Curated OER
Tracing Our Own Family Pilgrimages
The Pilgrims may have arrived in North America by way of the Mayflower, but chances are, your class members' ancestors came to the United States in another way. Guide them through an exploration of their own heritage, countries of...
US Mint
Symbols in My Eyes
Explore the hidden meanings behind the images on US currency with this elementary school lesson on symbolism. Starting with a class discussion about symbols, children go on to brainstorm different objects that represent the Unites...
Federal Reserve Bank
Messy Bessey's Holidays
Teach your class some fairly complex terms—factors of production, human resources, capital resources, natural resources, and intermediate goods—with a storybook (Messy Bessey's Holidays), plenty of visuals and handouts, and related...
Curated OER
Mapping a Garden
Students study the components of a map, particularly the legend, the key, the symbols and the area. They develop their own map of a garden that they can plant in a future science lesson.
Curated OER
My World
Students study maps. In this social studies lesson, students draw a map of either their room at home or the route they take to school. Students label items on their maps.
Curated OER
A Place of My Own: A Study of Maps
Students investigate maps. They demonstrate their knowledge about maps and place landforms in the proper place as they create salt dough maps. They create a geography folder as well.
Teaching Tolerance
Community Bulletin Board
A project-based lesson has pupils create a bulletin board to share artwork, nonfiction articles, and messages based on social justice themes. The finished board is displayed in the community to create a place for discussion.
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Maps and Homelands
You are never too young to learn about maps. To better understand the concept of a homeland, students work together to construct a map of their local area out of paper puzzle pieces. They'll put the maps together and then add details by...
Curated OER
If You Were a Pioneer on the Oregon Trail
Students examine what it was like to travel west on the Oregon Trail. They develop a list of questions about the trip, explore various websites, and create a story about the experiences of a 19th century family travelling on the Oregon...
World Globes & Maps
United States Map- Intermediate Directions
Young scholars identify the four intermediate directions. For this map skills lesson, students use post-it notes to label the four intermediate directions on a map. Young scholars locate various states using intermediate directions.
Curated OER
T-shirt Passport Lesson Plan
Students locate their t-shirt place/name on maps, then share facts/artifacts (souvenirs) from their place/name location orally with whole class. They create a database using information gathered from the whole class.
Curated OER
Mapping Your State's Role in the Vietnam War
Students recognize reasons to celebrate Memorial Day. Students create a map of victims of the VIetnam War. Using the internet, students research information about soldiers from their state who were killd in action in Vietnam. Students...
PBS
Around the Block
Arthur and his friends help children explore the concepts of family, community, and diversity in a fun series of activities. From performing peer interviews to mapping out the different places students have lived or visited, this...
Stanford University
Ruby Bridges
A two-part lesson features Civil Rights hero, Ruby Bridges. Part one focuses on the heroic actions of Ruby Bridges then challenges scholars to complete a Venn diagram in order to compare themselves to her. Part two begins with a...
Curated OER
Celebrate Hanukkah in Israel
Explore Hanukkah and its origins with a social studies lesson. Learners discover the history of Hanukkah and its traditions. They locate Israel on a map, hear the story of the menorah and create their own...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 4: The Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans, and Us
Learners review knowledge gained in the three-part unit on the history of the alphabet. Using maps and images, learners consolidate their understanding of ancient Greece, the Romans and the Phoenicians, and their respective impacts...
Teaching Tolerance
Community Puzzle Mural
Every piece of the puzzle is important. A lesson gives individuals the opportunity to create artwork that spreads a message of inclusion and tolerance. Class members work in teams to create pieces of the mural that form a larger picture....
Teaching Tolerance
Buddy Share
Here's a project that gives academics the chance to share their opinions on social justice with storytelling, creative writing, or art. Scholars choose what they want to create and are assigned buddies to support their efforts. To...
Peace Corps
Community
What is a community? Find out with a lesson that sheds light onto the different types of communities—school, local, and global. Scholars read informational text detailing the life of a young girl from Cape Verde and take part in a...
Curated OER
Introduction to the United States Map
Learners identify a map of the United States. In this United States map lesson, students study a map of the United States and find various locations on the map. Learners then locate and list the state that touches their state.
Curated OER
Our States, My State
Here is a very nice lesson on the shape of the United States, and the shapes of the individual states for your young geographers. They utilize worksheets embedded in the plan to color in a variety of states and to become familiar with...
Core Knowledge Foundation
Thanksgiving with the Pilgrims
Teach kindergartners about the First Thanksgiving with a series of lessons about the Pilgrims' journey to the New World. As they practice handwriting, CVC words, reading comprehension, and fun Thanksgiving songs, they learn about what...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
More Tribal Homelands
Here is a very fun idea that introduces young learners to how geographical location affects cultural development. They are introduced to four areas where Native Americans have lived in the past by reading stories and examining images....
Peace Corps
Family
Family traditions are the focus of a instructional activity that explores the lives of children in India and those in your classroom. Scholars examine their own family roles and traditions, then respond to an informative text...