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The Early Peoples

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students, after studying The Early Peoples, explain and give examples of how Native Americans and Europeans adapted to living in certain environments. They give examples of early cultures and settlements that existed in North America...
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Pre-Columbian Settlements and People

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders describe the social, political, cultural and economic life and interactions among the people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.
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Country Capitals

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students locate country capitals on a world map. For this map skills lesson, students review the definition of the word country and discuss what a capital is. Students locate and label capital cities on a world map using a map marker.
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Learning from Maps and Timelines Time Travel

For Teachers 5th - 6th
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.
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Globe Skills Lesson 3 Voyage to the New World

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the globe. In this globe skills lesson, students use their knowledge of latitude and longitude to respond to questions regarding Christopher Columbus's maiden voyage to the Americas.
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The Gold Rush

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners identify the routes involved in the Gold Rush on a map. In this map skills lesson, students use a United States map to locate the routes used to travel to California during the Gold Rush. Learners demonstrate how to use the map...
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Getting from Place to Place

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Students examine modes of transportation. In this transportation lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on modes of transportation over the past 300 years. Students respond to questions about...
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The Seven Continents Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 1st - 4th Standards
Who doesn't enjoy an engaging scavenger hunt? Here, scholars listen to, and discuss, the informative text, Where is my Continent? by Robin Nelson. They then explore the seven continents and four major oceans using...
Lesson Plan
Polar Trec

Swan Savvy

For Teachers K - 12th
Just like so many other birds, swans migrate during the cold winter months. Your class can gain a better understanding of migration and bird life as they act out some of the activities common to the tundra swan. They make a nest, sit on...
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Mars Geologic Mapping

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students identify and interpret photographic details of a Martian surface image, design, and create a simple features map. They identify and interpret the geologic history of a part of Mars' surface and then, analyze and discuss the...
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Language Arts: Novel Guides

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students discuss the Revolution and consider the causes of the war, the attitudes of the colonists, and the position of the British. Then students explore American involvement in wars since the country's inception.
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Columbus' Perception of the New World

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
students investigate readings relating to the voyage of Columbus in 1492 and to make historical connections based on those readings. They form pairs to share insights and answer specific questions, and share information in a final class...
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The Monarch Butterfly Watch

For Teachers 2nd - 12th
Students explore monarch migration through the Journey North web site. In this butterfly lesson, students use the internet to identify a butterfly's migration pattern. Students write in electronic journals.
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Hernando De Soto's Trip Through South Carolina

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders become familiar with the explorations of Hernando DeSoto. In this DeSoto lesson, 4th graders recognize the routes and territories of DeSoto's explorations. Students use primary and secondary sources and research to answer...
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A Colony is Born : Lesson 4 - What Went Wrong?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...
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Apple Kinds to Products

For Teachers K - 3rd
Young scholars become familiar with various kinds of apples and the tree they grow on.  For this Apple tree lesson, students recognize the differences between apples and can identify what happens to apples in different...
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Fort Clatsop: The Corps of Discovery's Winter at Fort Clatsop

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the Lewis and Clark expedition and how it helped to shape American expansion during its early history. Students reflect upon the period of history and its implications for America.
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BIGGER AND BIGGER: (We Live in a family, a neighborhood, a city, and the United States)

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students discover that they are part of bigger and bigger groups. They begin with families and work up to belonging to North America as they initiate a study of the whole country.
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Exploring Ancient Greece

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders use play dough to create a relief map of Greece and through personal investigation and class discussion, draw conclusions about the impact of the geography of Greece on daily life and culture in Ancient Greece.
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Social Studies: Maryland and Its Culture

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students discuss the history and culture of Baltimore, Maryland. they discover the importance of the city's port along with the state bird and song. Background sources include "The Prairie Dog That Met the President" and "Journey of...
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Seed Selection for Genetic Variation

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will research the origin of corn, analyze factors that contribute to shorter and longer growing seasons, and use the scientific method to answer the question: Did seed selection contribute to the successful movement of corn from...
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What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the impact of European voyages of discovery and colonial influence on different aspects of American culture. They access a number of online sources and reference maps to trace the influences of England, France, Holland,...
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Marquette and Joliet Explore the Mississippi in 1673

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students locate and name the St. Lawrence River, the five Great Lakes, and the Mississippi River on a modern map. They find Quebec, Michilimackinac, Wisconsin, and Chicago on that map. They find the same places on a 1681 map.
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Drake’s West Indian Voyage 1588-1589

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the exploration routes of Sir Francis Drake. In this American exploration lesson, students investigate primary sources to trace the routes and contact with the natives that Sir Francis Drake experienced on his voyages in...