Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching Elementary School Social Studies

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students identify possible social studies themes that can come from the video, "Voyage of Discovery". They list the five themes of geography. They develop elementary-level interdisciplinary unit plans for social study content. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Can We Organize Study of a Given Place?

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders embark in discovery of basic facts about an assigned continent and are asked to organize their information into categories. The Five Themes model is taught and students reshuffle their information appropriately.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Are Alike, We Are Different:A Focus on Japan

For Teachers 1st
First graders develop a connection with students in a first grade classroom in Japan. They begin to develop a curiosity about Japan--the landscape, the people, and their culture, while developing an understanding of the Five Themes of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

FRED the FISH

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students engage in the study of the human impact on environmental systems (specifically rivers). This lesson enhances Students' exploration of a variety of themes or topics.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Yours, Mine, and Ours

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore the five themes of geography while they conduct Internet research to compare and contrast their city, region, or country with the city and region of Nagano, Japan.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taming the Mighty Dragon

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars incorporate the five themes of geography to study the Yangtze river region. They analyze the possible effects of the three rivers gorge damn project on this area and role play a float the entire length of this dangerous...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voices of Tragedy and Horror: Remembering the Holocaust

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars consider the implications of the Holocaust. In this World War II lesson, students read the graphic novel Maus at the end of a unit on World War II. Young scholars discuss the impact of reading about the Holocaust as well...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flat Stanley

For Teachers 2nd
The geography of the United States is the focus of this lesson, as well as writing friendly letters. Your second graders read, "Flat Stanley," by Jeff Brown. They create their own Flat Stanley out of poster board, markers, crayons and...
Lesson Plan
Indian Land Tenure Foundation

More Tribal Homelands

For Teachers K - 2nd
Here is a very fun idea that introduces young learners to how geographical location affects cultural development. They are introduced to four areas where Native Americans have lived in the past by reading stories and examining images....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History Close to Home: Creating Your Own Special Museum

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Young scholars create their own museum exhibit. In this museum creation lesson plan, students research their local history so they can decide on a theme for their exhibit and what objects they will use in order to design a museum...
Unit Plan
Simon & Schuster

Classroom Activities for The Call of the Wild by Jack London

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Three activities are designed for readers of Jack London's The Call of the Wild. First, class members research and create posters that reflect the setting of the novel. Next, groups create posters with images that represent each chapter...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

US Geography, The Blues

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
This lesson enables teachers to use blues styles and performers to think about various geographical regions of the United States. By studying different blues styles from the Mississippi Delta, Texas, and the Piedmont region of the...
Activity
Ball State University

Dear Pen Pal

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Keep your class in conversation with others across the country or across the sea by writing letters to pen pals. The activity calls for students to be pan pals with pupils in Africa; however, the listed steps could be used for any...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Hunter Using Children's Literature to Teach the Geography of Africa

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students are able to answer basic questions about the region and the use of natural resources, sketch a mental map of the story's setting, and find their way through the thematic maze/map.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geography and World Music

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students are able to demonstrate the ability to identify, contrast and compare the music of different places and regions, and the ability to recognize music as a resource for information about places and regions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geography: examining the Glacial Features of Cape Cod

For Teachers 6th - 10th
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reading the Landscape in Children's Literature

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students identify geographical information about landscapes found in student literature, demonstrate an organizing tool, developed around geographical themes, for the recording of information, and share uses of this approach.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating Artwork to Explain Environmental Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students review artwork that relates to the environment and communicates a value. They view and analyze art by Andy Warhol, Eric Carle and Albert Bierstadt and then create original pieces with an environmental theme.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mexico: Introduction to History and Literature

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study the geography of Mexico (i.e. major cities, surrounding countries and bodies of water, mountain ranges, rivers, volcanoes), They take turns reading aloud information provided (xerox copies) about Mexico. After each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Introduction To Southeast Asia Today

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners investigate the region of Southeast Asia. They research the history, geography, and spread of ethnicity throughout the region. The various lessons consist of class discussion and group work to find common themes shared in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Microsoft Publisher Country Brochure

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore geographic information. In this geography and technology lesson, students choose a county and answer related questions on a Webquest. Students create a word web and design a country brochure.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Haiku and Beyond: Exploring Genres of Japanese Literature

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders compare and contrast the literature of Japan as they study the culture, history and geography of the island nation. They read various genres of literature, describe geographic and landform features of Japan, and find...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Moroccan Fairy Tale vs. European Folk/Fairy Tale

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore world geography by reading two different fairy tales. In this cultural storytelling lesson, 2nd graders read Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and the Moroccan story The Girl Who Lived with the Gazelles. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Illusions of Depth

For Teachers K - 5th
Learning to create depth when painting or drawing takes skill and the ability to understand how things should be placed on the canvas. The class will use the Charles Deas painting Long Jakes to learn about composition, sharing...