Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters from Rifka

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read Letters from Rifka and discuss the feelings of people forced to leave their homes and countries.  In this migration lesson, 4th graders relate their feelings about moving from their home forever. Students trace...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Early Explorers

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders investigate the routes taken by the early explorers. In this explorers instructional activity, 5th graders use interactive notebooks, discussion and maps to discover the routes taken. Students get into pairs and label maps,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Araceli Solis Butterflies Unit

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study the life cycle, eating habits, habitats, and migration patterns of butterflies in this series of lessons.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tracing Migration Patterns

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders analyze migration patterns. For this migration lesson, 7th graders use U.S. Census records to trace the migration patterns of 2 German families in Kansas.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Julie of the Wolves"

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research life in Alaska and compare life there to their lives in this lesson. They read "Julie of the Wolves." They research through the novel and other reference books facts about the Alaskan climate and geography. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Iced In

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Introduce junior oceanographers to ice conditions in The Great Lakes. The ice map links are no longer available, so you will not be able to have your class perform the mentioned data activity. You can, however, access the Canadian Ice...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gray Whales on the Move

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars study whale migration and their natural history.  In this migration lesson students plot whale migration on a map and describe their ecosystems. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Athabaskan Migration & Bering Strait

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students study Athabaskan migration patterns and the Bering Strait Land Bridge theory. They investigate the importance of the expansion of trade and compare the differences between American Indian oral tradition accounts of origin and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Puerto Rican Migration Historical Fiction Story

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the experience of Puerto Rican immigrants to America. In this immigration lesson, students research the challenges that Puerto Rican immigrants faced and then write historical fiction selections that reflect their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

social studies: Life in Colonial America

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the trials and tribulations early colonial life and note its successes. Through literature, Internet research, and interactive software, they engage in various activities to evaluate early social and cultural development.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Impact of the Music of the Harlem Renaissance on Society

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Pupils define the community of Harlem. They explain the growth of music in this area and identify important people who spearheaded this movement. They identify places where music grew in Harlem and establish a visual as well as an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration in the United States

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners examine the reasons why people leave their country to live in another. In groups, they use print and electronic resources to answer questions about where immigrants came from during different time periods and advice given to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sugar Cane Curtain/ Defining Political and Social Struggles Between Haiti and the Dominican Republic

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders explore historical events that created conflict between Dominican Republic and Haiti, examine how need for cheap source of labor has led to exploitation of Haitian workers, and discuss how topography of island of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

To Move or Not to Move? Decision Making and Sacrifice

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the motivations that prompted people to move westward during the 19th century. They take on the role of an average citizen and weigh the costs and benefits of making such a move and decide if they would have participated...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nomad Land

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars explore the migratory movements of animals as they monitor their own movements throughout the school day. Climatic and feeding conditions are examined as cues for the movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ellis Island: Gateway To America

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders study the immigration station on Ellis Island. Through several activities, they see that immigrants who arrived at Ellis Island came to America from different countries, mostly those in Europe, for a variety of reasons.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Coming to America: U.S. Immigration

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students study immigration in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this immigration lesson plan, students participate in activities including creating maps, responding to non fiction text, memorizing and analyzing poetry, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mountain Pine Beetles

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research and develop power point presentations that answer the question, "What is changing our forests?" In this ecology lesson, students research the niche of Pine Beetles and their increased effect on the forests in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Romare Bearden's The Dove - A Meeting of Vision and Sound

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore African american culture of the late 1950's and 60's through various primary sources including literature, music, art and others. They then prepare and conduct a mock interview and present with the class.
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

Letters from the Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Livelihood of the Times

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students recognize the importance of analyzing historical information and data. In this historical analysis lesson, students collect information for a bar graph, complete a jobs worksheet and define vocabulary.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"ART ZOO 'Blacks in the Westward Movement', 'What Can You Do with a Portrait', and 'Of Beetles, Worms, and Leaves of Grass'"

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students study black history, examine portraits and portrait making and create their own portraits, and  investigate their natural environment. This humanities lesson provides a text that can be used to teach lessons in black...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Columbian Exchange

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders examine the consequences of Spanish exploration of the New World on animals, humans, and plants. They read and discuss an informational handout, define key vocabulary terms, and complete a Venn Diagram with Old World and...