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Louisiana Purchase
Students explore U.S. territorial expansion. In this Louisiana Purchase lesson, students investigate how the purchase was funded and determine how diplomatic actions were part of the land transfer. Students analyze several primary...
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Life on the Trails
Fourth graders explore U.S. Geography by completing a worksheet. In this west coast geography lesson, 4th graders discuss the Santa Fe and Oregon-California trails and the people who traveled them in the 1800's. Students define...
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Colonial Vacation Planner
Looking for a good lesson on the Colonial Period for your upper-elementary class? Then, this lesson is for you! They use website designs, U.S. travel publications, and maps to plan a family vacation to states which were part of the...
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Where Did My Lunch Come From? A U.S. Regional Tour
Learners explore the regions from which their food comes. In this social studies lesson, students identify the different agricultural products that are found in the major regions of the United States. Learners create a lunch menu.
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My Summer Vacation
Students study the United States geography using Google Earth. In this U.S. geography instructional activity, students create travel journals about five U.S. geographical locations. Students research the human and physical...
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Making a Travel Folder
Students explore the United States. In this U.S. geography and expository writing lesson plan, students select a place in the United States to research. Students take notes and create a travel "folder," or brochure, using the...
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Kansas Crops: From Seeds to Food
First graders explore U.S. geography by researching food production. In this agriculture lesson, 1st graders identify the process of crops from a seed to a plate and discuss the importance of farmers in the production of such crops....
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We Flip for Quarters!
Flip-books which represent one of five states are created by your class in this art and geography instructional activity. All of the materials for the flip-books are embedded in this inventive plan. They will make a book for: Kentucky,...
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Culture Regions of the U.S.
Young scholars identify the location of different cultural groups within the United States (agricultural, retirement, urban, etc.) They map these areas and analyze the correlation between the landscape of a given region and the type of...
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Immigration: Marijana's Story
Second graders explore world geography by researching U.S. history. In this immigration instructional activity, 2nd graders read the book Marijana's Story and discuss the main character, her goals, and the plot. Students complete a...
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Know Your Area
Students investigate transit by analyzing their school surroundings. In this local geography lesson, students identify their school in relation to the rest of their state, country and globe. Students discuss their personal travel habits...
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Geography: Intro to Canada
Students investigate the geography of Canada by analyzing a map of the country. In this North American geography lesson, students identify the 13 provinces of Canada and their locations by examining a Canadian map. Students may use...
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How did Geography Affect the Economy of the Colonies
Eighth graders examine the impact of geography on a region. In this geography lesson plan, 8th graders study the themes of geography. Students write an open response to a question.
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Defining moments from the past with lessons for a post-9/11 world...
Students examine extension ideas concerning 9/11, Defining Moments. They analyze a variety of Supreme Court cases, the U.S. Constitution, Mass Media Interpretations, Racism, Immigrant groups and U.S. geography. Many questions are asked...
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States and Capitals, Mountains and Rivers
Students identify geographical locations in the midwestern United States. In this geography instructional activity, students identify 12 states and capitals and geographical features in the region by using U.S. maps. Students use blank...
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Images of the Parks
Learners explore U.S. geography by completing a research project about the National Parks. In this scenery image analysis lesson, students identify the different national parks in our country and observe paintings and images by famous...
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Trading Traditions: Based on the American Samoa Quarter Reverse
Students investigate U.S. Currency by researching American Samoa. In this monetary unit instructional activity, students define the reverse and obverse of a coin while completing a currency related worksheet. Students identify American...
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American Indian Homes in Kansas
First graders explore culture by researching U.S. history. In this American Indian lesson, 1st graders discuss the geography of Kansas and the different Native American tribes that inhabited the state and the types of homes they lived...
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Canadian Symbols
Learners discover the ideals of Canada by analyzing its symbols. In this Canadian culture lesson plan, students identify the symbols that established the U.S. as its own nation and compare them to important Canadian symbols. Learners...
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The Underground Railroad and The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Students discover racism and slavery by completing a role playing activity. In this U.S. history lesson, students analyze documents from the Civil War era and describe the Fugitive Slave Law. Students view a video on YouTube about the...
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Immigrants to Kansas: Why Did They Come
Students explore U.S. History by researching Kansas. In this immigration lesson, students discuss the benefits of immigrating to a state like Kansas in the 1800's while writing their thoughts and research in a reporter's notebook....
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Sense of Place: No River Too Wide-Bridges
Fifth graders discover the history of their hometown Des Moines River. In this U.S. Geography lesson students speak with Iowans that tell stories of the settlers and early villages near the Des Moines River. Students document their...
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U.S. Possessions
Ninth graders research the United States acquisition of the Philippines and their fight for independence. They locate the Philippines on a map and brainstorm how its geography has benefits. They access the Internet and complete a student...
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Population Changes in U.S. Cities
Students investigate the changes in the population of major U.S. cities from 1920 to 2003. They write down as many U.S. cities as they can in one minute. Students discuss the top five cities on their lists and they disucss why there are...