Alabama Learning Exchange
Exploring Explorers
Middle schoolers gather information about a 15th to 17th century explorer and prepare a script in talk show format about the individual. Finally, students make a video following the script and present it to the class.
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Lives of Native Americans and Settlers
Students assess the effect of contact between the Native Americans and Europeans after 1492. They explore the lives of the early European colonists and the Native Americans living along the East Coast of North America. Lesson contains...
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Early Travel Routes
Students explore explorers in the Pacific Northwest by examining primary source documents. After the research is finished students write a journal as if they were one of the explorers. Visual aids are needed as well.
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Early Explorers
Fourth graders examine how the early explorers from Spain and England competed in their search for riches and new lands. They read and discuss text from their book, participate in a debate, and create a poster.
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Major American Water Routes
Sixth graders locate and identify the major bodies of water and waterways in the United States. Through a simulation activity, they describe how early explorers would have described their surroundings. Working in groups, they create...
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Settlement Exploration: Then and Now
NASA has crafted an imaginative and memorable series of lessons, "NASA and Jamestown Education Module." This lesson is one of the five components. In it, middle schoolers connect history and science by comparing the settlement of...
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It’s a Big, Big World
Students examine the role of the explorers. For this explorers and conquistadors, students create word puzzles (Wordles) regarding the time period in history. Students conduct research regarding a particular explorer and create foldables...
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Early Explorers
Fifth graders study early explorers. In this World history lesson, 5th graders draw an outline of a map labeling each part, build geographical features out of dough, and paint each of the land and water features.
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Great Explorers
Students research an explorer and present a multimedia presentation on the explorer. In this United States explorers lesson plan, students watch a video about Lewis and Clark. Students use Google Earth to study their journey and keep a...
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Tribal Truths
Students research and analyze the interactions of American Indian tribes with Meriwether Lewis and iam Clark. Then they stage displays to inform the public about their findings.
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Exploration and Settlement of the American Southwest
Students scrutinize the Zuni Pueblo Revolt in this seven lessons unit on early Spanish explorers in the American southwest. The discovery of the Spanish missions, the search for the seven cities of gold, and particular geological...
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Meso-America
Students will identify and locate Central and South America and their countries and features, as well as Meso-American civilizations. Students will compare civilizations and discuss voyages of relevant explorers.
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Pilgrims: The First Americans
Fifth graders become familar with the pilgrims and first Thanksgiving through essays about important people of the time. In this Thanksgiving lesson plan, 5th graders choose an important figure from the time of the Pilgrims and...
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Exploring Indiana's Natural Resources
Fourth graders complete a variety of activities as they study the European exploration of the Midwest, focusing on Indiana. They map the path explorers took, comparing the British with the French. They research why the explorers stopped...
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The French in Texas
Fourth graders use Internet to examine early French exploration and settlement in Texas, and write journal entries from point of view of 17th Century French settler, French or Spanish explorer, or Native American whose land was taken.
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Settling Nroth America: Improvisation and Playwriting
Middle schoolers map the classroom by marking the movement of the first Americans' migration from Alaska down into North America. To improve their skills in map-reading and sense of direction, students identify physical features of the...
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Lift and Drag: Principles of Flight and the Soaring Imagination
Students construct models of early gas balloons and gliders. In this balloon and glider lesson, students create models of early gas balloons and gliders, discover how the forces of lift and drag effect aircraft in flight, and put on...
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Powerful Potato
Third graders make food. For this agriculture lesson, 3rd graders learn about the history of the potato. Students then plant potatoes, harvest them, and make french fries, potato salad or potato soup.
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The Role of Fire in Healthy Prairie, Brush and Forest Lands
Students create a Venn diagram to compare and contrast wildfires and prescribed fires. In this earth science lesson plan, students conduct a series of experiment to explore fire characteristics. They describe favorable conditions to...
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Scientists and Inventors
Students explore human discovery by reading historical stories in class. For this inventors lesson, students define the terms scientist, invention, inventor and discovery before discussing the many differences between them. Students read...
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Kansas Prairie Homes
Students read about settlers in Kansas and the adaptations they made in order to build different kinds of houses. In this Kansas settlers lesson plan, students participate in choral reading and retell information they learn.
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Cabeza de Vaca Meets the Coahuiltecans
Students examine the difference between primary and secondary sources by examining the journal of Cabeza de Vaca and creating a poster about the Coahuitecan Indian groups. They portray a scene of the groups in 16th Century south Texas.