Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
Federalist - Antifederalist Debates
Who should have the power—individual states or the federal government? Scholars research the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the formation of the United States Constitution. Online resources, including a vast...
Curated OER
Prairie Voices: Community Development, Investigating Local History
Students investigate local history. In this research skills lesson, students examine historic landmarks, tax records, fire maps, town plans, historic photographs, newspapers, and other primary sources to learn about local communities in...
Curated OER
The Price is Right - Advertisements
Fourth graders design written advertisements using cut out items from catalogs or newspapers in order to persuade consumers.
Curated OER
Ocean Currents
Fourth graders work in groups to research ocean currents and create posters with their findings. They locate the patterns and names of major ocean currents and identify them on a map. Students also use red pencil to show ocean currents...
Curated OER
Famous Afro-Americans Historical Sites Recognized by the National Park System
Learners use the library to find historical information about each Afro-American. They use magazines, articles from newspapers, and oral histories from video tapes and slide presentations to write biographical sketches about each...
Curated OER
Discovering Your Community
Students focus on the origins of the families that make up their community by exploring their family's origins through themselves, parents, and grandparents. Students create a map marked with family origins for the class.
Curated OER
What Can We Discover About Colorado?
Students locate Colorado and its neighbors on a map (either in a book or on the Internet). They create a graphic that illustrates what they know and want to know about the state (KWL); finally, they draw and label Louisiana maps.
Curated OER
Why Not Visit My Country?
Students research a country using the Travel Languages Web site. Using MS Publisher, they create a travel flyer about the country. Using Inspiration, they develop a concept map of what they learned about their country.
Curated OER
Natural Resources
Students use magazines and newspapers to examine the Earth's natural resources. They identify ways that natural resources are protected, threatened, managed and mismanaged. They find the location of each story on a world map and...
Curated OER
Voyage to the New World
Students examine the exploration of the New World. They write a descriptive account of the first encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, analyze and label maps, plot Columbus's journey on a map, and write a chapter summary.
Curated OER
To Walk the Sky Path
Fifth graders use maps of Florida. They locate places from a list on their map. Students use the places mentioned in the book, "To Walk the Sky Path," and locate them on the map. Students should have labeled a minimum of 10 places, and...
Curated OER
Reporting on a Battle
Students report on battles of the Civil War. In this American Civil War lesson, students conduct research that allows them to report on selected battles of the war. Student's newspapers should include eyewitness statements, photographs,...
Curated OER
Environment: Assess Your Habitat's Health
Students research their ecozone in Canada and label on maps various parks and wildlife areas. They role-play as doctors with their ecozones as patients and search for symptoms from pollution, urbanization, loss of habitat, and decline of...
Curated OER
Discovering the Local Community
Third graders create a mini-atlas of the human and physical characteristics of their local community, which includes landforms, climate, vegetation, population, and economics. They use nonfiction map-related resources to obtain ...
National First Ladies' Library
King Tut and All That
Students study the field of Egyptology and archeology. They create an artifact for posterity and create a special edition that tells the story in words, maps, and pictures. They create a storyboard for a "comic book" edition of the story.
Curated OER
3rd Grade Social Studies Core Skills (Reference Books)
In this reference materials worksheet, students complete the 20 multiple choice questions pertaining to the correct book needed to find the answer in each situation. Included are dictionary, atlas, encyclopedias, newspapers and maps.
Curated OER
The Power of the Press
Students identify an editorial and propaganda, discuss differences between weekly and daily newspapers, analyze needs of rural and urban newspaper audiences, and evaluate possible power of the press and importance of multiple views...
Curated OER
Poland's Next Step
Students investigate the history of Poland. They explore various Polish historical websites, explore an interactive online map of Polish cities, answer discussion questions, and locate newspaper articles about Poland.
Curated OER
Navajo Code Talkers
Pupils investigate the Navajo Code Talkers and their role in World War II. They complete a Webquest, explore various websites, encode a short message, analyze maps, answer discussion questions, and read newspaper articles about secure...
Curated OER
Documenting a Historic Climb of Mount Everest
Students create front pages of newspapers that document the historic attempt of a group of Sherpa women to summit Mount Everest.
Curated OER
Samuel's Choice - Social Studies Using Children's Literature
Fifth graders read a book about independence, freedom, and slavery. Students create a story map of the book. They research the causes of the Civil War. Students write a newspaper article from the point of view of an American colonist.
Curated OER
Making Headlines
Learners identify acts of kindness in the news. In this random acts of kindness lesson plan, students discuss kindness, find a news article about an act of kindness that took place in another country, locate the country on a map, and...
Curated OER
History, Artifacts, and Museums
Eleventh graders interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. For this historical artifacts lesson, 11th graders select and research historical topics that require them to interpret calendars, timelines,...
US Mint
Absolutely and Relatively: The Puerto Rico Quarter Reverse
How much does your class know about Puerto RIco? How much can they learn from the back of a 2009 quarter? Use the coin, part of a series of quarters that depict US territories, to teach learners about the geography, culture, and history...