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Talking Rocks
Artists imitate the symbols used by tribes of the Southwest or use their own word pictures that communicate something about themselves. This lesson is a perfect blend of visual art and social studies. Students create a beautiful piece of...
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Swing Your Partner!
This was written for ESOL learners, but could work for any elementary class. Learners read about the American dance style known as Square Dancing. They explore its use in literature, write a friendly letter about it, and then use their...
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Classroom Archaeology
Students, in groups, receive a box of artifacts. They record their findings and discuss what the items would have been used for. They come together at the end of the lesson to share their findings.
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Pablita Indian Legends
Scholars are introduced to the characteristics of a legend. They read and discuss Old Father Story Teller by Pablita Velarde. Then, in groups, they write and illustrate a poem based on one of the legends from the book. This lesson plan...
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Living in America (The Earliest Years)
Fifth graders work in groups to study a particular group of Native Americans. They use a study guide to guide their research and use the internet and text resources to gather information. Students post their research on a class web page.
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Cattle Industry and Cowboys- Overview
In this cattle industry activity, students answer 11 essay questions pertaining to cowboys, ranching, and the history of the cattle industry in America. Prior knowledge or research will be needed.
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Garden Guard
Students read about the history of farming with the use of scarecrows and then sort clothing, build scarecrows, write descriptions, and more. In this scarecrows lesson plan, students also play a game called Garden Tag.
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North African and Southwest Asian Architecture
Seventh graders search online for current and historic images of North African and Southwest Asian architecture. They compare North African and Southwest Asian architecture to North American, European, Russian/Eurasian, and South...
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South Asian Architecture
Seventh graders review and discuss architecture from South Asia. They then study images of various buildings from North Africa/Southwest Asia, and make comparisons
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Mariachi Mania
Ninth graders examine mariachi music and its different musical forms. For this music history lesson, 9th graders compare and contrast mariachi music from its beginnings to the present. Students research different aspects of...
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Rock Speaks
Students create primitive forms and caricatures to represent meaningful figures and/or events in their own lives, present their own works to the class, and attempt to interpret the relevant meaning from other students' work.
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The Battle of Horseshoe Bend: Collision of Cultures (54)
Students discover the political and cultural conflicts that led to the Battle of Horseshoe Blend, Alabama, and evaluate historical maps of the Battle of Horseshoe Bend. They research American Indian cultures that were located in their...
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A Growing Success
Students create a multimedia presentation as a culmination of a plant unit. In this hyperstudio lesson plan, students research from assigned sites and create a Hyperstudio stack. Students write a cinquain.
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Mission Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and the Spanish Mission in the New World
Students explore Spanish missions. In this research skills instructional activity, students research Internet and print sources regarding the architecture, purposes, and functionality of Spanish missions.
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Read "El Corrido de Gregorio Cortez"Americo Paredes version
Students see examples of other types of written stories. They are introduced to the ballad in literature. Students obtain ideas for their own family story. They discuss how ballads can relate true stories through music. Students discuss...
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Talking Rocks
Third graders explain the difference between Petroglyphs and Pictographs from Ancient Native American peoples. They create symbols that are representative of a story about their world.
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Indigenous Cultures Change Over Time
Fourth graders research and take notes while viewing a video on the Navajo Indians. In this Indigenous people lesson, 4th graders use the notes they've taken to compare and contrast the Navaho tribe to other Indigenous tribes. Students...
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Early Explorers
Fifth graders examine how the environment and climate affected Pre-Colombian settlements. In this civilization lesson, 5th graders view pictures of different Native American tribes in different places and discuss how different groups...
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Gran Quivira: A Blending of Cultures in a Pueblo Indian Village
Students examine the changing life ways of the inhabitants of a Pueblo Indian village from the 7th century to the arrival of the Spanish in the early 17th century. They explain the influence of Spanish missionaries on the lives the...
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Confetti
Third graders complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Confetti. For this reading lesson plan, 3rd graders complete journal entries, go over vocabulary, answer short answer questions,...
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Raton Pass and Glorieta Battlefield
Young scholars complete a variety of activities that go along with the study of and possible fieldtrip to Raton Pass and Glorieta Battlefield on the Sante Fe Trail in New Mexico.
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We the People…in the News
Students use the newspaper to explore the world around us, our past and our government. In this civics unit, students complete 40 different lessons in civic education using that day's newspaper to reinforce the concept being taught.
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Alaska's Native Population: Eskimos, Indians and Aleuts
Students explore the unique population of Alaska. In this Native people of Alaska lesson plan, students discover the three groups of people who live in Alaska. Students describe the similiarities and differences between the three groups....
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Early Explorers
Fifth graders study early explorers. In this World history lesson plan, 5th graders draw an outline of a map labeling each part, build geographical features out of dough, and paint each of the land and water features.