Population Connection
The Peopling of Our Planet
How many people live on the planet, anyway? The first resource in a six-part series covers the topic of the world population. Scholars work in groups to conduct research and make population posters after learning about the global...
Global Oneness Project
Rethinking the Fabrics We Wear
What are fibersheds and what what do they have to do with environmental protections? A photo essay and audio recordings about Mimi Luebbermann, and her sheep, cause consumers to reflect on how their clothing choices can support local...
Stanford University
Great Plains Homesteaders
"Westward, ho!" may have been their cry in spite of the hardships. Using a series of photographs by Solomon D. Butcher of those who ventured west, class members consider what life was like in the 1800s for those who embarked on the...
BW Walch
Vending Machine Bans Increase in Schools Nationwide
Does a ban on vending machines infringe on student rights, or do school officials have an obligation to monitor foods sold on school grounds? Your class members will explore the educational, health, and financial issues related to...
Richmond
Chinese New Year – Reading Comprehension
Traditions surrounding the celebration of the Chinese New Year are the focus of a reading comprehension activity designed for intermediate level language learners.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Issues of Unauthorized Immigration
Unauthorized immigration is a complex and hotly debated topic. Class members read an article that examines the issues that motivate unauthorized immigration. Teams then assume the role of special interest groups and present their...
National Endowment for the Humanities
“Read All About It”: Primary Source Reading in “Chronicling America”
Can investigative journalism become too sensationalistic and accusatory, or is it vital for the survival of a democracy? Middle schoolers analyze primary source documents from early 20th-century newspapers as well as Theodore...
Judicial Learning Center
Law and the Rule of Law
We hear a lot about the importance of the rule of law, but most people do not really know what those words mean. The lesson is a webpage that defines the rule of law, explains why it is important in a democratic society and provides...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
American Indians and their Environment
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...
Curated OER
Real People, Real Farms: Case Studies
Students examine sustainable fruit and vegetable production. In this agriculture lesson students apply what they learn to real life situations.
Curated OER
Introduction to Maps
Students develop their map skills. In this geography lesson, students participate in an activity that requires them to survey their social studies book in order to find different types of maps and purposes for their uses.
Curated OER
What Do Maps Show?
Students discover the uses for various types of maps. In this geography skills lesson, students discuss the type of maps that exist and what their individual features are. Students then practice using different types of maps.
Curated OER
What if the Mormons had not come to Utah?
Fourth graders use critical thinking, evaluation, and geography skills to find alternative locations that Brigham Young could have taken the Mormons to settle.
Curated OER
It's Just a Barn
Investigate Pennsylvania Barns. Have your class consider the elements common to Pennsylvanian barns and why they are significant to the food production process. They write summaries of Frederick Watts and his impact on agriculture.
Curated OER
Rain On
Fourth graders study the water cycle and clouds. In this water cycle and cloud lesson plan, 4th graders determine the definition of condensation and watch a demonstration in which the teacher makes a cloud in a bottle. They discuss the...
Curated OER
Proud to Live in New Jersey
Learners explore New Jersey. In this New Jersey social studies lesson, students define vocabulary and participate in activities centered around the agriculture, geography, industry, history, and culture of New Jersey. Learners construct...
Curated OER
Economics: What is done to rice to get it ready to eat?
Third graders create a map showing the journey of rice from the field to the grocery store. In this agriculture lesson, 3rd graders discover and map the process of harvesting and preparing rice to be packaged and shipped to sell to...
Curated OER
Westward Expansion and the Frontier
Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. In this westward expansion lesson, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....
Curated OER
The Shapes of Rice
Students investigate geometry by identifying shapes related to rice and rice farming. In this geometry lesson, students discuss the different shapes used in rice agriculture and discuss what other objects in our lives use that same...
Curated OER
More Than One Grain of Rice
Young scholars explore mathematics, geography and agriculture by studying world rice production. In this production of rice lesson, students read One Grain of Rice and use a worksheet grid to calculate how much rice was received. Young...
Curated OER
Comparing the Impact of Multiple Uses
Students study multiple land uses and their effects on one another. They assess multiple land uses in National Forests and Grasslands and evaluate the effects of each use on all other uses. They develop a comprehensive list of human...
Curated OER
Equadorian Rainforest: The Tropical Supermarket
Students study the concept of sustainable agricultural practices through cocoa farming and the lives of the people who are the producers. Students watch a slide show and read a story which helps them understand the origins of chocolate,...
Curated OER
THE PEANUT WIZARD
Students read information about George Washington Carver and outline the information. They are given peanuts in the shell, students examine them and eat them. Students discuss the following questions: Why did George Washington Carver...
Curated OER
The Barn Owl Pellet
Seventh graders examine the factors that affect the number and types of organisms that an ecosystem can support. In this ecosystem instructional activity students study the barn owl and where it is on the food chain, then dissect...