Curated OER
Scaling the Map
Learners practice determining map distances using the map scales. They discover how much an area represents on the map in relation to the actual area. They decide on the best place to build their cavern.
Curated OER
The Revolt of Juan "Cheno" Cortina
Tenth graders examine the social and cultural impact of immigrant groups and the oppression of ethnic minorities with a focus on the role of Juan Cortina in Mexico. In small groups they discuss what a revolutionary is, read and discuss...
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Westward Expansion
Students locate California and New York on a map and explore available means of travel in the 19th century. Students explore the role of trade in pioneer America and simulate various barter transactions.
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World Hunger - A Cultural Crisis
Students explore the problem of world hunger and starvation. After a class discussion, students use a map to identify specific areas where populations are starving. In groups, students research reasons for the lack of food. They prepare...
ReadWriteThink
Dear Librarian: Writing a Persuasive Letter
Everyone deserves to read a great book! Here, pupils write a persuasive letter to the school's librarian detailing their favorite story and why it should be found on the shelves. Class members' persuasive reading passages are shared with...
Curated OER
Create a World
Students combine imaginative powers with known map-making techniques to create a whole new world.
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The European Conquest of the Americas
Witness the birth of the Americas in this presentation, which details the European Explorers who contributed to adding vital details on our modern-day maps. Viewers' worlds will literally expand after seeing the results of Cortes and the...
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What's Eating Your Ship?
Pupils examine the processes that contribute to the deterioration of shipwrecked in shallow and deep water. In this research lesson students explore shipwrecks and how the deterioration process works. Pupils fill out the questions at...
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Artifacts: Bringing the Past Back to Life -- the Mexican Case
Middle schoolers examine and discuss the meanings of the various symbols in Tenochtitlan. In groups, they complete a part of the model of the city and discuss the importance of finding artifacts. Individually, they choose an a...
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Drought Threatens Huge Man-Made Lake
Students locate Lake Mead, then read a news article about Lake Mead drying up and how that would effect water and power supplies to the region. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and vocabulary...
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Going to the Promised Land
Students analyze primary resources and map in order to draw conclusions regarding the migrant-worker experience during the Great Depression. They explain and explain the impact of economic and ecological events on individuals.
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The Four Corners Region of the United States Cultures, Ruins and Landmarks
Students who live in the inner city are introduced to the four corners region of the United States. In groups, they examine how the region differs compared to where they live and their culture. They develop maps of the area and locate...
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The Formation and Value of Temperate Grasslands
Young scholars study the Temperate Grasslands biome of North America. They explain that it is an endangered ecosystem because the rich soils have been converted to farming in most areas. They view videos imbedded in this plan, then...
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Name the States Worksheet 1
In this name the states worksheet, learners examine 6 state map outlines and identify each of them by writing the state names and postal abbreviations.
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Third Grade Social Studies-Multiple Choice Activity
In this grade 3 social studies activity, 3rd graders complete a set of 25 questions about a variety of topics including geography, types of communities, map and questions about the environment.
National Museum of the American Indian
The A:Shiwi (Zuni) People: A Study in Environment, Adaptation, and Agricultural Practices
Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This instructional activity includes examining a poster's...
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Instruments From Around the World
How much does the environment affect how and what man creates? Children explore the effect of the environment on primitive man as they research raw materials from a specific location. They use their findings to write a short essay about...
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The Conquest of the Aztec Civilization
Students use the classroom atlases, the Internet or textbooks to draw a freehand map. They work in groups using the maps in the book The Broken Spears (Portilla) and The Conquest of New Spain (Diaz) to draw a freehand map identifying...
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Aztec Myths 1
Students write a diary entry or a letter from the viewpoint of a character in a myth. In this Aztec myths lesson, students define myths and read "The Heart of Copil" and "The Eagle of Tenochtitlan" and find the land of the Aztecs on a...
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Where is Mesoamerica?
Students create a map of Mesoamerica using construction paper, clay or by drawing it. In this World Geography activity, students determine the location of Mesoamerica, make a map, then present their map to their class.
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Four Immigrant Groups: Their Lives and Music
Fourth graders examine the experiences of four immigrant groups. Class members brainstorm a list of misconceptions of those groups and discuss if these perceptions are still present today. Using maps, groups locate the countries of...
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American Culture in a Musical Setting
Students discover the significance of similarities and contrasts of three separate cultures of the United States through music. They take out maps and trace the expedition of the Spanish along the coasts of Mexico and North and South...
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Establishing Borders: The Expansion of the United States 1846-48
Students investigate how the United States acquired land after the Revolutionary War ended. For this establishing borders lesson, students use maps to identify territories acquired by the US and the states that later developed. Students...
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Trading Up?
Students explore the benefits and drawbacks of free trade from the perspective of the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and Mexico. For homework, they each write a letter to the editor expressing their personal...