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Women in Ancient Greece
Students interpret the myth of Arachne and its depiction of women's activities and valued traits.
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Native Species Restoration and its Impact on Local Populations
Young scholars explore how predators help control the growth of prey species for a more balanced ecosystem.
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Solving Environmental Problems
Students identify a community environmental problem and possible solutions. They analyze the connection between the problem and the solutions and the importance of it to the local community. Students then draw a picture of an...
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Landfills: A Solid Waste Management Plan
Students are able to list the types of household waste that they produce daily. They are able to describe some other types of waste that are produced by industry or agriculture to help maintain their lifestyles. Students are able to...
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Mammals: Mammals and Their Ways
Students study the difference between innate and learned behaviors. They observe the adaptations and behaviors of mammals in this series of lessons.
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THE PLOW
Young scholars create a time line. They research major events and advancements in the development of the plow. They describe and date at least ten major events and advancements in the development of the plow from prehistoric to...
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Beautiful and Sublime Landscapes
Students examine images created by painters, and create an artistic rendition of the landscape in the photograph following the chosen aesthetic.
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Animals in Myths and Real Life
Students research the role of lions, elephants, and bears in ancient Roman life and mythology. They develop a strong understanding of the role animals played in important ancient Roman historical events and myths.
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Time in a Teakettle
Students compare and contrast the development of teakettles. In this artifacts lesson, students divide into groups and examine different teakettles. Students complete an artifact analysis worksheet, draw a picture of their kettle and...
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Show Me a Flowerpot
Students compare and contrast handmade and machine-made products in a study about the evolution of production processes in American history. For this production history lesson, students explore a flowerpot in depth. Students make their...
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Home Sweet Home
Students complete activities with the books Color Me Dark, The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, and The Great Migration North. In this literature/History lesson, student read the story and discuss the plot. They analyze photographs taken...
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Back to the Future
Students imagine what it would be like to travel back in time. For this creative writing lesson, students watch parts of the film Back to the Future and examine artifacts from the past. Students write a short story in which they travel...
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River Otter Adaptations
Learners study the body of the River Otter to understand animal adaptations to their habitats. For this animal adaptations lesson, students study the photo of the River Otter and discuss its body. Learners then play a game of...
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Trees at Work... Just Look!
Students investigate the significance of trees. They collect magazine pictures of animals that live in trees, list products that are made from trees, collect twigs and create an item using the sticks, and bring in and discuss food from...
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Choosing the Lincoln Statue
Fourth graders research photographs or artwork depicting Abraham Lincoln during the time when he was traveling the 8th Judicial Circuit and practicing law in Champaign County. They develop a Powerpoint presentation of the results of the...
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Abraham Lincoln's Presidency: Trials and Triumphs
Eighth graders access the TDC database and view the Brady photos, which depict Abraham Lincoln throughout various times in history. They analyze the photos and discuss the reasons for the changes in President Lincoln's appearance over time.
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What Do Trees Do for Dinner?
Students investigate how trees produce their own food. They examine chlorophyll cells with a microscope, analyze a cross section of a log, determine how old the tree was, simulate the distance of the roots, and create a play.
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A Toast To The Past
Students analyze, and research the identity of the non electric toaster as a historical artifact. In this toaster lesson plan, students then create a visual timeline of toaster history.
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Smiley Face Circle Stories
Students examine different artifacts from the 1970's. In this history lesson, students discover what each artifact is by seeing the artifact and reading a card defining what the artifact represents. On the second day, students create...
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Spice It Up!
Students analyze visual artifacts from Asian descent and follow the path of famous explorers on the Silk Road. In this Asian artifacts lesson plan, students use their senses to explore and grind spices using a mortar and pestle.
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WW II Magazine
Eleventh graders search the database for pictures of WW II, photographs, posters, etc. They use the documents to support writing two magazine articles. The magazine articles be a minimum of 500 and maximum 1000 words.
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Thanksgiving Day 1621; What Really Happened?
Third graders read "The Plymouth Thanksgiving Story" by Chuck Larsen. They discuss their prior knowledge of Thanksgiving history and question traditional views. They consider that there are always two or more sides to a story.
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Prairie Settlement
Students make a decision for site selection for a farm during the 1840s in the Midwest. They build research and writing skills by recording the information used for analysis in a chart and as diary entries.
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ILLINOIS HISTORY HOW TO SEARCH THE INTERNET
Fourth graders use the internet to search for pictures about historical events and then use those pictures for a timeline game