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Prairie, Stream, Forest for Junior High Students
Eighth graders take field trips to prairies, streams and forests in Illinois. During the field trip, they complete a worksheet to observe what they see and discuss it when they get back to school. They share their experiences through...
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Places We Live
Students compare/contrast rural and urban communities, and view and discuss the images on the Illinois quarter. They discuss Abraham Lincoln's life, complete a chart and a Venn diagram comparing urban and rural settings, and create a...
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Ohio Animal Activity
Second graders explore the various animals of Ohio. They compare the activities of the different animals during the different seasons throughout the year. Students publish their findings in a report and share it with the class.
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How to "Read" an Artifact
Students discuss the types of information they can get from artifacts. In groups, they practice "reading" artifacts and determining their usage. They use inferences to test against official information about certain pieces. They also...
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Traveler's Trunk
Students analyze and interpret artifacts from the 1920s and explore the Great Migration. In this 1920s history lesson, students review background information about the Great Migration and use artifacts to study history of Chicago....
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Abraham Lincoln's Presidency: Trials and Triumphs
Eighth graders access the TDC database and view the Brady photos, which depict Abraham Lincoln throughout various times in history. They analyze the photos and discuss the reasons for the changes in President Lincoln's appearance over time.
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New Citizen Exam is Democracy 101
Students read a USA Today article about U.S. democracy and then complete questions about the topic. In this democracy lesson, students read the article 'New Citizen Exam is Democracy 101.' Students learn about the test for U.S....
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To Come to Illinois - Or Not?
Students analyze primary documents to determine whether the author is pro- or anti-emigration. They outline reasons for or against immigration to Illinois during the early 19th century.
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Settling in the Midwest
Fourth graders search a database for pictures of home that early Midwestern settlers lived in. They create a class presentation using the pictures.
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Visit The Orchard
Students investigate the technology that is used to harvest apples as a crop. They look at examples of past and present machines. The information is used as inspiration for creating their own device to pick and harvest apples for mass...
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Paying for Government Services
Students identify major sources of revenue for government spending and identify the type of tax that makes up the largest percentage of the federal budget. They are introduced to the major services provided by local, state and national...
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Local Customs of Southeast Asian Countries
Students examine the cultural nuances of insular countries in southeast Asia. They perform skits demonstrating local customs of the countries examined, including greetings, visiting, business, drinking, and gift giving.
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The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858: Interactive Map Activity
Eleventh graders utilize an interactive map to explore the 1858 Senate campaign in Illinois and how factors such as population, transportation, and party strongholds can affect campaign strategies.
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The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858: Interactive Map Activity
Students utilize an interactive map to explore the 1858 Senate campaign in Illinois. They examine how factors such as population, transportation, and party strongholds can affect campaign strategies. Students write an essay discussing...
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The Artistic Process
Students experiment with and compare different types of natural resources and tools used by artists in ancient Rome. They describe changes in natural resources that result from human use of tools.
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A Matter of Proportion
Students measure the relative heights of the mosaic giraffe and its trainer and compare their proportions to an actual giraffe and zoo trainer.
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Regions: Meet the Experts Presentation
Students gather information and create a web site on prairies and plains using a variety of resources, including the internet.
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Scaling the Map
Students practice determining map distances using the map scales. They discover how much an area represents on the map in relation to the actual area. They decide on the best place to build their cavern.
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Graph and Compare the Adventure's Temperature Vs. Local Temperature
Learners explore the concept graphing data. In this graphing data lesson, students use weather data from their local weather and some other city and graph them. Learners plot the local weather vs. another city. Students record...
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The Commutative Property
Students explore arrays. They get into pairs and receive bags of small buttons to each group.
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Cells, The Structural and Functional Units of Life
Students observe the general structure and organelles of plant and animal cells. Students prepare microscope slides of elodea, onion, check, and cork and identify the cells by size and shape as unicellular, multicellular, plant or animal.
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Presidential Medal of freedom
Students discuss the Presidential Medal of Freedom and create pamphlets about recvipients, including artwork depicting reasons for receiving the medals. They write essays about someone they think should be awarded the medal.
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Prehistoric Native American Lesson Plan: Pictionary with the Past
Young scholars participate in a vocabulary exercise at a website dedicated to Prehistoric Native Americans.
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President Ronald Reagan
In this President Ronald Reagan worksheet, students read a 2 page article on the President and then answer 6 questions with multiple choice answers.