Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Views of the American West: True or False?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain that a landscape painting may or may not accurately represent a specific place. They identify techniques that create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japan: Images of A People

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study Japan and explore the use of screens.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lift and Drag: Principles of Flight and the Soaring Imagination

For Teachers 2nd - 8th
Learners construct models of early gas balloons and gliders. In this balloon and glider lesson, students create models of early gas balloons and gliders, discover how the forces of lift and drag effect aircraft in flight, and put on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Road Again

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners examine migration patterns in Africa and China. They watch excerpts from a documentary, define key vocabulary words, complete various student organizers, and create a poster.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mesoamerica

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students demonstrate knowledge of early Middle American civilizations. They study Mesoamerican i religions, governments, and achievements. They identify geographies of North and South America.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students investigate the global importance of the African and Asian countries that export petroleum. They access the OPEC website and research this organization. They answer questions and write an essay about alternative energy sources.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Social Studies: African Folklore and Geography

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students discover the connection between geography and folklore in several African nations. In groups, they record information from maps of their assigned countries. Students observe the pictures in books and match the geographic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How to Celebrate the 800th Anniversary of the Mogol Empire

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Young scholars research information on the Mongolian Empire from various readings and online videos of primary sources and create a poster for oral presentation. Students connect history with the current day, while incorporating...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Dropped What into the Melting Pot?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students show the movement of people to the United States from other countries on maps. They study the geographic cultural roots of foods that contribute to the melting pot of food in America. They research where an ingredient comes from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Living Through Fire

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate the poverty found in Haiti. In this current events lesson, students research the noted Web sites to study Haiti's geography, history, and civil war. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Under the Spell of Spiders

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students examine spiders. In these spider lessons, students will view spider images and live spiders to determine physical characteristics, habits, and habitats. Students will examine fantasy and folklore about spiders to create and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sahara: Home of the Tuareg

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research and analyze the Tuareg and other groups as well, including their own, and examine the impact culture has on environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coastal Biodiversity of South Africa

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students investigate the biodiversity found along the coast of South Africa. They conduct research using a variety of resources. They use the information in order to write lab reports with the data. The lesson plan can be adapted to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

East to West: Africa's Influence on Mexico

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Your historians and social anthropologists study the relationship between peoples of ancient Africa and ancient Mesoamerica. They relate in written or verbal form the African presence in the ancient Americas. They create their own...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stories of the Wrights' Flight

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Learners examine and compare primary and secondary source accounts of the Wright brothers' first flights on December 17, 1903.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lewis and Clark: The Language of Discovery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars replicate some of the trailblazing methods of Lewis and Clark on a fifteen-minute "writing journey" through the school or neighborhood.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Population Density

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine world population density and population distribution. They create pie charts showing population distribution and analyze population patterns in the United States and major regions of the world. They identify...
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Watching Crystals Grow

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolutionary Money

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Examine paper money from the American revolution! Historians study the paper bills and discuss the history of money. How has money changed over the times? Activities are included. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Which Way is Up? The Tree of Life in Africa

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students read a book titled This is the Tree about a baobab tree and draw a picture and label the tree. In this tree lesson plan, students also write a paragraph explaining why they drew that tree. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ancient World

For Teachers K - 8th
Students explore the concept of migration. In this ancient civilizations lesson, students watch "The Ancient World" and research life in the Fertile Crescent. Students then write letters from the perspective of people migrating from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

HIV/AIDS And Contemporary Population Dynamics

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers describe the spread and occurence of HIV/AIDS at multiple scales. They explain global and regional variations in the occurence of HIV/AIDS and explain the spread of HIV/AIDS in the United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Playing Historical Detective: Great Grandmother's Dress and Other Clues to the Life and Times of Annie Steel

For Teachers Pre-K - 8th
Students draw conclusions about an mystery person based on documents and artifacts provided. In this drawing conclusions instructional activity, students become detectives by reading and analyzing evidence provided. This instructional...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rocks and Minerals

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students bring rocks and minerals from home to investigate in the classroom. In this rocks and minerals lesson plan, students observe all the rocks and minerals brought into the class and answer 7 questions about the features of the...