School Improvement in Maryland
Regulatory Agency
Five governmental regulatory agencies are tasked to respond to market failure. Groups investigate the roles of each of these agencies as well as the social, economic, and political impact of their actions.
Classroom Law Project
Who are the major candidates and where do they stand?
Who were the candidates in the 2008 US Presidential election and where did they stand on important issues? Use a resource that offers an opportunity to go back in time and examine candidates and issues involved in that election year.
Curated OER
Does My hair Disrupt Your Learning?
Students use the internet to research ways to save and earn money. They interview bankers and financial counselors to discover different types of investments. Students create public service announcements to inform their classmates of...
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What's In A Name? British Surnames Derived from Occupations or Professions
Students examine British surnames that are derived from family occupations. They investigate some of the more common names that are still prevalent today.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Guest-Worker Program
The U.S. Guest-Worker Program and the H-2A visa are the focus of a social studies activity. First, class members assume the role of advisors who must present the president with four proposals that would amend the visas given to...
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Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu's Golden Age of Scholarship
Students access online information regarding education in Timbuktu and the mighty Songhai Empire. They write an essay comparing and contrasting the curriculum of the university at Sankore with that of their own school.
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Non-Western Economic Values
Students engage in a game of economic exchange that present a variety of perspectives on wealth. They read scenarios and write a journal response to the scenario. They discuss how we use money in the Western culture and discuss how...
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Put It In Print
Students research immigration reform and immigrant experiences in Indiana. They form their own opinions and voice them. They role-play editors and writers of a newspaper to get their information across.
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Abenaki Indians: A Jigsaw Activity
Learners work together to research the Abenaki Indians. They discover how the Native Americans lives where changed after contact with the Europeans. They compare and contrast the Indians and the Europeans and present their information to...
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People, Places and Environments
Middle schoolers predict a future for Gary, IN and US Steel Works. They explain how their own town would change if US Steel built this large of a facility in it and discuss why or shy not their town would have been an alternative to...
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Freed Slaves
Students are given the identify of a newly freed slave at the end of the Civil War. Students participate in a discussion to explore some of the difficulties and decision making freed slaves had to consider. Students present their...
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Seeking a Fortune in 18th Century Maritime Boston
Study the Revolutionary War era practice of recruiting seamen to prey upon the British shipping industry, and discuss the impact this practice had on the Colonial war efforts. Learners read and interpret recruiting advertisements for...
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Aquaculture: Down on the Salmon Farm
Students examine the changing practices of aquaculture. They discuss the short term and long term consequences stemming from fish farming.
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Charity Begins At Home
Students read and discuss "Prosperity Extends Its Reach, but Not Far Enough to Benefit All," and examine the difficulty, for the working poor, in making ends meet, and propose philanthropic solutions.
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What's in a Willow?
Students study of nutritional value of edible native plants. discriminate between foods that have nutritional value and those that do not. They relate how food can affect how they think, feel, and perform.
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EXTRA! EXTRA! Read all About It!
Students are able to synthesize information on increasing regulatory reforms during the Progressive Era through individual research and presentation of material. They are responsible for a list of regulatory reforms with dates and...
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California Crops
Young scholars explore agriculture by researching the native food crops of California. Students define a list of agriculture vocabulary terms and analyze maps of California which explain which foods come from which area. Young scholars...
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Artificial Reef
Pupils conduct online research to determine how and why artificial reefs are created, and investigate how they benefit marine life and the marine ecology.
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Canada's Forests and Resource Management
Students are introduced to the Canadian forest industry so that they may assess the economic and environmental sustainability of the industry.
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The Issues-Substance not Style
Students continue to develop criteria for evaluating candidates, consider personal qualities needed in the presidency, and compare candidate's qualifications for office. They write in their journals: "What issues get the most air time or...
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Mardi Gras Quilt
Students investigate the concept of Mardi Gras and how it is celebrated in Louisiana. They use technology in order to create interest in the form of a video. Students create a quilt template using the internet to copy and paste images.
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Mapping Community Values
Students discuss the origin of various maps focusing on the values behind them. Students also explore how human needs and geography influence community settlement patterns. Students extend learning by creating and mapping their own ideal...
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Tree Identification
Students list four ways to identify trees. In this tree identification instructional activity, students use tree identification techniques such as leafs, bark, wood grain, soil type, and climate to create tables and graphs.