Lesson Plan
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Planning A Railroad

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use topographical maps students explain the challenges involved in building the railroad in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Lesson Plan
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Debating the Bomb

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research how the development of the atomic bomb affected people in World War II, participate in a debate about the bomb's use, and investigate how it has affected people's lives since 1945.
Lesson Plan
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U.S. Immigration Policy and Hitler's Holocaust

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students read about immigration to the U.S. during the Holocaust. In this immigration instructional activity, students write answers to discussion questions. Students role play members of the 1951 U.N. conference and create...
Lesson Plan
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Historical Context: Discovering a Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze a work of art.  In this historical context lesson, students research the time period in which the art they observed was created.  Students consider differing opinions about a work of art. 
Lesson Plan
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Paul Conrad's Perspective on Civil Rights

For Teachers 11th
 Students review a political cartoon and discuss desegregation.  In this cartoon analysis lesson, 11th graders discuss the impact of a political cartoon and its relation to a Supreme Court case.  Students read additional...
Lesson Plan
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Messages in Art Work

For Teachers 8th - 9th
Observe images and discuss what messages they convey. In this critical thinking lesson plan, young scholars determine whether works of art are trying to persuade their audience. They also consider the media and how they communicate...
Lesson Plan
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The Presidential Nominating System

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the process by which candidates for U.S. president are nominated by the Democratic and Republican parties. They identify the differences between primaries and caucuses and key terms and issues related to the primary...
Organizer
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Babylonia

For Students 6th - 8th
In this ancient civilizations worksheet, middle schoolers respond to 5 short answer questions and complete a graphic organizer about Babylonia after they read the included selections.
Lesson Plan
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California Crops

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore agriculture by researching the native food crops of California. Students define a list of agriculture vocabulary terms and analyze maps of California which explain which foods come from which area. Students write a...
Lesson Plan
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Visiting a Marine Sanctuary

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students gather information on a kelp forest and identify species in that ecosystem.  For this underwater ecosystem lesson students gather data, give an oral presentation and create a poster.
Lesson Plan
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The Right to Education for California's Minorities and Immigrants

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners examine the elements of various court cases and how state and federal laws affect them. They participate in a series of mock trials to gain a better understanding of the issues involved.
Lesson Plan
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If These Walls Could Talk

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students compare Neoclassical objects from the Getty collection to American civic architecture of the time. They discuss the moral and political ideas of the Enlightenment and articulate how these art forms influenced democratic thought...
Lesson Plan
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Neoclassical Influences

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study how artists of the Neoclassical period were influenced by major historical events during the Enlightenment. They identify and analyze the Neoclassical style. discuss and identify the historical influences of Neoclassical...
Lesson Plan
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Goddesses Are Personifications Too!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the use of personification as a way of expressing ideals. They transfer this understanding to the present by creating an allegorical depiction of a contemporary ideal or value inspired by precedents in the...
Lesson Plan
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Early Industrialization

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders analyze primary source documents emphasizing young people in factory labor (mill workers during 1840-1860). They study hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. They write a poem or song.
Lesson Plan
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MALI TO MECCA, MANSA MUSA MAKES THE HAJJ

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explore the historical event when Mansa Musa, Ruler of Mali, made the Hajj (or holy pilgrimage) to Mecca in 1324 AD. They create Web pages or PowerPoint presentations maps, charts, posters, and oral presentations with...
Lesson Plan
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Documents and Symbols and American Freedom

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
Lesson Plan
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California Geography

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore geography of four distinct regions of California: mountains, coast, central valley, and desert. They locate California on map, identify state's boundaries and borders, and explore agriculture, a major economic...
Lesson Plan
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Lesson 2: The Tired King

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students are introduced to the three functions of government (legislative, judicial, and executive). They read and discuss a story about an overworked king who must handle all the tasks of government. Students give a description of the...
Lesson Plan
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Ways of Thinking

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students explore all the different avenues of the concept of different ways of thinking by involving the views of several great minds of history to thinkers of Western Civilization. They assess questioning, life, work, skepticism,...
Lesson Plan
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Objects of Adornment

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students identify adornments as a form of art. In this art and jewelry lesson, students view portraits of two historical princess noticing their adornments, then draw a person in their life focusing on the adornments they wear.
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A Dream of Classic Perfection

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students look at how Greek classical art and philosophy influenced the French Revolution. In this French Revolution lesson plan, students use primary sources, Neoclassical art, to look at how they show what society was like during this...
Unit Plan
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The Presidents of Mount Rushmore

For Teachers K
Students understand the importance of Mount Rushmore as a national symbol. In this Mount Rushmore lesson, students locate Mount Rushmore on the map and investigate each of the four Presidents on Mount Rushmore. Students understand how...
Lesson Plan
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Land Use and Lawmaking in California

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students design a plan for a housing development in their city. In this house development lesson plan, students observe pictures of land use, research lawmaking, and develop a plan for an environmentally friendly housing development in...