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Movement and Migration: the Gold Nugget that launched the Gold Rush

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars learn what it was like to be a gold miner. In this California gold rush lesson, students watch a movie about the California gold rush and discuss what they learned. Young scholars use the Internet to examine the gold...
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Teaching with Objects The Gold Nugget

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders complete activities related to the California gold rush. In this gold rush lesson, 4th graders go to an Internet website video that discusses the gold rush. They complete discuss miner's experiences, sing a gold rush song,...
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The Gold Rush Experience: Create Your Own Exhibit

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners create a virtual exhibit. In this gold rush lesson, students watch a movie about the California gold rush, view a virtual image of the gold nugget that started the gold rush and examine the sources. Learners research and...
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Is All Cinema Verité?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the relationship between movies and culture, looking at movies as both a part of and a reflection of popular culture. They research the specific historical and cultural realities present during the run of a particular...
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The Cherokee: Trail Where They Cried

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students read the Trail of Tears about the Cherokee Nation removal and write a letter pretending they are the grandparent of a Cherokee child. In this Trail of Tears lesson plan, students understand the changing of boundaries.
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Analyzing Civil War Pictorial Envelopes

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars explore the power of political messages contained in visual artifacts and examine the political messages conveyed by the illustrations that appeared on personal stationery used during the Civil War. They create and...
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The Battle of Corydon

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders study the Battle of Corydon, its military leaders, and its influence on the town. In this Battle of Corydon lesson plan, 4th graders develop vocabulary needed to complete the lesson plan, listen as the teacher reads The...
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Diego Rivera: Art as the Universal Language

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze the work of Diego Rivera. They participate in a class discussion, critique various paintings, write a short story based on a Rivera mural, and create a class mural.
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Stereotypes and Tonto

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students identify stereotypes, especially those applied to American Indians.  In this teaching tolerance lesson, students read an essay entitled " I Hated Tonto (Still Do)" and discuss the negative impact that stereotypes may have...
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The Cask of Amontillado

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine the Edgar Allan Poe story "The Cask of Amontillado." In this character lesson, students discuss and analyze the characters in the story. High schoolers make personal connections to the characters and create a...
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This Guilty Land

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the actions and motives of John Brown. For this abolition lesson, students discover details about Brown's background as a free-state and abolition supporter. Students discuss his role as that of a martyr or...
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What Makes a General?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore the duties of commander-in-chief. In this George Washington lesson, students research Revolutionary War military leaders and examine the relationships they had with George Washington. 
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Development of Labor Unions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the conditions that led to organized labor unions. In this 20th century America lesson, students compare and contrast the Knights of Labor Constitution, the American Federation of Labor Constitution, and the Industrial...
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Environmental Impact

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze a 20th century photograph of a Los Angeles landscape and examine the population expansion of L.A. They discuss the principles of design, complete a worksheet, and write a research paper on overpopulation in Los...
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Us and Them

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students identify/analyze a variety of strategies to explain, create artworks and write about persistent issues involving the rights, responsibilities, roles and statue of individual citizens from a global perspective. A variety of...
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Generational Music Communities

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners focus on age-related generations to assess how traditional music is transmitted from one generation to another and how music functions for people within a generation. They compare/contrast and explore music in their own...
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George Washington in Song

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students establish similarities to George Washington's time in office with the song "Yankee Doodle."  In this U.S. History lesson, students learn the song "Yankee Doodle" then create a timeline of the song and a timeline of George...
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Meet the Press: American Presidents

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this presidential history lesson, students research the accomplishments of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Frankiln D. Roosevelt, and...
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Gravity: A Relatively Heavy Subject

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine planetary movement and its relation to the tide.In this gravity lesson students describe how and why the high and low tides change every day.
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Do We Control Nature, or Does Nature Control Us?

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Student examine the theme of man versus nature in art. In this man versus nature lesson, students examine various pieces of art and discuss the theme as it is depicted. They discuss whether the themes shown in the artwork are relevant...
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Changing of the Guard

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students reflect on their knowledge of democracy. After reading an article, they examine current plans for the placement of a democracy in Iraq. In groups, they research past regime changes and democratization attempts and discuss the...
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African Slaves in Haiti

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders examine how Africans were treated in the Caribbean and Haiti after reading about the Atlantic Slave Trade. From a multicultural information passage, they complete a time line on Toussiant L-Ouverture and write an obituary.
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Integrating Social studies and the Visual Arts: "Learning to Look" Strategies

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Young scholars observe and interpret artwork through conducting a variety of activities. In this instructional activity students will learn how to analyze art work in order to gain a better understanding of it.
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A Nation Divided

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders participate in various activities related to the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson plan students understand the events and feelings of people during the Civil War by studying primary sources, journal writing, readings,...