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The Great Depression: Eating on a Shoestring
Students explore the realities of feeding a family on a very limited budget by comparing the cost of living in the 1930s to the cost of living today. Using primary documents and technology to make the comparison, they identify the impact...
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What's in a Name? The Use of Native American Images in Sports
Students discuss and analyze the pros and cons of using Native American names and images to represent sports teams. Using primary sources, including position statements from Native American tribes, interviews with school alumni and...
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Going to the Promised Land
Students analyze primary resources and map in order to draw conclusions regarding the migrant-worker experience during the Great Depression. They explain and explain the impact of economic and ecological events on individuals.
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Letter Writing and Abigail Adams
Third graders learn the importance of letter writing for communication. In this letter writing lesson, 3rd graders identify how letter writing was important in the life of Abigail Adams. Students understand what a primary source is and...
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Viruses Released
Seventh graders assume different roles to determine the cause of a possible virus outbreak in their school. They must investigate the symptoms reported and determine the virus causing these conditions, analyze the body systems affected...
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Westmoreland Trail
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the Westward expansion of the U.S. They play the computer game, Oregon Trail III, read primary source documents, conduct Internet research, write diary entries from the pioneer viewpoint, and...
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World War I: War in a Democratic Society
Students research opposition and support for World War I from a number of perspectives. They analyze a number of primary and secondary sources, while considering what (if anything) makes a war just and write a letter expressing his/her...
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Understand the Push Pull Theory of Immigration
Students examine the Push Pull Theory of immigration. In this lesson on immigration, students explore primary sources to discover several reasons why people migrate. They will then present skits to share this information. Finally each...
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A Dream Of Classic Perfection
Students examine primary sources in order to draw conclusions about the influence of Greek classical art and philosophy on the French Revolution. They compare the goals of the French Revolution to those of Neoclassical artists.
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Freedom, Rights, and Responsibilities
Young scholars look at the primary sources that emerged from the Exodus (the Ten Commandments) and the War of Independence (the Declaration of Independence) and examine how each attempts to construct a free society and a definition of...
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Wilson Stands Alone in His Plan for World Peace
Students study the Fourteen Points. They examine motives behind Wilson's Fourteen Points and why most of them were rejected by France. They answers questions concerning primary resources (casualty list and before and after...
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Working for the Common Good
Students discuss the concept of the common good. Using primary source documents, they read accounts from volunteers in the Dominican Republic and discuss how they work for the common good. They reflect on the topic in their journals to...
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A Dream of Classic Perfection
Learners look at how Greek classical art and philosophy influenced the French Revolution. In this French Revolution lesson, students use primary sources, Neoclassical art, to look at how they show what society was like during this time...
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Color in Paintings
Students examine the color in paintings. In this visual arts lesson, students explore the 1821 painting by Jacques-Louis David and identify the colors in the art piece. Students write an original fairy tale and create an illustration...
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Alexis de Tocqueville’s America
Students analyze de Tocqueville's America. In this democratic history lesson, students use primary sources to determine what de Tocqueville found to be so unique in the America. Students analyze artifacts, maps and documents through...
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Safe or Not Safe
Students discuss the safety signs they viewed on their way to school before looking at safety signs at a website that presents a traffic safety school for students. They listen to a read aloud of Tana Hoban's, "I Read Signs," make signs,...
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The Artemia Hatchery
Students, in groups, develop their hatcheries, working cooperatively in its design and construction. The lessons begin with the introduction to Artemia as a primary food source of many aquaculture species during their larval stages.
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Branching Out
Students research structure, function and primary responsibilities of each office of the Executive branch, create a chart displaying their research.
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Physics Park
Students research and design a playground for a park or school in their community. They explore the physics concepts that are present in the design and, if applicable promote their ideas to city or school officials.
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A Series of Intolerable Events
Eighth graders investigate the events that led to World War II. In this Holocaust instructional activity, 8th graders research primary and secondary sources about the events that led to the war. Students create PowerPoint presentations...
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The Three Branches of Government
Sixth graders discover details about the 3 branches of government. In this primary source analysis lesson, 6th graders examine documents and images from the Library of Congress to investigate the structure of the U.S. government.
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Consequences of Individual Choices
Young scholars simulate a Revolutionary War draft. In this American Revolution lesson, students participate in a classroom activity that requires them to advocate for the Patriots or the Tories. Young scholars examine selected primary...
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My Very Own Washington Exhibition
Students work as curators. In this George Washington lesson, students research primary and secondary sources in order to create their own exhibitions of the first president. Students may visit selected Web sites in order to create their...
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Meet the Press: American Presidents
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. For this presidential history lesson, students research the accomplishments of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Frankiln D. Roosevelt, and...