The World Outside My Door

What can a quarter possibly teach young learners about desert ecosystems? More than you might think. After displaying and discussing the included picture of the Arizona state quarter, the class participates in a series of shared reading...

Students locate Ghana on a map of Africa and discover features of Ghana culture. They synthesize the importance of Adinkra symbols and cloth to the people of West Africa and design an Adinkra cloth.

Third graders discuss the differences between the clothing choices within the three regions in Africa and in Hawaii.

People could take a page in ingenuity and survival from the Powhatans. Deer skins became clothes, and the members of the Native American group farmed the rich Virginia soil and hunted in its forests for food. Using images of artifacts...

Fourth graders discuss how plants and animals, including humans, adapt to climate and seasonal changes. They research the Colville people, and create dioramas that represent life during different seasons for Colville people.

Young scholars react to a series of statements about trees, then read a news article about the planned planning of millions of trees to celebrate Arbor Day. In this planting trees lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a...

Students discuss seasons in temperate climates, how the changes affect the environment, and the clothing they wear for each season. Using paint, they create a picture depicting one of the seasons. As students paint, they listen to...

Learners explore the various global climates and apply cultural adaptations of the peoples in various zones due to climate.

Students create a storyboard of the three American Indian language groups showing the geography of where they lived and how they adapted to the environment. They compare European and American Indian views of nature and explain how these...

Fourth graders explore the four regions of California and compare and contrast them, and use pictures and research information to describe how regions vary in land use, vegetation, wildlife and climate.