National First Ladies' Library
Women's Place is in the House...and Senate!
Students investigate the different women who have served in the United States Congress. They discuss Senator Hillary Clinton, conduct Internet research, and in small groups complete a grid that compares and contrasts the women who have...
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The Battle of Lexington
Students discover the Missouri River and its importance during the Civil War. In this U.S. history lesson, students examine a map of the great Battle of Lexington, and discuss why the Missouri River was a key element to the conflict....
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Moving Objects
Students discover the history of the United States by examining the Great Migration. In this U.S. History lesson, students research the immigration movement on the Internet and complete a worksheet about the large population shift. ...
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A Feat of Daring with Lewis and Clark Jeopardy
Sixth graders discover the exploration of the United States by participating in a class activity. In this U.S. History lesson, 6th graders research the Lewis and Clark expedition and participate in a game of Jeopardy based on the two...
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Colonial America
Students discover the history of Colonial America by creating a class presentation. In this U.S. History lesson plan, students utilize the Internet to research one of 20 topics in which they will create a PowerPoint or other type of...
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Las Vegas: We Are Just Like You
Students practice making multimedia documentary films by investigating cities of America. In this U.S. geography lesson plan, students examine Las Vegas and compare the state of Nevada to 15 other states and discuss their main...
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U.S. History: Native American Conflicts
Eleventh graders discuss the wars with the Plains Indians and the subsequent cultural difficulties of assimilation. Part of the lesson examines the clash of cultures and beliefs about land ownership. Prior to taking a quiz, 11th...
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Gold Rush Abolitionists: What Impact did John Brown have on U.S. history?
Learners examine the impact that John Brown had on American history. In this human rights lesson, students discover details about the raid on Harpers Ferry and the implications it held for the American Civil War.
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People Behind the Parks
Explore U.S. geography with your class by viewing a documentary. Show a portion of the Ken Burns documentary "The National Parks," and identify the individuals responsible for keeping the parks in order. Elementary and middle schoolers...
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Family Traditions, Customs and Beliefs
Students discuss African childhood, explore family traditions, customs, and beliefs, examine African recipes, discuss differences or similarities in food preparation between the U.S. and Africa, and prepare a dish with adult supervision.
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The Presidents Song
Remember learning to spell “encyclopedia” by singing along with Jiminy Cricket? How about using a singing exercise to learn the names of the presidents? “The Presidents Song,” includes the names, in order, from Washington to Coolidge....
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Breaking News English: Japan to Resume U.S. Beef Imports
In this English learning exercise, students read " Japan to Resume U.S. Beef Imports," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
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Taking a Cruise To U=/u/
Pupils complete a variety of activities related to the short /u/ sound. As a class they recite a tongue twister, then spell different words containing the short /u/ using letter manipulatives. Students then read the book "Bud the Sub"...
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Indians in Georgia: How Do We Know What We Know?
Students discover archaeology by investigating the history of Native Americans in Georgia. In this U.S. history lesson, students participate in a mock archaeological excavation in their classroom by recovering artifacts and drawings...
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The Underground Railroad and The Fugitive Slave Law of 1850
Students discover racism and slavery by completing a role playing activity. In this U.S. history lesson, students analyze documents from the Civil War era and describe the Fugitive Slave Law. Students view a video on YouTube about the...
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Celebrate Texas!
Students explore social studies by completing a U.S. history research project. In this Texas lesson plan, students utilize almanacs, encyclopedias and the Internet to research the history of Texas and create a presentation based on a...
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Slavery and the Underground Railroad
Third graders discover racism in our country by investigating the Internet. In this abolitionist movement lesson plan, 3rd graders define the Underground Railroad and participate in an activity by logging on to an on-line History...
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How Does Your Garden Grow? Discovering How Weather Patterns Affect Natural Cycles
For the warm-up in this cool climate lesson, you will need to click on "Mapping" and then "US Mapping" once you arrive at NOAA's "US Climate at a Glance" page. Earth science explorers realize that 2012 was a warm winter for us. They read...
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Civil Rights and Casualties of Wartime
Do your historians fully grasp the consequences of being at war? Help them connect past with present through this group research activity, which has students analysing repercussions suffered by citizens of countries in conflict. Students...
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What do Maps Show: How to Read a Topographic Map
Middle schoolers identify the characteristics of topographical maps. Using examples, they practice reading them and describing the information they gather from them. They also discover how to use the website from the U.S. Geological Survey.
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Healthy Choices
Fifth graders discover how to make healthy choices in nutrition. In this nutrition lesson, 5th graders research the daily nutrition requirements recommended by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Students keep a food diary for three days...
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Power Problem
Students complete an electricity activity to learn about power outages, insurance, and weather preparation. Students use the worksheet 'Power Problem Work Sheet' and use the 'Global Grocery List Project price list for the U.S.' to...
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Upwelling - Cold One Day, Warm Another?
Discuss with your oceanographers what forces cause nearshore upwelling and downwelling. Display a line of wind vectors alongside a graph of the temperatures so that they can discover whether or not they are related. Discussion questions...
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Lessons from the Holocaust
Students discover what a dictatorship is by examining the holocaust. In this government lesson, students discuss the laws that were enacted for Nazis to take control of Germany, and the types of laws we have put place to prevent that...