Curated OER
The Mekong River
Junior geographers explore the region through which the Mekong flows, its pathway, the landscape, how people depend on the Mekong, and future uncertainties. They apply the five themes of geography to examine the region. They create a...
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India and Pakistan: Rivals from Birth
Seventh graders, after being divided into two groups, are assigned either Pakistan or India. They conduct research using the Internet, reference books, and magazines. The class compares and contrasts the two countries to find sources of...
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Geography/Current Events Project
Using the Balkan region as an example, fourth graders review the five themes of geography as a class. They identify the physical and human characteristics of a region before labeling the countries and landforms on a map. They then...
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Virginia In the World: The Geography of Commerce
Students examine how Virginia connects with the world through export trade. Using a map, they use symbols to depict the value of trade and the direction of the flow of goods. They complete a scavenger hunt using electronic almanacs and...
National First Ladies' Library
Are We There Yet?
Pupils study the wide-reaching effects of the Cold War, even to its involvement in domestic road construction. They research the National Defense Highway System (Eisenhower Highways) for information about the creation of the program, the...
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Comparing Ethnic Groups
Eleventh graders explore the relationship between the United States and the Native Americans from after the Civil War to the early 1900's. They evaluate the actions of the United States towards Native Americans and compare the actions to...
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Humanitarian Aid in Iraq
Students research the impact of the Iraqi war on the civilian population in Iraq. They read an article, participate in class discussion and consider efforts that are being made to alleviate difficult conditions.
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Charge and Defeat
Learners discuss traditional tools used by historians and archaeologists. They conduct a debate on the advantages and disadvantages of rewriting the past and discuss which side of the debate has the strongest case.
Foreign Policy Research Institute
A Geography Lesson
Fewer and fewer people have a strong grasp of world geography, but this activity helps high schoolers understand geopolitics by creating their own original historical map. The activity requires selecting a country from the list provided,...
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Hungary: The Landscape
Students work in small groups to create a topographic map of Hungary. The map will include labeled line drawing of the bordering countries. Hungary should be three dimensional, made of salt and flour clay. The mountains, plains and...
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War and the Animal
Students analyze the spatial organization of people, places, and environments in a spatial context. They gain personal insight into the horrors of war and the importance of ethnicity. Students define all key terms, analyze a world map...
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Chain Across the Hudson Lesson Plan A - Locating the Chain
Learners read a letter from George Washington requesting them to identify on a map a location that would stop the advance of British warships. They choose a location and justify their choice.
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The Khmer Rouge
Students examine life in Cambodia and Vietnam from 1975-1979, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. They discuss how an otherwise peaceful society could allow such events to take place and write a short paper and complete a culminating project.
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Clothesline Sleuth
Sixth graders investigate the origins of clothing production. In this Social Studies lesson, 6th graders examine the components of agriculture involved in making clothes. Students research cotton.
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U.S. History: The Second Great Migration
Students examine the migration of rural African Americans to northern cities following World War !!. After predicting the effects of cultural and economic factors, they write essays explaining the impact of migration on communities and...
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The Great Debate: Internationalists vs. Isolationists
Students examine the opposing arguments of the isolationists and internationalists in 1941. In this debate lesson plan, the students are divided into two opposing groups representing a position in a live, in- class debate. After the...
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Life and Times, Developing a Chronology
High schoolers review the career and life of Ernie Pyle as an example of a biography in context. They consider how a chronology maps out the events in the life of an individual in the context of other events that were occurring at the...
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The Economics of Conflict
Seventh graders examine how economics can empower or disempowers people of a nation. In groups, they analyze how commodities for economic power have changed and the trends that might affect future empowerment. They describe Canada's...
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Carbondale: The Biography of a Coal Town
Students use a brief history of the growth and decline of the anthracite region in the state to create a photograph and map "peak shaped" time line. They practice map and photo analysis strategies to "read" photographs and maps.
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Further Reading: Japan
Students investigate the Japanese people and how they lived in the World War II era. They conduct research in order to obtain information. Then they role play the part of different people in groups who lived during the time.
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Putin Criticizes Estonia Over War Memorial
Students read and discuss the vocabulary related to a news article about diplomatic relations between Estonia and Russia. They read the article, define key vocabulary terms, discuss verbs and prepositions, participate in a role-playing...
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A Different Kind of Rock Star: Part 2
Students examine our society's fascination with Mars. In this journalism lesson plan students read an article that outlines the various ways Mars has captured our imagination and are given topics for discussion and a...
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The Opium Trade, the Opium War and the Treaty of Nanjing
Ninth graders analyze the English model if imperialism with regard to China and examine the economic and political impact of trade and conflict between England and China in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. They discuss the...
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Global Intelligence
Young scholars discuss the war in Afghanistan and the conditions surrounding the hunt for Osama bin Laden after reading the article "Bin Laden and Omar: Far Harder to Find" from The New York Times. After the class discussion, students...