reading: “Natural Resources and the Canadian Economy”
Readers continue to learn how natural resources are important to Canada's economy. They read, annotate, and answer text-dependent questions about Natural Resources and the Canadian Economy. They then discuss key terms in the text.
Curated OER
Australian Aboriginal Art and Storytelling
Young explorers investigate Australian Aboriginal culture by listening to traditional Dreamtime stories and examining dot paintings created by Aboriginal artists. In addition, they locate the country on maps, discuss the geography of...
Science Matters
Ring of Fire
Over a period of 35 years, earthquakes and volcanoes combined only accounted for 1.5 percent of the deaths from natural disasters in the United States. The 15th lesson in a 20-part series connects the locations of earthquakes and...
Mr. Nussbaum
Battle of Fort Sumter
Fort Sumter, the site of the Civil War's first battle, taught the Union and the Confederacy an important lesson: they would both need to take stronger steps than anticipated if they wanted to win the war. History pupils read about the...
Curated OER
Geographically Speaking
Pupils play a matching game to reinforce the retention of vocabulary words. In this geography lesson, students watch a PowerPoint to define vocabulary words associated with geography, play a memory game with the words, and write an...
Curated OER
Let the River Run
Young scholars explore the environment by reading a story in class. For this water formation lesson, students define environmental terms such as rivers, streams, gulf, oceans and lakes. Young scholars read the story A River Ran Wild and...
Curated OER
Arkansas is Our State: Differentiating Between a State and a Country
An ambitious geography instructional activity is geared toward kindergartners. They discover what the differences are between states and countries. They look at maps of Arkansas, and learn what the shapes and lines mean. Additionally,...