There is no better way to learn about a subject than with a hands on project. Middle schoolers design and create a product that meets the needs of fictitious clients. They view a PowerPoint, consider how the Western marketing style is...

Students study water conservation. In this water conservation lesson, students investigate the scarcity of water and determine reasons for conserving water.  Students estimate how much water they use in one day and identify ways to...

Students study the basic economic trilogy (scarcity, choice, and costs). In this money management lesson, students use a scenario of a High School Prom to calculate how scarcity, choice and cost apply by completing provided worksheets...

Learners synthesize the concepts of scarcity, supply, and demand, pertaining to the Civil War time period. In this economics lesson, students gain understanding of economic terms through read-alouds, Venn diagrams, (comparing lifestyles...

Third graders use a computer software entitled, Inspiration, in order to create a map or web of what Lewis and Clark should have packed for their journey west. They are given the expectations of the teacher and a scoring guide is...

Students read the book, The Mitten and make a list of animals that moved into the mitten. In this literature instructional activity, students discuss why we like to have nice, warm places to live, and what happens when there isn't enough...

Students assess their daily consumption of oil and petroleum-based products. They examine current global oil supply situation.

Fourth graders reserach the state of Missouri. In this Missouri History activity, 4th graders plan a vacation to a region of Missouri. Students work in collaborative groups to determine all aspects of the trip. Students use math...

First graders examine the significance of the Louisiana Purchase and the journey of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery. They become familiar with the features of the Keelboat Nickel reverse and identify trade goods used by Lewis and...

Students discover the benefits of balanced nutrition. In this service learning lesson, students read Beatrice's Goat and create a poster featuring the Heifer International Project.

Third through fifth graders discover the importance of reading and plan a service project to provide books to children. First, they read the book The Important Book and then they brainstorm about the importance of reading. Afterward,...

Learners explore the energy resources of the ocean. In this energy lesson, students participate in 4 activities focused on energy resources from the ocean.

Students examine the dual roles of producers and consumers in people by creating fictional stories that include examples of both. Their stories include descriptions of the tools and skills needed for the jobs of their characters and...

Fifth graders design a web page. They include features he or she would typically like to see when visiting web pages. They title the topic of the web page "Features That Make a Great Web Site." They explain that there are incentives...

Twelfth graders represent a specific interest in the business community and must present a plan that benefit the community and present the least amount of danger to the community. They must convince the city fathers that their venture is...

Eighth graders are introduced to the "Design Process" for technological development by constructing a prototype of a humane mousetrap. Students must record the steps their design groups go through while designing their prototypes and...

Young scholars read a book to discover the importance of sharing. They predict what will happen in the story. Students use manipulatives to model the story problem. Young scholars follow instructions, measure ingredients, and make...

Students examine the role of scarcity and how to allocate resources. They describe examples of opportunity costs and tradeoffs. They choose a service project based on a cost and benefits analysis. They finally evaluate the impact of the...

Students experience an inequitable resource distribution and electronically calculate their own Ecological Footprint. The assess their resource use and learn more about sustainable living strategies in a video tour by Penn State...

Use this U.S. History unit plan as a template for creating your own! Simply download the resource and edit the text fields with your own customized unit plan. This is a great jumping-off step, especially for newer teachers. 

Young scholars discover the resources that are available for consumer protection. In a database, they are responsible for entering two new vocabulary words each semester along with a sentence using the word. In groups, they create a...

Students study economic terms and create a calendar using digital cameras. They advertise the calendar to the whole student population by making posters and singing an advertising jingle.