Curated OER
Barnacles: Harder than Cement
Fourth graders watch the movements of the complex animal hidden inside the tiny barnacle shells. This instructional activity allows students to study the behavior, adaptation, and larval stage of the barnacle.
Curated OER
Landfill Lounge
Middle schoolers accurately construct a model of a sanitary landfill and identify the parts of the landfill and explain their function. They work in grous using a clear plastic box, modeling clay, soil and a variety of garbage to create...
Curated OER
Have I Got A Story For You - Folklore of Utah
Fourth graders identify the clues that folklore provides about Utah's past. They create a piece of folklore for a place or event in or near the community. They see that the legends and traditions we pass to one another are also sources...
Curated OER
What's in the News?
Students discuss any news article or video about the environment. They develop their own questions relating to radon and how it effects people and the environment. They answer each others questions to end the instructional activity.
Curated OER
Massachusetts Oral History Project on the Great Depression
Eleventh graders conduct interviews with a relative or a family friend who lived in Massachusetts during the Depression. They write an essay based on the interview that shows an intimate portrayal of how the lives of the individuals who...
Curated OER
Analyzing Public Policy Options
Students discuss what is meant by the term "public policy". In groups, they use the internet to research a specific public policy issue affecting Fairfax County, Virginia. They analyze and report their findings of the effectiveness of...
Curated OER
Affects of Geography on Colonial Cultures
Sixth graders examine the effects of geography on the development of culture. They discuss how geography can affect the lifestyles and development of a society's culture. Students examine the geography and climate of New England and the...
Curated OER
Planetary Landers
Students watch programs from a series titled "Planetary Landers". As a class, they view a poster of various vehicles that have made their way into space. In groups, they brainstorm the characteristics that should be included when...
Curated OER
An Act of Courage, The Arrest Records of Rosa Parks
Students research accounts on Rosa Parks and look for differences between the modern form and an older report on Parks. They discuss why information about race and nationality are collected on these and other forms.
Texas State Historical Association
Texas State Historical Association: Local Government [Pdf]
An activity guide where students refer to the Texas Almanac, which is free to download, for information needed to complete assigned tasks. In this lesson, they investigate the officials and organizational structures that make up local...
iCivics
I Civics: The Great State
In this overview lesson, students learn about state government structure, functions, lawmaking, and relationship with local government.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: How Do Citizens Make Government Work?
This five-session unit will provide hands-on opportunities for learners to explore local, state and national governments. In the process, students will use technology and print media to learn about the leaders of each level of government...
iCivics
I Civics: State Power: Got a Reservation?
Students discover that states have their own governments and powers separate from the federal government. They learn what those powers are, how they're different from the federal government's powers, and that state governments also give...
Internal Revenue Service
Irs: Federal/state/local Taxes Lesson Plans
This lesson plan will help young scholars understand that federal, state, and local governments need revenues to provide goods and services for their residents.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Who's Who in Our Government?
Students will do Internet research to identify key government officials. Each student will create an animated character to introduce a key official to the class.
Library of Congress
Loc: The Constitution: Counter Revolution or National Salvation
Using primary texts and prior study of Colonial America and the Revolution, students examine "what type of government would best represent the ideals of the American Revolution." Worksheets, discussions, and role-playing within this...
iCivics
I Civics: Jim Crow
Use primary documents and images to discover the ways state and local governments restricted the newly gained freedoms of African Americans after the Civil War. Compare, contrast, and analyze post-war legislation, court decisions...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Why Cities Provide Tax Breaks
Like the state and federal government, local governments offer tax incentives to businesses to help solve economic and/or environmental problems. In this instructional activity, students will explore three different cities and determine...
Council for Economic Education
Econ Ed Link: Dumptown, Usa: Making a Ton of Difference
The amount of trash produced in the United States is mounting with each passing year. Communities are finding it increasingly difficult and costly to handle trash disposal. Recycling is considered a key solution to the garbage problem....
Other
Gunston Hall Plantation: "The Great Business Now Before Us"
In 1787, America was having big problems. There was no single type of money, or currency, in the new nation. States were arguing over trade issues and local boundaries. Each state seemed to see itself as independent and self-governing...