Youth Leadership Initiative
Selecting a President: Primaries and Caucuses
What is a party caucus anyway? And what part do caucuses play in the primaries? Everything future voters need to know about the four stages in the presidential selection process is provided by this resource. The 2012 US Presidential...
US Holocaust Museum
Defying Genocide
Defying death. Defying those who want to do harm. Defying genocide. Pupils research the events in Rwanda to gain an understanding of what it takes to survive a horrific event like a holocaust. They use video, time lines, and Holocaust...
Curated OER
EU and Turkey
Should Turkey be admitted to the European Union? Before debating this question, class members research the background and stated purpose of the EU, read articles of Turkey's bid to become a member of the EU, and the concerns other...
Museum of Tolerance
Family Role Model Activity
What does is take to be a role model? Through grand conversation, and the use of books and a graphic organizer, scholars find out and apply the requirements to identify a role model within their family. They then journey through the...
Curated OER
The Poetry of Chinese Immigration
Numerous people from China immigrated to the US during the era of industrialization and expansion. Provide your class with a glimpse into the life of a Chinese immigrant through the poetry they left behind. They then compose a poem of...
Library of Congress
Industrial Revolution
Could you live without your phone? What about cars, steel, or clothing? Class groups collaborate to produce presentations that argue that either the telephone, the gramophone, the automobile, the textile industry, or the steel industry...
Curated OER
English Perspectives
To further their understanding of the basis of the conflicts between the Pocumtucks and the English settlers, class members research the religious beliefs and attitudes of the Puritan farmers that settled in Deerfield, Ma.
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The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854: Popular Sovereignty and the Political Polarization over Slavery
Why did Stephen Douglas support the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854? Why did Abraham Lincoln oppose it? Young historians examine how the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854 affected the political balance between free and slave states and explore how...
Agriculture in the Classroom
Farmland: GMOs and Organic Agriculture
Learn more about genetic modification, organic farming, and the role of biotechnology in agriculture by watching a documentary that shows how newly gained knowledge can be applied to specific situations involving farmers and the choices...
Curated OER
Paws in Jobland: Lesson Plan 25 - People in our School
Students brainstorm a list of jobs that exist in their own school and its surrounding environment. In this activity on careers, students create a map of the school and locate on the map where each job takes place. Next, the class divides...
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Naming the States of the U.S
Fifth graders study the 50 states on a map. In this social studies activity, 5th graders identify the names of the states and location. Additionally, students work in small groups to name and locate as many states as they can on a blank...
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Expanding Map Vocabulary
First graders name the vocabulary words in Navajo, Ute and Spanish for the cardinal directions.
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The Roman Empire
Pupils use the internet to research a list of people, places and events from the Roman Empire (753 BC to 476 AD) in this lesson intended for a Social Studies classroom at the middle school level. The lesson suggests using Wikipedia.org...
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Pearl Harbor
Young scholars identify the location of Pearl Harbor and Hawaiian Islands on a map. In this map skills lesson, students use latitude and longitude coordinates to locate various places of importance of the Pearl Harbor attack.
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Who Dropped What into the Melting Pot?
Students show the movement of people to the United States from other countries on maps. They study the geographic cultural roots of foods that contribute to the melting pot of food in America. They research where an ingredient comes from...
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The Solid South Switcharoo
Learners examine primary sources. In this lesson on political parties, students view historic documents, speeches, and photos to trace the rise and fall of particular political parties. Learners will be looking at the success of each...
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Aztec History
Students explore facets of Aztec history. In this ancient civilizations instructional activity, students map landmarks in Mexico, read excerpts from The Sad Night: The Story of an Aztec Victory and a Spanish Loss, by Sally Mathews and...
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Seven Wonders of the World: The Great Pyramids
Students explore the Great Pyramids. In this lesson on Egyptian culture, students use primary sources to examine Egyptians. Students will design and draft blue prints of their own pyramid.
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Balanced Literacy: Presidents
Pupils participate in a unit (all lessons on the same page) to explore the Presidents of the United States. They choose one President to write a mini-book about, create a puppet and an original puppet show to perform about their chosen...
Curated OER
How To Find a Site
Fourth graders identify the three basic needs of humans. They identify on a map the best places to live and make a list of items that they can find on a map - streams, river, hills, plains, forests, etc.
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Introduction to World Religions - Hinduism
Sixth graders explore Hinduism. In this world religions lesson, 6th graders listen to a lecture about the attributes of the religion and then listen to and perform parts of The Remayana. Students also complete a map activity based on the...
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Inference By Analogy
Students infer the use or meaning of items recovered from a North Carolina Native American site based on 17th-century European settlers' accounts and illustration.
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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...
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Case Study: Hutu and Tutsi
Students analyze the ethnic conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi in Rwanda and Burundi. They identify the three elements of ethnic conflict, read a handout and answer questions, examine a timeline, conduct research, and write an essay.