National First Ladies' Library
Who Wants to be a Pioneer?
Students write a story based on their research of the Oregon Trail. Using the Internet and traditional sources, they engage in research about pioneer's experiences on the Oregon Trail during westward expansion. Students write a story...
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Who's Who In Black History
Fourth graders examine the life and achievements of promident African-Americans. As a class, they participate in acting out various scenes of a play which represents the Civil Rights era. They discuss how the world might be different...
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Selected Elements
This collection consists of a slide on each of the following unrelated, but fascinating elements: einsteinium, curium, radium, radon, nobelium, seaborgium, silicon, magnesium, and postassium. You will not find detailed information on the...
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For the Fun of It
Students view pictures of Amelia Earhart and discuss the social and historical context of her life. They read excerpts of Earhart's autobiography "The Fun of It" and analyze her purpose in writing it.
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Louisa May Alcott: The Candle and the Mirror
Students discuss the life of Louisa May Alcott and create an outline of a biography of her life and times. In this Louisa May Alcott lesson, students explore the Transcendentalist involvement in the abolitionist movement, relating...
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Help the Elderly With Meals on Wheels
Students research the history of the Meals on Wheels program. Using the internet, they discover their community's connection with the program and other programs similar to them. They discuss options in which to help more organizations...
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Johnny Appleseed
Students engage in a study of apples using children's literature. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Student list facts about apples and compare them while answering some guided questions. They plant some apple seeds and...
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Who Says Plants Can't Move?
Students discover how plants spread their seeds using other plants and animals. For this plant lesson, students role play different plants and how their seeds travel. Students then have a class discussion to ensure their understanding.
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Letters from Lincoln
Fourth graders explore the childhood of Lincoln and pioneer life in early Indiana. Students respond to literature and write a story using historical fiction. Students explore the writings of President Lincoln and the pioneer community...
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Poetry of Abraham Lincoln
Fourth graders analyze Abraham Lincoln's poems "The Bear Hunt" and "My Childhood's Home" for word choice and deeper inquiry into the vocabulary he uses to convey emotion. They identify rhyming words and patterns in these poems. ...
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The arly Suffragists
Learners explore the suffragist movement through this futuristic activity about the loss and creation of a commemorative stamp to honor a women's Suffrage Pioneer. The activity takes us to 2080 and back to the 1800's to complete the tasks.
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Floristic Relay
Fifth graders identify the role succession plays in the adaptation of our environment. Students identify pioneer and climax species and order habitats in succession. They recognize that different characteristics of species make them...
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Western Expansion or Eastern Invasion?
Fifth graders read from their textbook a story about the pioneer settlement of the Western Frontier. They review the pioneer standpoint, but also discuss how the Homestead Act of 1862 affected Native Americans. They write another story...
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Straberry Girl: Florida's Location and Shape
Students explore geography by reading a story about Florida. In this Florida vegetation lesson, students read the book Strawberry Girl and identify the locations in Florida that are mentioned in the book. Students identify the type of...
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Immigration into an Urban Industralized Northeast: 1879-1914
Young scholars study how three ethnic groups were introduced to urban, industrialize, northern cities. They examine how these groups were greeted and accepted be the 'native born' Americans and how successful they were in assimilating...
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Communities and Biomes
In this biomes worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle by figuring out the answers to 17 clues focused on communities and biomes.
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Adventure Writing: Oregon's Landscape as a Setting
Learners identify geographical features of different regions encountered by migrants on the Oregon trail. Students research how the Oregon landscape may have affected life and 19th century westward migration. Learners write a narrative...
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Speedy Succession
Fifth graders investigate how a pond ecosystem can change into a prairie or grassland ecosystem. They observe a small pond ecosystem in a two liter soda bottle, and examine and record changes over a two-week period of time on a worksheet.
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Communities and Biomes
In this communities instructional activity, learners will look at the interactions between biotic and abiotic factors and the effect these factors have on organism populations. Students will also order the succession steps that occur...
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Tall Tales
Students examine the characteristics of tall tales and how exaggerations are used. They create a character that is larger than life, they brainstorm attributes for their character, before writing a Tall Tale. They plan out their story,...
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The True "Cost of Cool!"
Eighth graders study hidden environmental costs in things we buy. For this consumerism lesson students watch a video about consumerism and analyze advertisements in teen magazines.
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Canadian History
Young scholars conduct research on the history of early Canada. They create timelines of important dates, write biographies of Canadian explorers, consider the importance of geography and religion in Canada's settlement and examine both...
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Those Before Us
Learners examine medical pioneers and identify their characteristics. They survey their contributions to the medical field and society and present persuasive argument for or against modern medical pioneers.
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Heritage: 'And Should We Die...' Attributes of the Pio
Eighth graders use comprehension strategies after reading to reflect on, consolidate, and extend meaning. They show various attributes of the pioneers through character sketches.