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The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery
High schoolers read selections from the Declaration of Independence, Northwest Ordinance of 1787, and the Wilmot Proviso of 1846. They contrast the maps of 1820 and 1854 to analyze developments in the national debate over slavery. They...
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The Formation and Value of Temperate Grasslands
Young scholars study the Temperate Grasslands biome of North America. They explain that it is an endangered ecosystem because the rich soils have been converted to farming in most areas. They view videos imbedded in this plan, then...
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Giving Directions
While incomplete, this instructional activity provides an interesting way to approach an activity on giving and following directions. Learners work in groups, using a newspaper and maps, to give each other directions to a specific...
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The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery
Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...
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Using Literature to Introduce the Five Themes of Geography
Students listen to a read aloud of "If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln". Using the text, they identify examples of the five themes of geography and write them down. Using a map, they plot the places mentioned in the book and sort facts...
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Midwestern States
In this United States geography worksheet, students study the image of the Midwestern states. Student then label the states with the following choices: Missouri, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, Illinois, North Dakota, Kansas,...
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Namib From Space
Students view photos of the Namib Desert from space as they appear on the World Wide Web. They study the photos and identify landmarks from space as they examine how to collect information from the Internet for a class presentation.
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Group Research Project on Frog Habitats
Middle schoolers identify and research a frog habitat in small groups and compile a report to present to the class on the physical characteristics of their frog's environment. Students create a map illustrating areas in the world where...
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What is a River?
Students study the various types of bodies of water: rivers, oceans, lakes and ponds. They observe models of each and then use clues to discuss how they are alike and different. They imagine they have found a new planet and draw a map...
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Interpreting Weather Station Symbols
In this science worksheet, students look at the symbols on the map and make interpretations about temperature or other conditions to master the weather knowledge in the four problems.
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Wild Habitats
Students research and Illustrate the natural habitats of giraffes and other animals imported into ancient Rome. They draw a map of Europe, North Africa, and West Asia and draw the animals that come from each region in their proper places.
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Lincoln Home National Historic Site: A Place of Growth and Memory
Eighth graders study the history of Lincoln's home. In this American History lesson, 8th graders examine artifacts from his home to learn about his beliefs. Students participate in a webquest on Lincoln's home.
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U.S. Place Names Show Our Diversity
Students study place names for different area in the US and determine why they were named in such a way. They examine maps to look at the religious names, "new" beginning names, and copy cat names. They complete a word search to find...
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States in the USA Quiz
In this online interactive geography quiz learning exercise, students respond to 50 identification questions about the states in the United States of America. Students have 4 minutes to complete the quiz.
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States of Fitness
Learners participate in physical activities coordinating to divisions on a map.
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Finding Your Way Around the I & M Canal
Fifth graders utilize a map of the I&M Canal (imbedded in this plan), and perform a series of tasks. They calculate distance, find specific points of interest and solve a set of story problems about the canal.
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Reservoir Activity
Learners research the economic importance of the major reservoirs in Illinois. In groups, they manage a budget for one of the lakes to promote tourism in the area. They also work together to create advertisements.
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Water: The Liquid of Life
Sixth graders complete a lesson on the properties, types and amounts of water on Earth. In groups, they travel between stations to identify water resources in Illinois and pollution sources. They complete the lesson with a field trip...
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Where Should You Turn?
Fourth graders complete activities to study decimal numbers. In this decimal numbers lesson, 4th graders study decimal numbers to express numbers less than one and intervals. Students complete map and location activities to study the...
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Interpreting Aerial Photographs
Pupils interpret aerial photographs. They view aerial photographs or satellite-produced images to locate and identify physical and human features. They study satellite images and label their images for bodies of water, clouds,...
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Possible Locations
Middle schoolers create maps with cutout pieces of paper that represent caverns. They develop a scale for their map and decide where the best location is to live. They discover the importance of map reading skills.
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The Heartland
Students note how personal perceptions influence the understanding of what a region. They look at an agricultural map of what is considered to be the Heartland of the US. They read the words to George Strait's, America's Heartland to see...
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Building Texas: the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lesson Plan
Seventh graders study the engineering projects that the US Army Corps of Engineers initiated during the development of Texas. They examine primary source documents that are in digital and print form, and identify US Army Corp of Engineer...
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Lesson 24: The Great Chicago Fire Survivors
Students, in groups, explore the Great Chicago Fire. They decide which moment from the fire is significant and create a story corner.