Curated OER
Let Me Tell You About My State
State reports can be a lot of fun, especially when the learners get to choose the state they study. This research and writing-focused social studies lesson engages learners in collecting information, essay structure, research, and...
Curated OER
Making Regolith
You may not be able to take a field trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean your class can't study moon rocks. Using graham crackers as the moon's bedrock and powdered donuts as micrometeorites, young scientists simulate the creation of...
Curated OER
Teaching Elementary School Social Studies
Students identify possible social studies themes that can come from the video, "Voyage of Discovery". They list the five themes of geography. They develop elementary-level interdisciplinary unit plans for social study content. They...
Curated OER
U.S. Geography- The Northeast
Learners investigate the geography of the Northeast states. In this map skills lesson, students are shown a map of the Northeast states and identify the state names and borders. Learners construct individual maps of the Northeast using...
Curated OER
Social Studies: International Food Fair
Students identify activities that promote social studies education and enjoy an international food tasting session. On food item sheets, they write the origins of the various food items. On a laminated world map, each cook circles the...
Curated OER
Becoming a Professional Social Studies Leader
Students engage in a lesson that is concerned with the development of skills needed for the teaching of Social Studies. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used to solidify the importance of...
Curated OER
Social Studies:
Students identify various types of breads fromother countries and locate them on maps. In small groups, they make story maps of books that mention bread and make books resembling sandwiches. Students have a bread tasting party and...
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
America Grows - Trailblazers Pave the Way
Learners study the time period after the Revolutionary War when people were striving to move away from the coastal areas and look for pathways to the west. Westerward expansion is a central theme and students use a variety of resources...
Curated OER
Compass Rose for the New Millennium
Sixth graders are introduced to the concepts of a compass rose and how it used in relationship to reading maps in geography. The lesson is meant to build upon prior knowledge and skills.
Curated OER
Where People Start Communities
Explore the difference between man-made and natural features in nature with your students. While not an in-depth look at this topic, it would be a way to introduce this communities in your classroom.
Curated OER
Let Me Tell You About My State
Fifth graders research one of the 50 U.S. States that they were unfamiliar with. For this U.S. Geography lesson, 5th graders utilize encyclopedias as well as the Internet to research a chosen U.S. State in order to write a report....
Curated OER
Lake Tahoe Then and Now
Students investigate the differences in Lake Tahoe from the past to the present. In this geography instructional activity, students read the book Washoe Seasons of Life and identify the descriptions of the land and lake. Students create...
Curated OER
Linguistic Diversity. Languages in Canada - Elementary
Create a language mosaic to reveal the linguistic diversity in your community. Pupils interview a person with a home language other than English and contribute to a bulletin board display representing the variety of languages spoken. The...
Curated OER
Teacher Appreciation Week (Elementary)
Primary writers will create a persuasive essay about Teacher Appreciation Week. Additionally, they will select a quote from a famous person and write a persuasive essay about how it relates to one of their favorite teachers. In the end,...
Curated OER
My Summer Vacation
Students study the United States geography using Google Earth. In this U.S. geography lesson, students create travel journals about five U.S. geographical locations. Students research the human and physical characteristics for each region.
Curated OER
Social Studies: Religions and Folktales of India
Young scholars examine the world's major religions, focusing on India as presented in folktales. They take notes while reading the stories and retell them orally. Students research belief systems and write one-paragraph reflections...
Curated OER
Teaching the Five Themes of Geography Through Picture Books
Read the story Make Way for Ducklings and introduce little ones to the five themes of geography. Reread the story, while displaying transparencies to reinforce the five themes. In groups, learners view pictures and identify the themes on...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Ancient China
Seventh graders examine the contributions and influences of dynasties on Chinese history. They role-play as citizens during selected dynasties and write daily autobiographical entries. Students complete projects on the geography,...
Curated OER
United States Geography and Topography
Fifth graders recognize the major regions of the US while reading a map. Students study the physical features of the US. Student research and report on states and their capitols.
Curated OER
Connections Between World Events, Geography and the Human Quest for Knowledge
Learners examine the relationship between innovations in geography and world events. Using maps, they report different information from a spatial perspective. They develop hypothesis about how man's quest for knowledge has impacted the...
Curated OER
Geography and Architecture
Young scholars discuss how terrain and climate affect the design of houses and commercial structures and thus influence the way architects design buildings in this elementary lesson plan.
National First Ladies' Library
Brrrr! Expeditions to the North and South Poles
Students examine the first successful explorations of the North and South Poles, through a study of the four men who accomplished them. They present the fruits of their research on posters, or with PowerPoint presentations.
Curated OER
Putting the World in Perspective
Students work in small groups to: make a mental map of the world by tearing paper shapes of the seven continents and locating them on a flat surface in their relative positions, compare their finished mental map to a reference world map,...