Students perform a play about the early explorers to America.

Fifth graders complete a variety of activities surrounding European exploration of the New World. They research one explorer and write and present an essay or script in which they portray that explorer as he makes his final report to his...

Learners describe cause/effect relationship of a European country's need for resources, exploration, colonization, and settlement of different regions of the world beginning in the 14th Century, and role play representatives of assigned...

Fifth graders investigate the journey that Magellan took around the world. Small groups conduct research on a ship that went on Magellan's voyage, write the story of their ship, and create a class dance that demonstrates the route taken...

Students research the attitudes and politics of pre-World War II America. They become isolationists or interventionists and present their points of view during a simulated city council meeting.

Students investigate the trip Christopher Columbus took to the new world.  In this U.S. History lesson, students create a fictional ship from cardboard and construction paper simulating the ship Columbus used to get to the New...

Third graders investigate the history of North America by creating a map.  In this world geography instructional activity, 3rd graders analyze the voyage Christopher Columbus took to arrive at the new world by creating a map of his...

Class members are transformed into explorers as they work in groups to locate hidden items and map their journey along the way. They then leave clues for other groups of students to follow, and ultimately discover how past explorations...

Young scholars associate explorers with specific discoveries. They apply research skills to inquire about the explorers. Students switch roles with the instructor for the class to demonstrate what they have learned.

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...

Young scholars act like a famous explorer. In this explorer lesson, students research an explorer and act out persuasive arguments in which that explorer might be involved.

Coral Reefs are the focus of a life science lesson plan. Upper graders look at how coral reefs are formed, how the animals and plants reproduce, and the variety of ways that humans benefit from coral reefs around the world. Groups of...

Students recreate a "60-minutes" interview using cue cards and historical information on the Chinese explorer Zheng He. This lesson is an excellent introduction to World History during the 1400's.

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.

Third graders discover Ancient Rome through maps and worksheets.  In this world history lesson, 3rd graders locate Rome on a world map and identify the scope of the Roman Empire.  Students label an entire map of Italy after...

Students work in groups to imagine, research and simulate a dinner party involving an author, a fictional character, and a significant historical figure as dinner guests. The activity uses Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and the time...

Twelfth graders use this game to find minerals given rocks and outcrops in a plausible (but not real) geologic setting. They play without outside encouragement for hours as the world is fun to explore and the scoring system encourages...

Students complete the reading of an age appropriate piece of literature. They think critically about their reading and discuss it with a group of peers. Students make connections among their reading, their own lives, and the discussions...

You may not be able to take a field trip to the moon, but that doesn't mean your class can't study moon rocks. Using graham crackers as the moon's bedrock and powdered donuts as micrometeorites, young scientists simulate...

Learners examine how sand is formed by erosion and that it can be moved by streams, rivers, and ocean currents in this unit of lessons. They study waves and currents, and structures that change how sand moves by creating story charts,...

Learners role play as Marco Polo to detail his travels. They include the terrains, foods, religions, people and cultures that were encountered. They write a journal entry as if they were Marco Polo detailing one aspect of his travels.

Learners explore potential learning, earning, and living goals that align with their personal goals and interests in a comprehensive unit that includes complete lesson plans, interactive notebooks, worksheets, overheads, rubrics,...

Students participate in multiple hands-on activities to explore reproduction and pollination. In groups, using a cotton swab and powder, students simulate being pollinators and plants. They name the parts of the flowers and the function...

Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and  investigate their natural environment. This humanities instructional activity provides a text that can be used to teach lessons...