Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Political and Social Impact of World War II

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders study the life in Jewish ghettos during World War II and learn about tolerance and compassion. In this WWII lesson, 6th graders discuss Jewish ghettos but with a mistreatment of the kids with stickers to signify the Jewish...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Sense of West Virginia

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students consider their perceptions of the world through their 5 senses while visiting the West Virginia State Museum. In this West Virginia history lesson, students discover how knowing about the past helps with their understanding of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Volcanoes: Mount Vesuvius

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explain how volcanoes form. In this earth science activity, students identify the different types of volcanoes. They create brochures about Mt. Vesuvius before and after the eruption.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tooling Around Arizona: Reading Arizona Maps

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students study geography. In this Arizona maps lesson, students develop their map reading skills. They have class discussions and work independently with various copies of Arizona maps to practice those skills. This lesson mentions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Presidential Election 2004: Five Presidents' Calls for War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine five president's reasons for entering into a war. Using the text, they answer questions and discuss their answers with the class. They also examine President Bush's reasons for going to war in Iraq and how that...
Article
University of Wisconsin

The Why Files: Oceans' True Boundaries and "Garbage Patches"

For Students 9th - 10th
A deep look at ocean circulation returns a surprise: Currents transport water - and non-degradable, floating plastic - between the ocean basins. Thus, some of the plastic in the South Atlantic "garbage gyre" was actually thrown away in...
Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: Tour of Park Geology: Plate Tectonics

For Students 9th - 10th
Plate tectonics and different plate boundaries are discussed on this website. Also, learn about the type of plate boundaries found in our National Parks.
Website
Other

International Boundary Commission

For Students 9th - 10th
International Boundary Commission website provides pictures and information on its history, purpose and function as a bi-national organization. Under the 1960 International Boundary Commission Act, the Commission's work is described as...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: More Physical Geography and Borders

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lesson on the physical features that create borders and boundaries. Small group and whole class activities, background information, worksheets and assessment.
Graphic
United Nations

United Nations: Cartographic Section: Okavango River Basin [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
This map from the United Nations is a very detailed map of the Okavango River Basin, showing rivers, wetlands, cities, country boundaries and much more. Increase the viewing percentage to read the map easily.
Handout
Other

National Atlas

For Students 9th - 10th
This site is excellent for mapping. You can create ANY kind of map you need. Select all kinds of layers: agriculture, biology, boundaries, climate, history, and more, and then select the geography. It does take some time to figure out...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: Conflict on the Danube

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lesson in which young scholars use maps and text to explore physical and cultural boundaries and the disputes over control of them. Includes two activities with comprehensive and adaptable materials.
Unit Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: Plate Tectonics

For Students 9th - 10th
A short tutorial on plate tectonics. Includes a video, background reading, three questions, fast facts, and a vocabulary list. Discusses the publication of the Tharp-Heezen map of the seafloor in 1977 which paved the way for a much...
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of the American Indian: Indigenous Geography

For Students 9th - 10th
Indigenous Geography helps you develop key understandings on nine different dimensions as they relate to six Native communities located in the Western Hemisphere. Learn about the creation stories, place boundaries and landmarks, calendar...
Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: Oregon Boundary Dispute and Oregon Fever

For Students 9th - 10th
Article outlining the disputes and events in the 1840s leading to the acquisition of the Oregon Territory which included land west of the Continental Divide between northern California and the Province of British Columbia.
Website
Smithsonian Institution

National Museum of Natural History: Ocean Planet: Ocean Currents

For Students 9th - 10th
The Ocean Planet exhibit at the Smithsonian explains the general features of ocean circulation. A general look at upwelling, deep water, and currents are combined for an overall view.
Website
Other

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine: Project Mohole

For Students 9th - 10th
Project Mohole was "the earth sciences' answer to the space program," a project to gain information about the Earth by drilling a hole through the Earth's crust to the Mohorovicic Discontinuity (Moho). This website gives a history of the...
Handout
National Geographic

National Geographic: Encyclopedia: Mantle

For Students 9th - 10th
An in-depth look at the structure and composition of Earth's mantle, with lots of visuals. Covers lithosphere, Mohorovicic discontinuity, asthenosphere, transition zone, lower mantle, the d double-prime region, mantle convection, mantle...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

National Geographic: European Borders Through History

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lesson in which students use maps to explore how European political borders have changed over time. Maps after WWI, WWII and European Union provided for comparison.
Unit Plan
University of Minnesota

U Mn: Immigration History: Gatekeeping

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource presents political cartoons from four different national contexts. Its goal is to further understandings of the ways in which nation-states affect an individual's ability to move freely around the world.
Website
Curated OER

National Park Service: What on Earth Is Plate Tectonics?

For Students 9th - 10th
An easy-to-understand explanation of what plate tectonics is. Contains information about the inner parts of the Earth, the difference between the three types of plates, and numerous maps and illustrations.
Interactive
Other

Animated Atlas: Growth of a Nation

For Students 3rd - 8th
A 10-minute movie showing the expansion of the United States after the end of the Revolutionary War. Follow the directions to start the movie and listen to the explanations.
Website
Other

International Joint Commission (Great Lakes)

For Students 9th - 10th
This bi-national organization deals with boundary disputes between Canadian and American governments in regard to the Great Lakes waterways and water resources. It was founded by the Boundary Waters Treaty of 1909. This organization...
Graphic
US National Archives

Nara: American Originals: The Treaty of Paris

For Students 9th - 10th
A photograph from the National Archives and Records Administration of part of the original Treaty of Paris with a brief narrative about the provisions of the Treaty.