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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lewis and Clark: Prized Possessions

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students consider the role of Sacagawea as part of the Corps of Discovery. In this Lewis and Clark expedition lesson, students discover details about Sacagawea's wampum belt and then create their own wampum belts using their computer and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pilgrims: The First Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time.  In this Thanksgiving activity, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and write a two...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jackie Steals Home

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read articles relating to Jackie Robinson's breaking of the racial barrier in professional baseball. This leads to a deeper exploration of racism in the United States. They use a variety of worksheets imbedded in this plan to...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Road with Marco Polo

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students follow Marco Polo's route to and from China. They explore the geography, local products, culture, and fascinating sites of those regions. They record their findings.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Woodland Indians

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders research Woodland Indians. In this Woodland Indian lesson, 3rd graders have a classroom discussion and write facts about the Miami Indian group. They write a narrative from the perspective of an Indian child.
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Worksheet
Curated OER

Vermont History True / False

For Students 4th - 5th
In this Vermont history worksheet, students read two and a half pages of information about Vermont history. After reading, students complete 10 true or false questions about what they read.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The French in Texas

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders gain a broad understanding of early French exploration and settlement in Texas. They access websites imbedded in this plan. Using their notes, 4th graders work alone or with a partner to create an illustrated journal with...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The French in Texas

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine early French exploration and settlement in Texas. They read handouts, explore Internet websites and take notes, and create an illustrated journal with written entries.
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Interactive
Curated OER

PET Review

For Students 3rd - 5th
In this language review instructional activity, students read about James Cook and complete a fill in the blanks inside the paragraphs about him, read about the western alphabet and complete multiple choice questions, and more. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cabeza de Vaca Meets the Coahuiltecans

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine Cabeza de Vaca's journal and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. They, in groups, design posters that portray the culture of the Coahuiltecan Indians in Texas during the 16th century.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gold Rush Abolitionists: How different was the role of Spanish-speaking blacks under Mexican rule from the role of English-speaking blacks under U.S. rule?

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students determine how Spanish-speaking blacks and English speaking blacks were treated differently. For this emancipation lesson, students compare the Mexican and American rules regarding slavery.     
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lawson's Many Roles

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the life of John Lawson and his many roles he took on during his life. Using their text, they discover the area in which he traveled and lived. They write an essay about his movements and identifying his contacts in...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Effects of the Spanish Conquest

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read and research the effects of the Spanish Conquistadors on the New World. Then they break into small groups and play a game of Jeopardy, using the facts that they have learned.
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Website
University of Calgary

European Voyages of Exploration: 15th & 16th Centuries

For Students 9th - 10th
This award-winning website from the University of Calgary's History Department is both impressive and extensive. It focuses on Portuguese and Spanish expeditions of the 15th and 16th centuries (the sitemap provides a good outline of...
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Article
University of California

Uc Santa Barbara: What Brought the Europeans to America?

For Students 9th - 10th
Short essay addresses reasons that brought the Europeans to America. Covering many important points, he also provides compelling reasons and a map.
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Website
University of Calgary

European Voyages of Exploration: Geography and Cartography

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This site provides information on mapmaking and cartograohy of the early explorers. Includes pictures of maps.
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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: American Passages: Exploring Borderlands:christopher Columbus

For Students 9th - 10th
This passage features explorer Christopher Columbus as an author documenting his travels and experiences through letters and such. Click on "Christopher Columbus Activities" for related artifacts and activities.
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Website
Princeton University

Princeton University Library: Exhibition: Of Maps and Men: Samuel Hearne

For Students 9th - 10th
Entry about eighteenth-century explorer Samuel Hearne, from a larger exhibition about the search for a passage to the Orient through Canada. Hearne is credited with surveying the Coppermine River and with being the first European to view...
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Activity
Princeton University

Strait Through: Magellan to Cook & the Pacific: Ferdinand Magellan

For Students 9th - 10th
An interesting site that recounts Ferdinand Magellan's voyage and his goal of circumnavigating the globe. Included are portraits, drawings, and maps from the Princeton University Library.
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Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Discovery and Exploration

For Students 9th - 10th
This American Memory site documents the discovery and exploration of the Americas with both manuscripts and published maps, many of which date from the European Age of Discovery. The site includes 22 map titles and descriptions, as well...
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Interactive
Other

Uk Data Explorer: European Word Translator

For Students 9th - 10th
Enter one or two lower-case English words to see translations from Google Translate. The translations are superimposed onto the related countries in a map of Europe.
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Graphic
Curated OER

Educational Technology Clearinghouse: Maps Etc: Pre Colonial Africa, 1858

For Students 9th - 10th
Map of Africa in 1858, prior to the extensive European colonization of the continent established at the Berlin Conference of 1885. This map shows the European possessions of the Cape Colony, Natal, and Orange River Free State, and the...
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Graphic
Curated OER

Etc: Maps Etc: Africa Before the Berlin Conference, 1884

For Students 9th - 10th
This is an interesting map of Africa showing the continent before the Berlin Conference of 1885, when the most powerful countries in Europe at the time convened to make their territorial claims on Africa and establish their colonial...
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Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: French and Dutch Exploration in the New World

For Students 9th - 10th
An overview of the French, Dutch, and English explorers in the late 1500's and early 1600's.