Mary Pope Osborne, Classroom Adventures Program
The Backpack Travel Journals
Strap on those backpacks, it's time to travel through history with this literature unit based on the first four books of The Magic Tree House series. While reading through these fun stories, children create story maps, record...
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...
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Playground Mapping
Students convert their physical models of a playground from a previous lesson into a map of the playground that includes a scale and key. They examine and discuss examples of maps, view an image to map photo essay, and create a map using...
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Social Studies:
Young scholars identify various types of breads fromother countries and locate them on maps. In small groups, they make story maps of books that mention bread and make books resembling sandwiches. Students have a bread tasting party...
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Scaling it Down: Caves Have Maps, Too
Measurement and map skills are the focus of this lesson, where students crawl through a "cave" made out of boxes, desks and chairs, observing the dimensions. Your young geographers measure various aspects of the cave and practice...
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Survivor Stories
Trace a survivor's story using a timeline, map skills, poetry and/or prose and photography, and make a visual representation of a survivor's journey through his or her life as a culminating activity for the class and the survivor....
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Every Building Tells a Story
Examine images from past that depict buildings and towns from their own communities, and compare images with photographs taken at present locations, interview local architect and compare role of 19th Century architect to 21st Century...
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Pirate Map
Students write directions explaining how to get from one location to another by using a map of their town and use simple maps to identify and locate places.
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...
VT FEED
The Origins of Civilization and Agriculture: Integrating the Study of Food
What role has food played in the rise and changing nature of civilizations? Here you'll find a fantastic set of lessons and materials on such topics as where food is grown in the United States, the food of ancient peoples,...
Curated OER
2nd Grade - Act. 21: Me On the Map
Second graders read book, Me On the Map, and create map of their bedroom and of their house.
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As the Kids Come and Go: Mapping a Classroom
Map the classroom with your kids to help them understand how maps work and how to read them. The lesson starts off with a story about animals living and moving around the globe, and then kids create maps of their classroom to show how...
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Fairy Tale Maps
Students study direction as they listen to the stories of Little Red Riding Hood and The Jolly Postman. In this cardinal direction lesson plan, learners create a map to show the path Little Red Riding Hood took in the story and label the...
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Do the Tallywalker
Students study the basics of mapmaking, then make a tally walker, (geographic location device used in secret).
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Social Studies: Adinkra Printing
First graders demonstrate a sense of artistic composition by creating shapes and symbols in the pattern of African Adinkra printing. They use glue to create a raised design and then print it on colored paper. Students use symbols from...
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Native Americans in Arkansas: The Quapaw
The Quapaw Indians of Arkansas are the focus of this American history lesson plan. Learners discover many aspects of the Quapaw culture, such as their dwellings, social organization, food, and how the tribe was eventually driven out of...
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Australian Aboriginal Art And Storytelling
Students explore Aboriginal storytelling traditions through the spoken word and through visual culture. They listen to stories of the Dreamtime told by the Aboriginal people and investigate Aboriginal storytelling in contemporary dot...
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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...
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Creating Stories Using Pictographs
Fourth graders research pictograph stories written by Native Americans. They investigate the history behind pictographs, and look through a reference book identifying the different pictures. The teacher then create their own individual...
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Story Quilt Project
Learners investigate how quilt making was a family and community activity. They read and discuss books, complete various handouts, and create a paper quilt celebrating philanthropic activities.
Teaching Tolerance
Fairness Fair
How can we create a more fair world? Chances are, class members have some ideas! After reading a text about fairness, individuals create skits around the ideas of fairness. Extend the learning and make their presentations a...
Teaching Tolerance
Inventing a Better World
From play pumps that provide clean water to shoes made from trash, innovators change the world one invention at a time. After researching various inventions, young entrepreneurs develop their own. Extension opportunities include prompts...
Curated OER
Where is Flat Stanley?
Learners create a story map of the basic elements and significant events of the book Flat Stanley. Students brainstorm places they would like to visit if they had been flattened and then, write about an imagined experience. Learners...
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A Walk Around the School: Mapping Places Near and Far
After reading Pat Hutchins’ Rosie’s Walk, have your young cartographers create a map of Rosie’s walk. Then lead them on a walk around the school. When you return class members sequence the walk by making a list of how the class got from...