Curated OER
People and Parks in the U.S.A.
Fifth graders explore the National Parks in the United States. After locating specified states, 5th graders predict which states have the most National Parks. Given the population of each state, students determine the average acre per...
Curated OER
The Demographics of Mortality
Students view the Dynamic POPClocks on the U.S. Census webpage and discuss their meaning. They explore age-related death rates of the human population and collect information about the deaths of humans and organize them into a life table.
Curated OER
Indoor Environment: A Magazine Publication Project
Students demonstrate knowledge of Indoor Air Quality by creating a class magazine. A link to order a free Action Kit from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is provided so teachers can build background knowledge. Performance...
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Take Me Out To the Ball Game
Young scholars use a map to graph and locate major league teams of different sports. In groups, they analyze the population data of the United States and compare it with the amount and location of the major league teams. They share their...
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Push and Pull Factors on Migration
High schoolers investigate push and pull factors. In this population trends lesson plan, students examine primary sources that help them comprehend how push and pull factors have changed over time.
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Site and Situation: Right Place at the Right Time
Middle schoolers put their geography skills to work. In this geography skills instructional activity, students research maps and other primary and secondary sources to simulate the site selection process for the Pennsylvania Railroad...
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Bald Eagle Population Graphing
Students create graphs to illustrate the bald eagle population. They identify the population of bald eagles in Minnesota and the United States. They create three graphs to represent the population data including a line, bar, and...
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Bats: Need Nectar, Will Travel
Beginning wildlife biologists become adult bats, baby bats, snakes, owls, bobcats, or land-clearing developers in a grand role-playing activity. In a large open space, they play a game in which they move to designated areas based on what...
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The Motivation for Movement
Students explore the geographic theme of movement. In this migration lesson plan, students discuss push-pull factors that motivate immigrants and interpret illegal immigration data. Students also discuss the difficulties that illegals face.
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These Maps are for the Birds
Students identify and study New York State Breeding Bird Atlas maps to learn where different bird species nest and how their distributions have changed over time. They also identify how maps serve as representations of a geographic...
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The State of the Planet
Students address four different environmental topics (water issues, the threat of food shortages, human population growth, and global warming) as they watch a film and discuss the future of the earth. In groups, they complete various...
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Hafta Do NAFTA?
Students examine the benefits and problems of U.S. participation in the North American Free Trade Agreement. In two groups, students represent the campaign team for a presidential candidate, one for and one against NAFTA, and research...
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Eyes on the Estuaries
Students study estuaries and compare several ones in the U.S. In this estuary lesson students interpret data and compare the distribution of different species.
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Automotive Emissions and the Greenhouse Effect
It is recommended that you conduct this fabulous experiment as a whole-class demonstration. Collect air samples from the environment, human exhalation, and car exhaust, then compare them for carbon dioxide content using bromthymol blue...
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You Need How Much Food When? Where?
Ninth graders explore how human activities shape the earth's surface. In this awareness instructional activity, 9th graders create pictographs showing the relations of food, people, land, and resources. Students complete worksheet.
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Physical Location; How a Border Town Might Develop
Young scholars speculate how a location can develop into a large town. They investigate the physical resources and how populations can grow. There are guiding questions to help students through the research and class discussion. Young...
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Immigration and American Life on African-Americans
Students examine how human migration started in Africa, and draw maps of Africa and place the names of the countries and capitals on the maps. They write essays on how Africans came to America.
Earth Day Network
Staying Green While Being Clean
Clean up the environment with a instructional activity that focuses on replacing hazardous cleaning supplies with green, environmentally-friendly products. Using a dirty patch of surface as a control area, kids clean other parts of...
Global Oneness Project
The Man and the Wolf
Human attitudes toward the big bad wolf come into focus in a photo essay that asks viewers to consider their own feelings about the endangered species.
Curated OER
Fertilizers, Pesticides and Human Health- American Lessons
Students explore migration and why people move. They explore the movement of native populations. Students explore the economy as an factor in migration. They discuss the exploitation of the migrant worker.
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Personality and Posts
Students examine the personality type needed to become a diplomat in the US Foreign Service. They look at the results of the Myers-Briggs Personality Test that each diplomat in training must take. They study their own personality type to...
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Civil Rights after MLK and RFK
Students are assigned to groups representing minority populations who produce a research project in a digital format from the list. A few of the choices are: speech, letter to the editor, editorial cartoon, etc.
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What in Our World Affects the Way People Live
Sixth graders study various maps that show geographical features and population. They compare the maps and make inferences about how various geographical features influence the population and human activities of an area.
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Cartogram of the Great Compromise
Young scholars create cartograms of populations during 1790.