TPS Journal
Sourcing a Document: The First Thanksgiving
How reliable is a painting of the first Thanksgiving if it was created 300 years after the fact? Learners assess the validity of a primary source image to determine what it can actually reveal about this event.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama's Steps to Statehood
To demonstrate their understanding of the steps Alabama took to become a state, groups create a poster that identifies what the United States Constitution and the Northwest Ordinance required of a territory to become a state.
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Peas in a Pod: Genetics
Can peas have grandparents? Learn about inherited traits and heredity with a set of activities focused on Mendelian genetics. As your class learns about the process of passing traits along in Punnett squares, they take on the role of...
Curated OER
The Greek Gods
What were the early Greek myths? Have elementary students examine the Persian Wars and read various Greek myth in order to identify the cause and the results of the Persian Wars. Myths, activities, simulations, and a unit plan are links...
Curated OER
Google Earth Virtual Vacation
Learners explore different areas of America by using the internet and the "Google Earth" website in this interactive, social studies lesson for late elementary students. This lesson includes a resource link to download a free program to...
Curated OER
Paleogeographic Mapping (o.k. Fossils Are Neat But What Good Are They?)
Students examine how evidence from fossils can be used in paleogeographic interpretation. They gain experience in developing multiple hypotheses.
Curated OER
MAPPING A RESEARCH SITE AND COLLECTING AND PRESENTING POPULATION DATA
Sixth graders are to answer research questions based on data they collect.
Curated OER
The Future of Social Studies Education
Learners work in groups of four and complete a roster of their names and personal information and to complete a release form that allows their pictures to be placed online. They then engage in classroom activities while being...
Curated OER
Discover Your World
Fifth graders, in groups, locate a place on a map where the group would like to visit, research the place then write a complete report on the outcome of the findings. They groups must make a cooperative oral presentation to the class.
Curated OER
Friends in the Community
Second graders build a classroom community by getting to know each other better. They ask classmates various questions and use graphic organizer software and Microsoft PowerPoint. Students practice their oral language skills while asking...
Curated OER
Where Am I?
Second graders listen to a Japanese folk tale called "The Traveling Frogs". They role play the story using puppets or costumes. They locate Japan on a map and discuss several geography topics. They independently write about ways they...
Curated OER
Lesson 8-The Changing Environment: Good or Bad?
Second graders, after listening to "A River Ran Wild," explore all the ways the natural environment has changed and how it affects the community and the people who reside within it. They collect data by interviewing a community member,...
Curated OER
Thematic Unit on Cats
Students discover in which climates the cats of the world live in. They review the different climates of the world and use maps and globes to help them locate continents.
Curated OER
Namib From Space
Students view photos of the Namib Desert from space as they appear on the World Wide Web. They study the photos and identify landmarks from space as they examine how to collect information from the Internet for a class presentation.
Curated OER
Cotton Journey
Students use "Cotton Journey-A Field Trip In A Box" kit to relate the significance of cotton to the Civil War period and to study the cotton industry in general.
Curated OER
The Name Jar
Students participate in a lesson that focuses on the literature of Korea. "The Name Jar" is read by students to practice some essential reading skills. This would include the recognition of sequence in a story, characterization, and...
Curated OER
The Yangtze River: Lifeline of China
Students locate the Yangtze river on a map, and label major cities and landmarks. Students identify and interpret the diversity of the people living along the Yangtze. Students explain the pros and cons of the
Three Gorges Dam project.
Curated OER
What Is That Bubblin¿¿¿ In My Back Yard?
Students create a map plotting local sites the Environmental Protection Agency has on its EPA Regulated Sites list. They discuss the need for citizens to, at a minimum, be aware of potential pollution hazards in their community.
Curated OER
Weather
Fourth graders study a map and locate cities, read information and create a chart. In this weather lesson students place appropriate weather information on a map and write a script using their information to relay the weather to the...
Curated OER
Care for Teeth
Learners study how to care for their teeth, and they study what happens if they don't clean their teeth.
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
An Ancient Greek and Roman Festival
Third graders label a map of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and do a written report on one element of these two cultures. They participate in discussions of food, farming, daily life and government (among others). Students use the...
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
Military Tactics and Battle Plans Oh Boy!
Eighth graders compare and contrast a Loyalist and a Patriot. After reading selected pages in the book, 8th graders use a graphic organizer to examine the battle plans of the colonists and the British during the Revolutionary War. They...