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
Journey to Gettysburg
Students use latitude and longitude to map the path of the Battle of Gettysburg.
Center for History and New Media
Slavery and Free Negroes, 1800 to 1860
What was life like for enslaved and free black people before the American Civil War? Explore the building tension between states and the freedom of individuals with a thorough social studies lesson. Learners of all ages explore primary...
Curated OER
State Names: Frequency
Data grathers determine the frequency of specified data. They identify the frequency that specified letters occur in the names of all 50 states. They create stem-and-leaf plots, box-and-whisket plots and historgrams to illustrate the data.
Civil War Trust
Civil War Soldier: Experiencing the Battle of Franklin
Fighting a war over home soil makes a living nightmare even more real. Class members describe the experience of a Civil War soldier during the Battle of Franklin, poised right at a major turning point of the war, after researching the...
Curated OER
A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution
Sit back, relax, and transport to 1787! This lesson on the Constitution begins with guided imagery of the Constitutional Convention. The class reads A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution in an interactive read-aloud...
US Environmental Protection Agency
Mapping Greenhouse Gas Emissions Where You Live
After investigating the US Environmental Protection Agency's climate change website, your environmental studies students discuss greenhouse gas emissions. They use an online interactive tool to look at data from power production...
Curated OER
Tears of Joy Theatre Presents Anansi the Spider
Accompany the African folktale, Anansi the Spider, with a collection of five lessons, each equipped with supplemental activities. Lessons offer multidisciplinary reinforcement in English language arts, social studies, science, and arts...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands
The Mexican-American War created social borders—not just physical ones. Scholars learn about the effects of the Mexican-American War on the people living in the borderlands using text excerpts, maps, and partnered activities. Academics...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Conflict in Alabama in the 1830s: Native Americans, Settlers, and Government
To better understand the Indian Removal Act of 1830, class members examine primary source documents including letters written by Alabama governors and the Cherokee chiefs. The lesson is part of a unit on the expansion of the United...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders and Community: Early 20th Century Chicago Neighborhoods and Ethnic Enclaves
Chicago is one city, four neighborhoods, and countless nationalities. The lesson explores the ethnic division of Chicago in the early twentieth century. Academics read primary sources, analyze maps, and tour an online exhibit to...
Smithsonian Institution
We Have a Story to Tell: Native Peoples of the Chesapeake Region
How did colonial settlement and the establishment of the United States affect Native Americans in the Chesapeake region? Your young historians will analyze contemporary and historical maps, read informational texts, and work in groups to...
Advocates for Human Rights
Human Rights Defined
Class members continue their investigation of the factors that influence migration with a lesson plan on human rights. As they examine the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and selected US Constitutional Amendments, learners compare...
American Battle Monuments Commission
Honoring Service, Achievements, and Sacrifice: A WWI Virtual Field Trip
The largest offensive in United States military history comes alive in a online interactive resource. Young historians explore the Meuse Argonne battlefield and scour the landscape for evidence from the battle. They then use primary...
Curated OER
Where is Kansas?
Students explore U.S. Geography by analyzing a map. In this state vs. country lesson, students utilize a U.S. map and locate the state of Kansas before researching the history and customs of the state. Students collaborate as a class to...
Curated OER
Community Treasures (Rivers and Trees): An Integrated Curriculum Unit
Third graders demonstrate an understanding of geography and its effects on lifestyles and culture. Then they apply basic economic terms and principles
and identify the United States government and history. Students also identify and...
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources to Discover Reconstruction
Fifth graders discover how reconstruction had an impact on racial issues in the United States. In this Reconstruction lesson, 5th graders are introduced to primary vs. secondary resources and then rotate through stations to view...
Curated OER
Presidential Places
Students investigate American presidential landmarks throughout the continental United States. They research and analyze American presidential landmarks to determine their value to American history and how they have been preserved over...
Curated OER
The United State of NATO
Students examine the past fifty years of NATO, focusing specifically on NATO's involvement and actions in conflicts around the world and the results of their involvement.
Curated OER
Transporting Coal
Some really interesting worksheets on Amtrak's national routes, and the major river systems of the United States accompany this lesson on the transportation of coal throught the country. This is an exceptionally well-designed lesson that...
Curated OER
Effects of Urban Growth
Learners explore population growth in the United States and the impact it has had on society. First, they brainstorm the reasons for population growth and the results of these increases. Then, they design surveys, record results, and...
Curated OER
Follow the Light
Students investigate the role of lighthouses in navigation and practice the use of cardinal directions through reading activities, discussion, locating geographical features, and mapping lighthouses along the east coast of the United...
Curated OER
History Close to Home
Students examine primary sources as related to Nevada and the Civil War. In this United States history lesson, students gather and analyze various primary sources in small groups and interpret unknown vocabulary words by using context...
Curated OER
An Early American Culture
Students identify the locations of the Hopewell culture. In this map skills lesson, students use a globe to mark several locations of the Hopewell culture.