Curated OER
India and Pakistan: Rivals from Birth
Seventh graders, after being divided into two groups, are assigned either Pakistan or India. They conduct research using the Internet, reference books, and magazines. The class compares and contrasts the two countries to find sources of...
Curated OER
The Prairie Climate
Ninth graders research the average temperature and precipitation of a prairie region to determine the type of climate it is, and how it differs from other biomes. They examine the types of adaptions animals have made to live in the...
Curated OER
The Seven Continents Scavenger Hunt
Who doesn't enjoy an engaging scavenger hunt? Here, scholars listen to, and discuss, the informative text, Where is my Continent? by Robin Nelson. They then explore the seven continents and four major oceans using Google Earth.
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Bears and Panthers Aplenty: Early Settlers Make a Home in Arkansas
Young historians research the Southwest Trail, which ran through Arkansas back in the 19th century. Pupils are divided into four groups. Each group researches a pioneer who blazed the Southwest Trail. Then, the group presents an oral or...
Sea World
Whales
A whale of a lesson is sure to intrigue your elementary oceanographers! Learn about the mammals of the sea with a series of activities about whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Kids complete worksheets about the anatomy of a whale, create a...
Chicago Botanic Garden
Faces of Climate Change
How does climate change affect you? First in a three-part series, the activity focuses on how individuals living around the world are affected by climate change. Individuals take on the role of a given character and share their...
Space Awareness
How Light Pollution Affects the Stars: Magnitude Readers
Did you know light can decrease visibility? Light pollution absolutely makes it more difficult to see stars. Scholars build a simple magnitude reader to determine the magnitude of stars. They use these data to estimate the impact of...
Curated OER
The World Game
Second graders participate in a game that familiarizes them with continents, oceans, countries, and states. They sing a song about the earth and decipher clues to location on the earth.
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Discover the Rain Forest
Students research tropical rain forests through the use of trade books, encyclopedias, rain forest videos, and computer searches to determine the effects that human use has on the rain forest.
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To Be Or Not To Be a State? That Is the Question
Eighth graders research Puerto Rico's culture, religion, language, government, etc. and identify differences and similarities with the United States. They participate in a debate about whether or not Puerto Rico should become a state.
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Canada
Fourth graders sample the rich diversity of Canada's people and cultures, glimpse the vastness of Canada's lands and waters, and get an idea of the wealth and variety of its resources, wildlife, and history.
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Community, State, Country
First graders identify the town, county, state, and country in which they reside and the places where people work. They draw a picture of one of the places where people work.
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Meiji Modernization
Students analyze the significance of imperialism on the country of Japan. In groups, they use the internet to introduce themselves to the various Meiji leaders and their plans for the country of Japan. They describe the effects of...
Curated OER
Continents of the World
Second graders participate in a lesson about how people are the same, how people are different and where the continents are located. They go on a trip around the woworld to visit a country in each continent.
Curated OER
The Land of Milk and Honey: Reasons for Migration
Fourth graders analyze migration patterns. In this colonial North Carolina lesson, 4th graders listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of immigrants from Switzerland who settled North Carolina. Students write...
Curated OER
Spice Up Your Life
Second graders identify major spices found in the world. They link spices with countries they are grown in and the uses for these valuable items.
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The Mysteries of El Nino: How Much do We Really Know?
Seventh graders investigate the causes and effects of El Nino and explore its global impact on weather related occurrences through this series of activities.
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Town Growth and Immigration
Fourth graders describe how Michigan has changed and stayed the same over time. They explain reasons why people settled/settle in Michigan, then explain the role of geography on the settlement of Michigan.
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Where in the United States Are We?
Learners spend the lesson identifying the location of the fifty states and the capitals. Using a software program, they retrace te outline of each state numerous times. To end the lesson, they write a story about a state and city of...
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Cartogram of the Great Compromise
Students create cartograms of populations during 1790.
Curated OER
Dinosaurs
Second graders classify and analyze living things by structure and function and make predictions based on observations rather than random guesses. They make predictions about where dinosaurs lived and correctly place their databases onto...
Curated OER
Graphing Ordered Pairs On A Coordinate Plane
Sinking ships, construction paper, coordinate planes, sounds like fun day in math class. Play the game Battleship with your class and reinforce the concept of graphing ordered pairs.
Curated OER
Planning A Vacation Online
If you could travel anywhere in the United States, where would you go? Use this question to interest your fourth, fifth, and sixth graders as they experiment with Mapquest or other direction-based resources. They choose where they'd like...