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Nevada Trilogy
Middle schoolers, after watching Gone West, discuss and make some of the decisions people faced in travelling westward.
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Jazz in America
Eleventh graders explore Jazz in America. They examine greats in Jazz, such as Duke Ellington. They are also to discuss the cultural implications of the music itself.
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Weather Enrichment
Second graders, in groups, research and record types of weather from around the world during a one-week period. They complete a chart with their observations.
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Down to the Sea in Ships...Really!
Students discuss the travel of ancient sailors and the use of ships. They complete a Venn diagram, and compare and contrasts the two points of view on ancient ship travel.
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Sunburns and Sore Muscles: Working to Save the Farm During the Great Depression
Fifth through eighth graders engage in a lesson in which they study working class people during the Great Depression. They work to develop an understanding of the economic developments in Arkansas during the 1930's. Learners access...
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Looking Back
Students examine the difference between a communist and a free-market economy. They discuss challenges occurring in Macedonia and explain the mood of its people.
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The Importance of Being Flexible and Open-minded as a Visitor to Another Culture: Lesson 2 For "The Train Ride Home"
Students examine the advantages of being flexible when visiting or living in a different culture. They read and discuss a first-hand account by a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan, and write a letter from the point of view of a...
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Creating an Oral History--Who Tells the Story?
Explore the difficulties in compiling an oral history with this lesson plan. Young researchers conduct interviews and consider how point of view changes various accounts of a single incidence, resulting in conflicting information. They...
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Identifying Opportunity Cost
High schoolers work together to examine the concept of opportunity costs. They complete a practice problem and solve other problems during the class period. They share their solutions with the class.
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Sextant Solutions
Middle schoolers explore ways a sextant can be a reliable tool that is still being used by today's navigators and how computers can help assure accuracy when measuring angles. This activity will show how computers can be used to...
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Testing the Accuracy of a Rain Gauge
Learners identify and test variables that may affect the accuracy of a rain gauge. They share findings of their research with the class in a 'mini-meteorology-convention'. They design an experiment with a control setup to test their...
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Farmers - Caretakers of the Land
Students explore resource management, specifically farming. After reviewing vocabulary words, groups of students explore what is conserved by each practice. They compare and contrast responses. Students describe farming procedures which...
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Minority Graduation Rates: A 50-50 Chance
Students conduct research on issues and interests by generating ideas and questions and by posing problems. They gather, evaluate and synthesize data from a variety of sources. In this lesson the issue is minority graduation rates.
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Outsourcing City Hall
Students examine how some city halls around the country are using private companies to run them. After watching a video, they write a reaction paper to some part of it. They write an article for their school newspaper discussing whether...
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Loyalists and Loyalism in the American Revolution
Students engage in activities to understand how ideologies were constructed before and during the Revolutionary War. How and why were some "reluctant revolutionaries" turned into whig patriots willing to fight against the British empire,...
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Buoyant Boats
Fourth graders explore the concept of mass and buoyancy. After building boats out of several materials, they predict whether each boat floats if certain objects are added. Students test their predictions and draw conclusions from their...
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Budgeting for the Future
Eighth graders determine the net amount of an income for a fictional job. They must determine their net worth minus standard deductions. Students must then determine their monthly budget including, groceries, credit, and rent.
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Reality Store: How to Plan a Budget, Pay Bills, and Manage Your Money
Students plan a budget and pay bills when they visit the "Reality Store," a series of classroom studying stations. The use of paying bills and running a class store is used to help students grasp the concept of business.
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Port of Entry
Young scholars research patterns of immigration throughout American history. The focus is on the process of how immigrants came through Ellis Island. Students reflect upon the topic to develop critical thinking skills.
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American Indian Reservation Controversies
Learners explore the history of government relations, policies and experiences with American Indian peoples. Using the internet and other sources, students research reservations, past and present. Given a real word problem, learners...
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Aquatic Exotics
Students identify and describe the aquatic exotic species found in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the species origins and discover their effects on native species in the area. They discuss how appropriate it is to introduce...
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Boating Safety
Students are introduced to the safety procedures to follow while boating. After taking a quiz, they complete open-ended questions about boating accidents in Illinois. They discuss as a class how those accidents could have been prevented.
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Domestic Violence
Learners are introduced to the magitude of domestic violence. In groups, they read articles of real accounts of abuse and answer comprehension quesitons. They develop a piece of art showing how they feel about the issue and organize it...
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Careers and Self-Portraits
Students explore careers they may have in their future. They create a paper collage self-portrait of themselves as adults dressed for work. They write an autobiography describing the education and training required for their chosen career.