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South Asian Architecture
Seventh graders review and discuss architecture from South Asia. They then study images of various buildings from North Africa/Southwest Asia, and make comparisons
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Please Help!
Sixth graders examine the prairie food chain while designing a rescue strategy for an endangered species. They compare their strategy to that of a professional conservation expert.
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Foods
Students identify what types of items are grown on a farm. They discuss how those items are processed and turned into food they everyday. They are to write a paragraph using transition words.
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Ready for Roots
Fourth graders sort seeds and predict what conditions are needed for them to germinate. They keep the seeds moist, observe and measure their growth and graph the results. As the seeds start to grow students compare and contrast the each...
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Prairie Predator and Prey
Fifth graders brainstorm a list of animals that live on the prairie, and classify them as predators and prey. They conduct interviews where they ask the animals what they need to look out for to sustain life on the prairie.
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Alphabet Vocabulary
Third graders explore the biodiversity that exist on the prairie. Through reading or listening to books, they keep track of vocabulary words associated with the prairie on an 'Alphabet Poster'.
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Prairie Mural Project
Seventh graders construct a large mural of a praire showing plants, and animals that would live there.
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Perceiving the Prairie
Twelfth graders explore the changing concept of "prairie" through written and artistic works. They write their own poem or essay describing the prairie after discussing how differently people perceive the prairie.
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Poisoning the Prairie
Seventh graders investigate what pesticides are and why people use them. They examine the effect of pesticides on prairie grasses and what alternatives can be used.
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Soil Scrolls
Third graders examine soil samples and explore the what happens in each layer of the subsoil. They work in cooperative groups to create a scroll that shows what takes place in each layer, and discuss why much of the activity is in the...
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Fire Fighting
Students consider the effects of a wildfire on prairie life. They explore the ways that plants regenerate after a fire and create fictional plants that have adapted specifically to the prairie environment. They share models of their plants.
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Baseball Anyone
High schoolers explore the change in values from the 1920's to the present. In groups, students use the internet to analyze Pete Rose and gambling in sports. The 1919 scandal of the World Series is explored and discussed by high...
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Zebra Mussels
In this zebra mussels worksheet, 7th graders read an article about zebra mussel populations in United States' lakes and rivers. Students read about the negative effects and some positive results and then answer several questions about...
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Costa Rican Food Chain
Discuss the animals and plants in the rainforest food chain using this lesson. Learners talk about and do research on the top predators from the Costa Rican region and create a model of one of them in class. They also make a visual model...
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The ABC's of Artifacts
Students create their own ABC book about artifacts. In this artifact lesson, students read ABC History Mystery and review the artifacts pictured in the book. They create their own ABC book with each student working on a letter.
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ABRAHAM LINCOLN
Fourth graders explore the influence of Abraham Lincoln on events of the 1800's and crate a group life-size poster.
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Keeping Us in Stitches Activity: Whole Cloth Quilt Design
Students examine how decorative motifs are adapted to other types of objects by craftsmen and artists. They examine photos on the Illinois State Museum website, discuss design elements, adapt a motif to a line drawing, and transfer a...
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Lincoln Theme--Gettysburg
Fifth graders explore the significance of the Gettysburg Address. In this United States history lesson, 5th graders listen to a Gettysburg Address recording and look at photos of the battlefield. Students discuss their observations and...
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Working on the Railroad
Students plan a trip on the railroad. In this railroad creation and implementation lesson plan, students listen to the song "Working on the Railroad", make a map of where the track was laid and discuss the geographical...
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Twister Season Springs into Action
Students discover how weather conditions can give rise to severe storms and tornadoes. They study the different types of severe weather, how they can track conditions in their own neighborhood, and how to prepare for the worst.
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U.S. And Global Deforestation
Students analyze graph showing global deforestation, view photograph of deforestation in Brazil's interior rain forest and examine three maps showing deforestation within the United States, describe political, economic, and social...
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Salmon Vs. Dams: the Dam Removal Debate on the Elwha River
Young scholars role-play a meeting of the Elwha River council in which they present opposing views to council members on hydroelectric power and salmon fisheries resources. They brainstorm possible conflicts between various people in...
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Treasure Chest
Students explore Chicago in the fur-trading era. In this Chicago lesson, students discover what life what like during this time. Students read an historical fiction story about life in the fur-trade era. Students view replicas of...
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The Right to Bear Arms
Learners explore the right to bear arms. They identify the arguments regarding the controversy over gun ownership and discuss the various positions individuals and groups have taken. They prepare a visual representation of the results...