Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Does It Come From?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners explore where agricultural commodities used in snack foods are grown. They choose a snack food and locate the top five states that produce the food that the snack is made from.
Lesson Plan
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Where Did Foods Originate? (Foods of the New World and Old World)

For Teachers K - 12th
What do papayas, peanuts, pineapples, and potatoes have in common? Why, they are foods explorers brought back to the Old World. Young researchers use the Internet to investigate how New World explorers helped change the Old World's diet....
Lesson Plan
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World Hunger - A Cultural Crisis

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the problem of world hunger and starvation. After a class discussion, students use a map to identify specific areas where populations are starving. In groups, students research reasons for the lack of food. They prepare...
Lesson Plan
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Overcoming Censorship Through Art

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine and discuss government-imposed censorship of art and artists' methods for counteracting censorship. They view censored artwork, write a persuasive essay, and create an art piece.
Lesson Plan
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Cartoon and Political Poster Analysis

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students explore the late 1800s as a time of demographic change in the US. They view the role of media during this time in the form of posters and political cartoons. They create a political poster/cartoon that deals with current...
Lesson Plan
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Canada Eh? Pre/Post Tests on Canada Using GPS

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students participate in a GPS activity and answer questions about Canada. In this Canada lesson, students identify location by using a GPS Unit and latitude and longitude. Students find an Inuksuk (station) and a complete worksheet.
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Tracing the Route of Bracero

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers make a map showing the work of a Bracero Worker. In this Bracero lesson, students listen to a worker in an online oral history as he explains his work locations and crops. They use a map to plot the areas he worked and...
Lesson Plan
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Fair Housing Lesson 4: Constitutional Hearing

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate fair housing issues in the United States. In this government lesson, students watch "No Place Like Home," and then prepare to participate in a classroom simulation that requires them to act as state legislators and...
Lesson Plan
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Island of the Blue Dolphins Jigsaw

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research three topics from the book, either Village Life, Sea Life, or San Nicholas Island. They research independently and meet in a jigsaw format to share what they learned. As group they create a poster for class...
Lesson Plan
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New Food Saves Lives, Could End Hunger

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students locate the country of Niger, then read a news article about a new type of food that is being used to fight childhood hunger in Africa. In this current events instructional activity, the teacher introduces the article with map...
Lesson Plan
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Hard Times, Soft Sell

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners analyze art to determine themes for the Great Depression Era. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students identify themes for the era and research evidence for the themes to present to the class. Learners interview family...
Lesson Plan
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Exploring Alternative Energy Sources

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars research the amount and kinds of energy that are produced and consumed in the United States, including the limitations of this kind of consumption. They research and create a display to teach classmates about a specific...
Lesson Plan
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Afghanistan and Its Neighbors: Model Summit

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. They discover the role of religion and cultural identity in the war in Afghanistan. They explore the arguments for and and against...
Lesson Plan
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Conflicting Views

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students complete a Venn diagram comparing the United States and Afghanistan. They research the history of the Taliban and how they relate to the United States and its foreign policy. They write a paper on possible solutions.
Lesson Plan
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Drought Threatens Huge Man-Made Lake

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Students locate Lake Mead, then read a news article about Lake Mead drying up and how that would effect water and power supplies to the region. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and vocabulary...
Lesson Plan
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Jacksonian Democracy

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Young scholars determine how technological advancements have formed history. In this Jacksonian democracy lesson, students research innovations of the era and then compare them to the technological innovations of today. Young scholars...
Lesson Plan
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The Immigrant Experience

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students utilize oral histories to discover, analyze, and interpret immigration and migration in the history of the United States. A goal of the unit is fostering a discussion and encouraging students to make meaning of the bigger...
Lesson Plan
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Discovering Places & Regions

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research physical and cultural features of a place. They practice skills in gathering information from various sources, using tools such as graphic organizers, word processing, multimedia, and use of the Internet.
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Migration - An African-American Adventure During WWI

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore the push/pull factors that influenced the South to North migration.  In this African-American migration lesson, 6th graders read an article and answer comprehension questions. Students write a letter to the...
Lesson Plan
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The Gulf Coast Region: Georgraphy, Demographics and the Effects of Hurricane Katrina

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research Hurricane Katrina and create a Cause and Effect graphic organizer or a Chain of Events graphic organizer.
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Thanksgiving Feast (Read the Charts)

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Learners practice reading charts about foods country of origin. They interpret information and answer questions related to charts. They discover how food production adds to the economy.
Lesson Plan
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Pre-WWII Pacific W/Japan

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explain how the islands/countries contributed to Japan's war effort. They study the concept of location and determine how natural resources were a large factor in Japan's trade.
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Currency Exchange and the Gang of Fifteen

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Students demonstrate the ability to comprehend and calculate currency exchange rates.
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Immigrant Photo Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine photographs taken of immigrants during late 1800s and early 1990s in America, and identify factors involved in immigration through examination of primary documents that include statistics, trends, graphs, photographs,...