Students complete a unit of lessons that examine life in early America from 1740-1840. They compare items with similar objects we use today, explore various websites, create a paper doll, try and guess the function of various objects,...

Take young scholars on a trip through history with this unit on the mathematics and architecture of the Mayan civilization. Starting with a introduction to their base twenty number system and the symbols they used, this eight-lesson unit...

Explore the idea of democratic poetry. Upper graders read Walt Whitman, examining daguerreotypes, and compare Whitman to Langston Hughes. They describe aspects of Whitman's I Hear America Singing to Langston Hughes' Let America Be...

Students combine imaginative powers with known map-making techniques to create a whole new world.

Learners explore sea life. In this cross curriculum fine arts, science, and P.E. "dolphins" lesson, students sing songs and play games about dolphins, perform water experiments, create mosaics, and use their five senses to explore sand...

Students examine several maps and consider mapmakers' perspective in early depictions of North America.They determine how the spherical shape of the earth makes any north-south and east-west orientation a matter of perspective. For...

Students investigate the effects of autism by creating a slide-show presentation.  For this special needs lesson, students define autism and the mental health problems it can cause young people afflicted with it.  Students...

Fifth graders explore the Industrial Revolution. They examine the early gristmills and sawmills. Students explain why they were necessary and helpful in the lives of early Americans.

Students gain an understanding as to how the development of different institutions can differ and evolve with time. This lesson focuses on the development of Gary, Indiana's schools in the early 1900's.

Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this immigration lesson, students conduct research related to the movement of French Canadians to England. Students use their...

Third graders develop an appreciate for the various cultures that are present in their local community. Through reading and research, they explain how various culture came to live in their area. At the conclusion of the unit, 3rd...

Students study the role of the beaver in Illinois during the 1800's and how overtrapping cause the near extinction of the beaver colonies in Illinois by 1900. Students role play various people in 1945 who have an opinion about the...

Students explore how the Inca communicated across the bast stretches of their mountain realm.

Seventh graders gain a better understanding of the canal period in U.S. History, and more specifically, discern the importance of the Illinois and Michigan Canal on the development of Illinois as a state and Chicago as a prominent city.