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Pottery-making Methods
Students become experimental archaeologists using three methods of pottery making before the invention of the pottery wheel.
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If These Objects Could Talk
Students examine American Indian artifacts through historical, cultural and artistic lenses. They explore the philosophy behind the Smithsonian Institute's new museum to honor American Indian history and traditions.
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Industrial Revolution in America: Exploring the Effects of the Heat Engine on the Growth of Cities
Eighth graders examine the reasons for the growth of cities in North American. Using the internet, they research the causes and effects of the Industrial Revolution and determine if the growth of cities is a sign of progress. They...
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An Age of Exploration
Students investigate U.S. history by examining North American timelines. In this American exploration lesson, students research the events that led to Columbus finding America and participate in a jeopardy game regarding his adventure....
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Health Enhancement Traditional Games
Fourth graders participate in Tribal games. In this tribal nations lesson, 4th graders play games that help improve on the physical skills for survival, invention, and problem solving. They discuss what is needed for survival and how...
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Pumpkins . . . Not Just Part of Halloween
Students study the pumpkin. In this pumpkin lesson plan, students participate in different activities that explain the history of pumpkins and how pumpkins develop and grow, read "The Great Pumpkin Story" and answer comprehensive...
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Volunteering Requires Freedom of Choice
Students explore ways to volunteer. In this volunteerism and philanthropy lesson plan, students brainstorm how the early Americans benefited from philanthropy, then discuss how others benefit from our philanthropy and how we choose ways...
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Creating a Pot: Repetition as a Unifying Design Element
Students use subjects, themes, and symbols that demonstrate knowledge of contexts, values, and aesthetics that communicate intended meaning in artworks.
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Navajo Shoe Game
Students in a Navajo community research the traditional shoe game. They interview community elders and find out how shoe game is played and the songs that are sung while playing it. They attend a shoe game and compare their research to...
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Before the White Men Came to Nisqually Country
Students work individually, or in pairs, to complete the questions on the "Map Activity" worksheet.
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Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Students make deductions about life in an internment camp by reading and comparing letters written to Clara Breed. Along the way, they consider the advantages of looking at a historical event from the multiple points of view of...
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News Interviews of Historical Figures During the Indian Wars
Students examine the lives of important historical figures. Using primary source documents, they develop a list of questions to ask the figure if they were still alive. In groups, they discover information about the other historical...
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Plows on the Hunting Grounds: The Indian Allotment Act of 1887
Students discuss the Indian Allotment Act. In this social studies lesson, students research a selected tribe and write a report on their selected tribe.
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Rituals/traditions with Gullah religion
Sixth graders discuss some of the earliest people who lived in each region in order to comprehend how humans interacted with the environmental conditions at that time. They make connections to present-day regions including...
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Freedom Fighters Throughout American History
Pupils use the internet to research people who have contributed to the cause of freedom. They identify examples of freedom which are important to them and categorize them. In groups, they create a timeline of the Freedom Fighters and...
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Kiskiack: Changing Architectural Landscape
Learners compare and contrast the changing Native and English colonial architectural landscape of the 17th and 18th centuries. Students research and evaluate how economic technology, and the environment reflected cultural changes in the...
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The Homestead Act
Eighth graders analyze the Native American's viewpoint of the Homestead Act. Using one Native American group who lived in Nebraska, they write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper discussing the Homestead Act and how it affected...
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Native Species Restoration and its Impact on Local Populations
Students watch video clips of ecosystems and answer questions relating to them.
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The Colonization of the United States
Bring the Age of Exploration into the 21st century with this ancestry activity! Learners get a chance to explore the complex genealogy of the Spanish settlers through watching two video clips (approximately five minutes each) featuring...
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Land is the Basis of All Independence
Young scholars develop debating and analytical thinking skills. They take a position in the Back-to-Africa discussion, based upon any readings and the two opposing essays they read. In groups, they discuss an issue from two different...
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Celebrate Colonial Maryland
Students research colonial Maryland. In this colonial Maryland instructional activity, students participate in a WebQuest to investigate how families led their lives long ago. Students compare family and city life from long ago and...
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Civilizations of the Americas
Study and compare multiple aspects of both Aztec and Inca civilizations. Young historians explain how each of the empires came to be, and how they were both defeated by the Spanish. The resource starts out as a good instructional...
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Anishinabe - Ojibwe - Chippewa: Culture of an Indian Nation
Students investigate the American Indian tribe of the Chippewa. They identify the different names of the Anishinabe/Ojibwe/Chippewa nation, conduct a research project, explore various websites, and present their group research projects.
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Myth and Truth: The First Thanksgiving
Encourage learners to think critically about common myths regarding the Wampanoag Indians in Colonial America. They discover that behind every myth are many possible explanations—and that learning more about American history helps them...