Curated OER
Great Lakes Homepage for Kids
Here are some outstanding lessons on the geology and history of the Great Lakes. These lessons are divided into Grade 4 -6, and Grade 7 - 8 activities. The activities all use the background information, maps, graphs, data, and Great...
Curated OER
What Do Maps Show?
This teaching packet is for grades five through eight, and it is organized around geographic themes: location, place, relationships, movement, and regions. There are four full lessons that are complete with posters, weblinks, and...
Curated OER
United States Map - Lesson 11
Students explore lakes of the United States. In this geography lesson, students identify noteworthy lakes on a map of the United States.
Curated OER
Colonial North America
Showcase the religion, conflicts, daily life, and politics of Colonial North America. A very well-done presentation highlights all the major colonial groups, social norms, demographics, and political struggles of the time. Perfect for an...
Curated OER
Maps Can Help Us
First graders explore the geography of Montana by analyzing geographic maps of the area. In this Native American reservation lesson, 1st graders discuss the similarities and differences between reservations in the state of Montana....
Syracuse University
Erie Canal
While canals are not the way to travel today, in the first half of the nineteenth century, they were sometimes the best way to move goods and people. Scholars examine primary sources, including maps and pictures, to investigate the role...
Curated OER
Bell Live! The Great Lakes: A Superior Adventure
Students participate in a virtual field trip to Lake Superior. In groups, they perform experiments in which test the level of toxins and bacteria in the water. They also watch video segments life in the lake and discuss their observations.
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Reading a Map
Third graders become familiar with the vocabulary and skills related to mapping. In this guided reading lesson, 3rd graders find proper nouns on from the map. Students read Goldilocks. Students make a map...
Curated OER
Students Slide to School on Air-Powered Sled
Students locate the Great Lakes on a US map, then read a news article about a sled being used as a wintertime school bus in Wisconsin. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and vocabulary activity,...
Curated OER
An Early American Culture
Young scholars identify the locations of the Hopewell culture. In this map skills instructional activity, students use a globe to mark several locations of the Hopewell culture.
Curated OER
Exploring National Marine Sanctuaries
Young scholars research marine ecosystems by creating class presentations. For this oceanography lesson, students research the different locations of marine sanctuaries by identifying them on a transparency map in class....
Curated OER
A Sense of Location: The Mental Map
Students consider the ways a mental maps of geographic landmarks can help migrating animals stay on the correct course.
Curated OER
Why Do Geese Fly South For the Winter?
Fifth graders examine migration by tracing animal migration routes on a map. In this animal life lesson, 5th graders observe a map of North America and read about the migration patterns of geese. Students trace the path most...
Curated OER
Learning from Maps and Timelines Time Travel
Young scholars create timelines depicting the important events in the lives of the groups that arrived at the Fort St. Louis. They include the fate of La Salle and the colonists.
Curated OER
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 instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and...
Scholastic
Perfect Postcards: Illinois
Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered lesson on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional cross-state...
Curated OER
Major American Water Routes
Sixth graders locate and identify the major bodies of water and waterways in the United States. Through a simulation activity, they describe how early explorers would have described their surroundings. Working in groups, they create...
Michigan Sea Grant
Exploring Watersheds
Collaboratively, students partake in a hands-on activity in which they build models of a watershed. Each group member draws an elevation map—a bird's eye view—of their model and predicts how water will flow from the high to low points....
Curated OER
Traveling Through North America
Students identify places and landmarks in North America, specifically Canada and the United States, by using and constructing maps. Six lessons on one page; includes test.
Curated OER
Headin' West! The Life of a Pioneer
Students explore the life of a pioneer and the relationship between the concept of Manifest Destiny and pioneering. Students complete activities, maps, writing and reading to experience pioneer life. Handouts and worksheets are included...
Curated OER
Looking for Clues
Young scholars infer the cause of a shipwreck based upon information about artifacts found in the wreck. In this marine archeology lesson, students use an inventory list to infer the cause of a shipwreck. Young scholars discuss the...
Curated OER
Utah Weather
Fourth graders diagram the weather in Utah through the use of a glyph. In this Utah weather instructional activity, 4th graders create weather glyphs of different areas in the state. Students answer questions about the weather and then...
Curated OER
Treaties- Grade 7
Seventh graders examine treaties pertaining to the Canadian natives. In this Canadian history lesson plan, 7th graders research and discuss the negotiations that took place between the First Nations cultures and the Canadian government...