Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chihauhan Desert Journaling Activity

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore U.S. geography by completing an observational activity with classmates. In this New Mexico lesson, students research the Chihuahuan Desert by visiting several Internet sites. Students write the data they've collected in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Tough Nut to Crack

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore agriculture by examining world geography. In this pecan cultivation lesson, 6th graders identify the history of the famous nut and the impact it has on the U.S. economy, diet and human body. Students define...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dark Days on the Prairie

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore U.S. geography by researching agriculture. For this dust bowl lesson, students complete a cause and effect worksheet based upon the dust bowls that covered a large portion of Oklahoma and Texas in the early 1900's....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Traveling Through Literature

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Integrate geography with literature in this interdisciplinary instructional activity. Begin by reading a poem such as The Time We Climbed Snake Mountain by Leslie Marmon Silko. On a large map, place push pins in the cities or states...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colonies and Revolution: Comparing US and Mexican History

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine the emergence of the United States and Mexico as independent nations. They compare the colonial history of the two countries and discover the emergence of social classes.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living Swamps, Bayous and Forests

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore interesting environments by exploring Louisiana. In this wetland lesson, 3rd graders utilize the web to research the State of Louisiana, the bayous in the area, and the Gulf of Mexico. Students write a journal entry...
Lesson Plan
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National Museum of the American Indian

The A:Shiwi (Zuni) People: A Study in Environment, Adaptation, and Agricultural Practices

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Discover the connection of native peoples to their natural world, including cultural and agricultural practices, by studying the Zuni people of the American Southwest. This lesson includes examining a poster's photographs, reading...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Tough Nut to Crack

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Children, based on a set of criteria, evaluate the quality of pecans. They research recorded history of pecan trees as well as how their seeds moved across western Missouri into southeastern Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Mexico. In...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Taste of the Caribbean

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students are introduced to the foods and traditions of the Caribbean. In groups, they brainstorm their own definition of culture and review the physical and political geography of the Caribbean. They spend time sampling different foods...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lost on Superstition Mountain

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students review the concept of responsbility and relate it to the own lives. Using the internet, they research the search for gold on Superstition Mountain in Arizona and locate it on a map. They also examine the culture of Mexico and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Establishing Borders: The Expansion of the United States 1846-48

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students investigate how the United States acquired land after the Revolutionary War ended. In this establishing borders lesson, students use maps to identify territories acquired by the US and the states that later developed. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arsenic Contamination: Water Filtration

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students work in groups to design a filtration process that will separate clean water from polluted water. They organize data in tables or graphs and present their findings to the class. Students identify further safety protocols that...