Core Knowledge Foundation
Volume 1 - A History of the United States: Precolonial to the 1800s
Volume One of the 299-page Core Knowledge History of the United States covers events from the Precolonial Period to the 1800s.
DocsTeach
Statues of Christopher Columbus
Scholars compare statues of Columbus and discuss how each memorial captures his personality. Academics also complete a worksheet and discuss how some people have called to remove statues honoring Columbus.
Curated OER
The Colonization of the United States
Bring the Age of Exploration into the 21st century with this ancestry activity! Learners get a chance to explore the complex genealogy of the Spanish settlers through watching two video clips (approximately five minutes each) featuring...
Curated OER
A Day in the Life of a San Francisco Native Animal
Students write from an animal's perspective. In this writing lesson students explore the landscape of San Francisco prior to the arrival of the explorers. Students research animals indigenous to the area.
Curated OER
Multiple Perspectives: Newspaper Stories and Editorials
Newspapers are the perfect medium through which to explore different perspectives in informational text. After researching the fur trade and resultant colonization, groups write a newspaper, including an editorial page, selecting one of...
Mr. Nussbaum
Age of Exploration
An informational text focuses on the Age of Exploration. Scholars read the passage and then answer 10 questions to test their reading comprehension skills.
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Carta de Pedro Menéndez de Avilés
Spanish learners peek back into history by reading a copy of an original letter written in the sixteenth century by Pedro Menéndez de Avilés. To show their comprehension, they respond to a series of provided questions. For writing...
Curated OER
Christopher Columbus: The Man, the Myth, the Legend
Learn more about maps by examining Christopher Columbus's voyage to the New World. Kindergartners will learn about basic map skills and how to identify the compass rose, oceans, and land masses. They will also discover the purpose of...
Curated OER
European Exploration
Fifth graders use their research information to design their explorer slide using PowerPoint after observing the teacher's model. They design the first slide as a team coming up with a title, slide 2 should give background, slide 7...
NOAA
Ocean Exploration
Sea explorers and scientists have found that because of temperatures being two to three degrees Celsius at the bottom of the ocean, most animals are lethargic in order to conserve energy. In this web quest, pairs of learners read about...
Smithsonian Institution
The Sounds of an Island: Jamaican Music for the Classroom
Introduce young explorers to the music and history of Jamaican culture through game songs and dances. As a bonus, class members get to play simple songs transcribed for the recorder.
Curated OER
Voyage to the New World
Students examine the exploration of the New World. They write a descriptive account of the first encounter between Europeans and Native Americans, analyze and label maps, plot Columbus's journey on a map, and write a chapter summary.
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Viruses
A fliud exchange activity using pipettes/droppers to exchange fluids with at least 3 people. your learners are advised not to spill any liquid. Droppers are collected in a large beaker, and students return to desks while holding tubes....
Curated OER
Tennessee Activity
In this Tennessee worksheet, students read a selection about the history of Tennessee, then complete a set of 10 true/false questions.
Curated OER
Everything was up to date in 1628
Students view a video of Colonial House, a reality series where people lived according to the standards of European immigrants to the U.S. in 1628. In this colonial history lesson, students research changes in geographic areas over time...
Curated OER
Early North Carolina Exploration (warm-up activity)
Eighth graders focus on the European perspective of exploration and findings along the North Carolina coast.
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Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable: Haitian Frontier Fur Trapper and Explorer
Eighth graders investigate the life and contributions of Jean Baptiste Pointe DuSable. They read and discuss an informational handout, define five words from the passage, conduct Internet research, and write a journal entry from the...
Curated OER
America's Stone Age Explorers
Learners watch a Nova program examining the earliest in habitants of the Americas. In groups. they take notes on various topics covered in the program. Among the topics covered are: the Clovis people, Solutrean culture, migration...
Curated OER
How Would You Feel?
Sixth graders put themselves in the shoes of aborigines who were displaced from their homes in the 1800s by Europeans who came in and took their land from them. They discuss the social injustices suffered by these people, and write a...
Curated OER
Exploration: Writing Research Papers
Students use the Internet to search for model research papers, analyze the style of introductions. They write an introduction to a research paper on European explorers. This research project may be completed individually or with students...
Curated OER
Exploring Indiana's Natural Resources
Fourth graders complete a variety of activities as they study the European exploration of the Midwest, focusing on Indiana. They map the path explorers took, comparing the British with the French. They research why the explorers stopped...
Curated OER
Second Star To the Left and Straight On 'Till Morning" - Spreadsheet Driven Exploration of Pacific Asian Geography
Students explore the geography of Pacific Asia. The class is divided into two groups to participate in a role-play activity where they act as European explorers. Students utilize mathematics, spreadsheet and internet technology to make...
Curated OER
I'll Trade a Ponce de Leon for a Columbus...
Third graders research the discovery of the Americas by various explorers. They create a multiedia presentation about an explorer of their choice including their motivations, obstacles, and successes. Their explorer information will be...
Curated OER
What They Left Behind: Early Multi-National Influences in the United States
Students research the impact of European voyages of discovery and colonial influence on different aspects of American culture. They access a number of online sources and reference maps to trace the influences of England, France, Holland,...