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Christopher Columbus
Help first graders gain an understanding of the beginnings of our nation by learning more about Christopher Columbus. They begin by listening to a read aloud of Christopher Columbus and His Voyage to the New World (another title...
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Rocky Train Trek
Students research about America's westward movement and the effect of railroads on indigenous peoples, U.S. society, the environment, and the economy. They plan, map, and document an imaginary train journey across North America in the...
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European Explorers of North and South America
Sixth graders explore the connection between the geography of America and the migration of the Native Americans to the American continents to the future conquering of the continents by the Europeans. They discuss the causes and effects...
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Native Americans
Eighth graders are assigned a group of Native Americans from the North Carolina area to study. They research and write a paper, including sections on family, government, food, clothing, shelter, European contact, artifacts and give an...
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Mapping the West
Students determine how Americans' perception of the geographical features of the West changed following the Lewis and Clark expedition. They analyze historical maps of the West.
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English Perspectives
To further their understanding of the basis of the conflicts between the Pocumtucks and the English settlers, class members research the religious beliefs and attitudes of the Puritan farmers that settled in Deerfield, Ma.
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Inference By Analogy
Students infer the use or meaning of items recovered from a North Carolina Native American site based on 17th-century European settlers' accounts and illustration.
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Compass Rose
Second graders practice identifying the four cardinal directions. After locating a compass rose on a map, 2nd graders explain each point that corresponds to a direction. Using a toy ship as a manipulative on a map, students observe its...
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Civil War Battles: The Reporter's Perspective A WebQuest
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this research skills lesson, students research the job of reporting for new agencies during the American Civil War as they complete the provided...
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Temperature in a Cultural Context
Fourth graders investigate the effects of temperature on Native American lifestyle and culture. In small groups they conduct research on cultural practices showing a connection to the climate and create a poster displaying their...
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The Battle Over Reconstruction: The Aftermath of Reconstruction
Students examine the Reconstruction Era. In this American history activity, students explore the condition of the United States following the Civil War as they read statistical data. Students analyze the Reconstruction policies to...
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Why Not Come to North Amercia?
Students examine the motives for French expansion into the New World, they evaluate primary source documents to determine who, what, when, where and why.
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Matthew Henson
Discuss the work of Matthew Henson, an African American who traveled to the North Pole with Robert Peary. After reading the story "Matthew Henson" by Maryann N. Weidt, learners answer questions by drawing inferences and conclusions,...
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Trey and Dave go to Africa: Music
Trey from Phish and Dave from the Dave Mathews Band took a trip to Africa to explore music, culture, and history. Your class watches this episode from VH1's Music Studio to understand how African culture and music have influenced modern...
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Native Americans - People of the Plains
Learners explore Plains Indians and practice computer skills by reading creation and migration stories on People of the Plains CD-ROM, and watching Plains video. Students examine village life of Plains Indians, and view different...
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Cardinal and Ordinal Directions
Students use a compass to locate cardinal and ordinal directions. In small groups, they describe and create a journey for their classmates using their compass. Groups create a scale map for their classmates to follow and relate this...
Science Matters
Slip Sliding Along
The San Andreas Fault is the largest earthquake-producing fault in California. In the seventh lesson in the 20 part series, pupils create maps of California, focusing on the San Andreas Fault system. The comparison of where...
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Three Young Pilgrims
Fifth graders study the story of the voyage of the Mayflower told from the view point of the three Allerton siblings who were on board the ship. The book tells of their voyage across the Atlantic and their first year here on the North...
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World Map and Globe - Lesson 15 (K-3)
Students discover mountain ranges and their locations in the world. In this physical map lesson, students locate and identify major mountain ranges of the world on a large physical map.
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Spanish Influence in America
Middle schoolers try out instruments from South America. In this multiculturalism lesson, students discuss the attributes of Latin American music and play instruments from South America.
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Great North
Students use maps to locate the Arctic Circle, the North Pole and Northern Europe. They draw and label countries within the Arctic Cirlce and identify the groups of people who live there. They also watch and answer questions about the...
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The Railroads and Settlement of the Great Plains
Enhance your American literature unit with this resource, in which readers access the Nebraska Studies website and read about "Railroads and Settlement." They search for a photograph of some aspect of the railroad from the Prairie...
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What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States
Students examine how the European voyages of discovery influence American culture even today. They map eighteenth century Europe's impact on the United States.
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What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States
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,...