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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mapping the News

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore cartography.  For 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 current...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Map Skills

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the nations, battlefields, troop movement of the Germans through Belgium and the location of both fronts during World War I by creating a map. They visualize the strength of the Germans early in the war.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ups and Downs of don Pasquale: Mapping the Emotional Journey of Characters in Don Pasquale

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students listen to and retell the story of Don Pasquale. They evaluate the emotions of the main characters. Students create a graph of the emotions of Don Pasquale.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

George Washington Teaches Map Directions

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students follow teacher given directions, either oral or written to plot points on a grid to create a profile of George Washington. They apply cardinal and ordinal directions to find the points on the grid.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Treasure Hunters

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students design an on campus treasure hunt to find various architectural vocabulary words which they then create definitions for on the blog page on the Environmental Design website.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring an Atlas

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners explore global geography by participating in an atlas activity. In this countries of the world lesson, students collaborate in small groups and analyze an atlas while researching continents, countries and demographics. Learners...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living in the Desert

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Conduct an investigation on the plants used by the Hohokam tribe. To survive in the harsh desert environment the Hohokam used many natural resources. Learners read, research, map, and graph multiple aspects of Hohokam plant use as a...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All About Me

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Using technology, learners create and deliver a multimedia autobiographical presentation to present to the class. This ambitious lesson has learners use a variety of sources both old and new; magazines, poster board, the Internet, and...
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Activity
Penguin Books

A Teacher's Guide to The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School

For Teachers K - 3rd Standards
What if the Gingerbread Man was trying to catch you, rather than the other way around? Pupils can find out what happens by reading the story The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray and enrich their experience with the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Unseen Ocean Floor

For Teachers 2nd - 10th
Students build ocean floor structures, then map and model an unfamiliar ocean floor. They are introduced to bathymetry and sea floor features, and discover one of the most widely usd methods for studying the ocean.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arthur's Birthday

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Learners investigate birthdays.  In this literacy cross curriculum lesson, students listen to the book Arthur's Birthday by Marc Brown.  Learners re-read the book orally, graph birthdays, design a word search, and create birthday cards...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Theobroma - Food of the Gods

For Teachers 4th - 11th
Learners discuss the history of cacao and its use in the production of chocolate. They analyze actual cacao pods and record their observations. Finally they create a five minute contour drawing of the cacao pod and seeds.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Popcorn Geography

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students use kernels to create a "Top Corn-Producing States" map or graph. They read and round off numbers. Students identify on a U.S. outline map the location of corn-growing states. They create a visual (map or graph) illustration...
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Unit Plan
Curated OER

Shaky New Zealand

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore Earth science by building a model in class. In this tectonic plate lesson, students identify the impact tectonic shifts have on humans and animals and where the plates and faults lie under New Zealand. Students examine...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

3-D Model of Lake Benthos

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create 3-D models of Lake Benthos. In this scale drawing lesson, students create a 3-D model of Lake Benthos. Students work in groups to create the models. Students use the models to to encourage people to conserve natural...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mesoamerican Carving Project

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders are introduced to the use of glyphs and relief carving by Mesoamerican cultures. They complete worksheets, view PowerPoint presentations, participate in a Webquest and create an original glyph carving in sandstone.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Traveling Southern Style: A Lesson on the Jim Crow Laws

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders create a poster of a travel route. In this discrimination lesson, 3rd graders read The Gold Cadillac and use it to discuss the problems African Americans faced while traveling south in the 1950's. Students compare three...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Home, Sweet, Home!

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students investigate the local history and architecture of their community. They draw maps, conduct Internet research, discuss varied architectural designs, take a walking tour of their town and work in teams to record their community's...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sahara Special

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read the book Sahara Special and participate in comprehension activities. In this realistic fiction instructional activity, 3rd graders create a brochure for where they live. Students have personal bags, a brown paper bag,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Observing Weather

For Teachers All
Students investigate the weather by reading children stories.  In this weather observation instructional activity, students read Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and several other stories about weather before they create a KWL chart....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Aboard- Central Pacific Railroad

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders explore the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad. In this U.S. history lesson, 2nd graders discuss vocabulary and events that occurred in the 1860s pertaining to the construction of the Central Pacific Railroad....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sense of Place: No River Too Wide-Bridges

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River.  In this U.S. Geography lesson students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River.  Students document their...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Koala Has A Stumpy Tail

For Teachers K
Students examine Australian folktales. In this folktales lesson, students read the Australian folktale, Why Koala Has a Stumpy Tale. Students list characteristics of the characters from the book. Students act out these characteristics...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Strawberry Girl: Life on the Frontier

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore geographic changes by researching the state of Florida. In this Florida history lesson, students identify the storms and disasters that have created sinkholes in portions of Florida. Students read the book Strawberry...