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Digging Deeper in Mission San Saba

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explain Spanish motives for establishing Mission San Sab?? and the reasons for the mission's failure. This lesson should be used when students already have an understanding of the Spanish mission-presidio system in Texas.
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Stones, Bones & Telephones: Analyzing Artifacts Using Bloom's Taxonomy

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders define metacognition, Bloom's Taxonomy, and artifacts. They, in groups, try to identify a mystery artifact using the Artifact Analysis sheet. They present their findings to the class.
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Cod Calamity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the history and aims of sustainable cod fishing in Canada. They read articles, conduct online research, complete worksheets and present their findings to the class. They also complete self and peer evaluations using a...
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East Asia

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers participate in research of various government leaders in order to have the ability to role play in a mock press conference. Students are the leaders and the press for this lesson using guided questions for the skits.
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Castle Builder

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discuss the importance of castles in medieval times. Using the internet, they research the parts of a castle and design their own using the components. They use everyday materials to build the castle to a specific scale.
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The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students analyze photographs from an historical perspective. They examine photos on the Study of Spanish-Speaking People of Texas website, complete a worksheet, and write an essay.
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The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Who is Russell Lee?

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students investigate the contributions of the photojournalist Russell Lee. They read a biography of Russell Lee, and create a timeline of Lee's life.
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The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Overcoming Adversity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the photographs of Russell Lee and identify the obstacles faced by Mexican-Americans in Texas during the early and mid-20th century. They discuss the ways they overcame these obstacles and relate it to obstacles in...
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"Adding It Up" at James Fort

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students discuss jettons and their archaeological importance at Jamestown. They then practice using historic counting sheets and artifacts to understand the calculating methods of the early 17th Century, and identify their similarities...
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Yellow Journalism and the Spanish American War

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders investigate the meaning and impact of "yellow journalism." They determine how it affects people and how it played out in the USS Maine incident during the Spanish American War by reading articles and watching a PowerPoint...
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Civil Rights and the Michigan Supreme Court II

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view a PowerPoint presentation on the Michigan Supreme Court Historical Society's Civil Rights and/or the Native American Rights. They write a reaction paper and prepare for a class discussion. They work in groups and discuss...
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Jefferson vs. Franklin: Renaissance Men

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students list a variety of interests and achievements of Franklin and Jefferson. They take a position that one or the other's interests and achievements were more wide-ranging or that they were equivalent. They write out their findings.
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Community and Colonization

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the nature of the European colonization in the Americas. They compare how it relates to the inception of their community. Students identify the major players in America's colonization and explore the motivations...
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World War II: Bombs and Peace

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils explore the final events and end of World War II. They examine the community impact of such events as the dropping of the dropping of atomic bombs, and President Roosevelt's death. Students prepare a presentation.
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Atlas Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars discover what type of information in an atlas by participating in a scavenger hunt. With a partner, they try to find the answers to many questions as possible. They exchange their papers with another partner group and...
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European Explorers of North and South America

For Teachers 6th
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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The Inventions and Effects of the Industrial Revolution

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students understand that the Industrial Revolution began in England, spreading to the rest of Western Europe and the United States and with it came an increased demand for raw materials from the Americans, Asia, and Africa.
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Map Making with Lewis and Clark

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students develop maps based on a virtual internet expedition of The Louisiana Purchase land area. They create the maps based on an actual outdoor expedition of their communities. Student create two maps, one based on the Louisiana...
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Constitutional Change During the Progressive Era

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Young scholars analyze the passage of the 16th through 19th amendments during the Progressive Era around the turn of the century. Using research skills, they write papers and create portfolios supporting and opposing the adoption of...
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Making Use of Fieldwork

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students transcribe, analyze, and archive fieldwork and create a team project drawn from fieldwork. They brainstorm a list of reasons why preservation of collected materials is important and explore the online archives of the American...
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The Seasonal Round and The Cycle of Life

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders are introduced to the concept of the seasonal round and how folklife traditions vary from season to season. They begin charting dates of personal interest on seasonal round calendars by starting with birthdays. Students...
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Event in Time

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students, after describing and identifying a variety of major consequences and sequences of major historical events and developments in American History, create a mobile on a specific event in history. They follow specific instructions...
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Seeking Civil Rights

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students explore the impact of the Plessy v. Ferguson case. In this social justice instructional activity, students examine the case, Jim Crow laws, and non-violent forms of protest. Students write essays to persuade the government...
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The Road to the American Revolution

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore the causes of the American Revolution. In this American Revolution lesson, 5th graders examine the people, places, and events that led to the outbreak of war in the colonies.