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Homelessness:Key Terms
Students explore the concept of homelessness. In this social issues lesson, students research homelessness through key terms, in order explore the concept in more depth.
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Group Initiatives
Students explore the names and qualities about members in the group. They each say their name and something about themselves. Students gather around in a circle. They listen to the teacher as he or she says the name of someone and throws...
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Latin American Colonial Diary
Young scholars examine the class systems of New Spain. In small groups, they create a five-day diary about the family life, food, occupation, and government involvement of an assigned personality from the time of Colonial Latin America.
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How does it feel? Why is the Civil Rights Movement so Important?
Fifth graders study the Civil War. In this US history lesson, 5th graders simulate what life was like during the Civil War by having two groups with one group given more materials than the other group. Students then draw a...
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Friendship Line Dancing
First graders explore the characteristics of being a good friend. They observe a puppet and discuss why the puppet is sad. In groups, 1st graders form two lines, facing each other. They practice talking to each person in the line,...
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Finding Your Spot in the World
Students practice locating places on a Thomas Brothers map. For this map skills lesson, students locate places on the map of where their ancestors are from and then practice finding various community places on a map. Students graph the...
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Gender Equity: Gender Role Assignment
Students analyze and compare personal and societal perception of gender roles. In this gender roles lesson, students record their personal point of view on various tasks such as doing dishes or car maintenance. Students then...
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How Will I Use My Resource?
Students review information and characteristics of a businessperson. They work in teams, become a business for the day and practice decision making skills. They create a product from a given resource and make a report about their product.
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What is American Culture
Students create what they feel is American Culture using a video camera and capturing 5 frames. They are animating parts of a poem in small groups. They decide the set up, create movable figures, and have a music section. Each person...
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Maskmaking
Pupils examine masks from various cultures focusing on the Native Americans. Using the internet, they research the purpose of the masks and various designs. They create their own mask showing their own culture and personality and shares...
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Turkey Time
Students move safely in a general direction while practicing their chasing, fleeing, and dodging skills. They practice using a Thanksgiving theme for the activity.
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Around the World
Students explore ways people from around the world are like them. They discuss how geography affects the way people live and work and how culture affects a person's day to day life. Students give a presentation over a chosen country to...
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Grinch Stole Christmas
Students participate in a variety of 'tag'. The "Grinch" is it while "Santa and Mrs. Claus" can free any 'frozen' students. They can work on varied locomotor skills (hopping, walking, jumping)as they navigate the field boundaries
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Perseverance: Keep Going
Kids evaluate world history events that show perseverance by creating artistic images. They investigate historic photographs and images which conjure up the feelings of perseverance, then utilize acrylic paints to capture the...
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Social Studies: Your Family Does What?
Sixth graders compare and contrast their own personal culture with that of Japan. They fill out questionnaires, compile the results, and match them with Japanese answers to the same forms. Students create a Venn diagram of the...
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Social Studies: When in Rome...
Students conduct Internet research on selected countries. They simulate a business trip requiring airplane flights, car rentals, and hotel reservations. They present their virtual trips in written reports after sharing their findings...
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First Day of School: I'll Get to Know You
Students participate in a letter matching game that pairs students so that they can introduce a new friend. They listen to the Shel Silverstein book, The Giving Tree and write a letter to the class telling them what they will give to the...
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Lesson 3: A Visitor From Outer Space
Learners review provisions of Bill of Rights and First Amendment, choose five rights they would like to preserve, support their choices and ideas with reasoned arguments, and discuss consequences of keeping or losing particular rights.
Michigan Sea Grant
Environmental Decision Making
Pupils participate in a board game activity in which landing on a space called "Decision Card" presents them with a land-use situation to consider and decide how to act. In order to advance in Hydropoly, players must think critically and...
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Identifying Career Interests in the Volunteer and Government Sectors
Here is a great way to give your class a real-life job experience, while also serving the community. They explore a variety of volunteer opportunities to build career interests, gain work experience, and help their community grow. This...
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Statehouse Time Capsule
Fourth graders create a time capsule that is representative of their community. They explain why the chosen objects are representative of themselves or their community.
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Undercover-ed
Have your class engage in critical-thinking activities using this resource. Learners discuss a variety of topics they think get too much, or too little, attention from the press. They analyze why these topics are over or underrated....
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Reliving History through Slave Narratives
Helpful for an American literature or history unit, this lesson prompts middle schoolers to examine slavery in the United States. They read slave narratives that were part of the Federal Writers' Project and then conduct their own...
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Getting Out the Vote: An Election Day Classroom Experiment
Students explore through a hands-on experiment why voting is important. They examine the potential impact of deciding not to vote. They they have the opportunity to vote in a mock presidential election if they choose to.