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Life Along the Trail
Students explore the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. They read to explain a new topic and write to inform readers of the historic events they explored.
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A Wolf by the Ear
Students examine Thomas Jefferson's complex and contradictory relationship with slavery.
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Flawed Democracies, Human Rights
Learners create drawing that tell a story about a young girl's life in an internment camp. In this internment camp lesson plan, students hear stories and analyze photographs of internment camps and then create their own drawings.
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Jazz in America
Learners participate in a class discussion about jazz music, compare improvisation with regular conversion, listen to various jazz musicians and compare and contrast their individual sounds.
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Let Your Motto Be Resistance: African American Portraits: Grades 3-5
Students explore the contributions of African Americans of the 20th century. In this African American history lesson, students examine portraits of Muhammad Ali, Romare Bearden, Lorraine Hansberry, Judith Jamison, and Leontyne Price in...
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Treasure of the Silk Roads
Students generate world maps that act as creative writing prompts. The prompts reflect on the cultures and history of the past through their own experiences. Students create an original writing sample.
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Innovation of Our Generation
Students brainstorm on the different innovation in their lives today. In this technology lesson, students research one innovation and prepare a speech to convince their classmate to name it the "Innovation of our Generation." They...
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About Abraham Lincoln
Fifth graders complete a unit of lessons on the life of Abraham Lincoln. They read and analyze a poem, create a timeline, write an essay, research The Gettysburg Address and The Emancipation Proclamation, explore websites, and interview...
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My Flag for the Future
Students study the logo or crest that represents their hometown and describe what it means. They create a new logo for the younger members of their hometown after looking at images of symbols from many other cities and towns.
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Carving Mountains
Students explore geography by participating in an illustration activity. In this land-form lesson, students define vocabulary terms associated with glaciers and forests. Students utilize pens, cardboard and pottery clay to draw and...
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The Minerva Mosaic of the Library of Congress: Taking a Closer Look
Students take a closer look at the Minerva Mosaic. In this primary source analysis lesson, students use the provided analysis worksheets to study the Minerva image in the Library of Congress and all that it symbolizes.
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It's Not Conjecture, Look! It's Architecture!
Students examine how architecture reflects historical time periods. They conduct research on the History Detectives website, complete a fact sheet, sequence photographs of different architectural styles, and create an illustration of a...
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Reliving History Through Slave Narratives
Students read slave narratives and retell the stories to the class, identifying sensory details. In this slavery lesson, students discuss the importance of sensory details, then read the slave narratives looking for specific examples. ...
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Making a Pictorial Timeline
Students create a pictorial timeline of a biographical character. In this timeline lesson, students create a slide show illustrating the life of the person from a biography they've read. Students also use Kid Pix to create a pictorial...
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The Renaissance
Fifth graders examine the rise of the Renaissance and the contributions and roles of various groups such as ancient Greeks, Muslim scholars, the aristocracy, the Catholic Church, and tradesmen. They develop and write a report on a...
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Adventures in Exploration
Fifth graders research major explorers in history using their textbook and then create a timeline using Timeline Software. Students participate in class discussions and write an essay about the explorer they researched.
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The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas
Students analyze photographs from an historical perspective. They examine photos on the Study of Spanish-Speaking People of Texas website, complete a worksheet, and write an essay.
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The Study of the Spanish-Speaking People of Texas: Who is Russell Lee?
Students investigate the contributions of the photojournalist Russell Lee. They read a biography of Russell Lee, and create a timeline of Lee's life.
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Be It Resolved: A lesson In Debating
Students examine debating procedures. In teams, students research the effects of European-Aboriginal interaction. Students collect, analyze and interpret information to support their side of the debate.
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Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself
Students investigate the years during World War II in which Japanese Americans living on the West Coast were held in internment camps.
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Our Energy
Fifth graders research energy sources used in the United States. In this energy sources lesson, 5th graders work in teams to research various energy sources. Students complete a worksheet for the research and make a short video of a...
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People and Places
Fifth graders investigate how the geography of the land effected the human experience of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They research using primary and secondary sources, design a map.
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African Americans: 1800 - 1870
Students explore living and working environment of both slave and free African Americans from places throughout the United States.