Curated OER
Elizabeti's Series--Classroom Guide
Second graders explore the books in the Elizabeti Series. In this reading comprehension lesson plan, young readers discuss pre-reading focus questions about their feelings on the first day of school. They investigate the book and...
Curated OER
Water Wars
Students investigate the water wars taking place in Ethiopia. In this global issues lesson, students research the water shortages in East Africa. Students participate in a discussion that requires them to put themselves in the shoes of...
California Academy of Science
Poetic Reflections
Poetry is a wonderful way to explore language, express topical understanding, and incite creative thinking. After a trip to the local natural history museum (or zoo), learners write an acrostic or a cinquain poem describing one of their...
Maryland Department of Education
The Concept of Diversity in World Literature Lesson 10: Author's Purpose Seminar
Why did Chinua Achebe write "An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad's Heart of Darkness" in response to Conrad's novel? As part of a study of Things Fall Apart, class members conduct a socratic seminar focused on Achebe's purpose and...
K12 Reader
Chaparral Ecosystems
Explore the impact of wildfires with a reading passage about ecosystems. Pupils read the passage and respond to five questions related to the content of the text.
Curated OER
Henna Hand Designs Art Lesson: Make a Unique Self-Portrait
Explore the art and cultural significance of henna hand designs. You engage the class by providing background information that describes who, what, where, when, and why henna designs are used. Then, the class uses the included templates...
Curated OER
Volcanoes: First Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
Introduce young geologists to types of volcanoes during the pre-lab. First graders explore how different liquids flow with an experiment on viscosity to simulate how different types of lava flow. Next, they learn...
Curated OER
Earthquakes: First Grade Lesson Plans and Activities
First graders explore how earthquakes release energy in a set of hands-on activities. During the pre-lab, they discover how energy from an earthquake releases waves through the earth using a water-filled cup and...
Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Ebola: Disease Detectives
How did the Ebola virus first infect humans? Young virologists examine genetic sequences from the 2014 Sierra Leone outbreak to find similarities during a riveting activity. Following similar methods used by MIT and Harvard, partners...
Facts and Files
The Nile
While it may not be possible to take an entire class to Egypt and explore the ancient wonders, it is possible to engage your young historians in activities that ask them to research these and other antiquities and place them on their...
Curated OER
African Architecture
Seventh graders investigate cultural influences on architecture in Africa south of the Sahara. They compare the architecture to that in North America, Europe, Russia, and North Africa, Asia, and South America.
Curated OER
Ending Apartheid
Students analyze how the roles are changing for women in South Africa. Using the internet, they research famous women from around the world who helped advance a women's place in society. They create a storybook about their famous...
Curated OER
Sharkland Wiki
Students, while researching the waters around southern Africa and viewing a video of the episode "Sharkland" from Thirteen's series NATURE, critique reliability of online resources and analyze the various components of a wiki. They...
Curated OER
Africans in Mexico
Students read case studies to examine the role of Africans in Mexico. Using maps, they research the areas that are discussed in the text and map out movement maps of Africans to and from Africa. They research the history of the Mexico...
Curated OER
Temperature Control - South African Roofing Materials
Students explore how different roofing materials can have an impact on the temperature inside a house through box houses. They compare/contrast different materials in Wisconsin and South Africa. In groups, they build a box house (shoe...
Curated OER
The Great Exchange
Sixth graders examine the connection that the present has to the past and how different cultures impact each other with lasting results. They discuss European exploration in North America and West Africa by describing cultural...
Curated OER
Learning to Swim in Swaziland
Students explore everyday life in Swaziland and compare and contrast it to their own everyday life.
Curated OER
African Folktales Lesson
Students explore what a folktale consists of as it relates to oral tradition. In this folktale lesson, students are told the African folktale, Why the Sun is Lives in the Sky and make personal inferences about what the folktale is...
Curated OER
Science NetLinks: Collapse 2: Interpreting the Evidence
Students continue to explore the factors that contribute to the collapse of a society; they also explore how archaeological evidence is gathered and interpreted. Students explore about the social changes that caused the collapse of...
Curated OER
This Land Is My Land
Young scholars explore their impressions of African history, focusing on black/white relations. They examine the impact of the recent election on Zimbabwean politics by reading and discussing the article "Vote in Zimbabwe Shows...
Curated OER
Analyzing Sources on Imperialism
Ninth graders explore the concept of imperialism. In this imperialism lesson, 9th graders analyze primary sources regarding British imperialism in Africa. Students analyze the sources for credibility as they gain an understanding of the...
Curated OER
Mapping and Personifying Nations
Eleventh graders analyze the geography, actions, and relationships of countries involved in World War II. They create a map of Europe, Northern Africa, and the Pacific, and analyze and evaluate their self-made map of Europe and the...
Curated OER
European Explorers of North and South America
Sixth graders explore the connection between the geography of America and the migration of the Native Americans to the American continents to the future conquering of the continents by the Europeans. They discuss the causes and effects...
Curated OER
The Hunter Using Children's Literature to Teach the Geography of Africa
Students are able to answer basic questions about the region and the use of natural resources, sketch a mental map of the story's setting, and find their way through the thematic maze/map.