Curated OER
The People and Places Around Us
Students investigate the different kinds of habitats for humans, animals, and things. They illustrate the interior and exterior views of their homes. Finally they create a map key and a block map of their school neighborhood.
Curated OER
Number Scouts
Students become aware of numbers within their communities. They search for numbers in their neighborhood.
Curated OER
Finding Your Spot in the World
Learners investigate a world map, a United States map, a state map, a county map and a city map. They locate each student's house on the city map and put a length of yarn from their house to a country of one of their ancestors.
Curated OER
Any Town, USA
Students launch an investigation of their home town by creating a mental map and examining the livability factors from their perspective. After completing their map, students write a brief description of their town
Curated OER
Natural Features as a Resource
Students research how people use land and water features to meet their basic needs. In this natural features lesson plan, students review land and water features. Students discuss how the land is used to meet needs using a landscape...
Curated OER
Sense of Place
Students identify the major folk regions of Louisiana and the relationship between folklife, geography, and ecology. They give deeper thought to what makes their own community unique, what their sense of place actually is. Students...
Curated OER
Sky 3: Modeling Shadows
Young scholars will construct models to demonstrate their understanding of shadows. Many questions and suggestions for variants on the activities are presented to allow you to tailor this lesson to your particular needs. It is best to...
Curated OER
HISTORICAL AND SOCIAL SCIENCES ANALYSIS
Students examine a variety of maps and documents to identify physical and cultural features of neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries, to explain the historical migration of people, expansion and disintegration of empires, and the...
PBS
Home, Sweet, Home!
Students investigate the local history and architecture of their community. They draw maps, conduct Internet research, discuss varied architectural designs, take a walking tour of their town and work in teams to record their community's...
Curated OER
Donde en el mundo estas?
Learners give & follow directions given in Spanish, using oral, written and graphics. They use maps, globes, atlases, and remote sensing, GIS, and GPS to acquire and process information about places.
Curated OER
Watersheds: The San Francisco Bay Watershed
Sixth graders make a model of a watershed. In this geography lesson, 6th graders view a shaded relief map of California and locate landmarks. Students examine the San Francisco Bay Watershed by following the journey of water through...
Curated OER
When Life Serves You Lemons!
Students build their own lemonade stand. In this problem solving lesson plan, students measure the materials needed to build a stand and make lemonade. They find the cost of producing the lemonade and the profit they will make.
Curated OER
The Great Migration
Students explore how migration to Harlem created a new life for African Americans. In this cross curricular lesson, students illustrate maps showing the migration, paint murals representing African American life in the South and...
Curated OER
Culture Collage
Students investigate their cultural heritage and make observations on how much influence their past has on their current values and lifestyle. They brainstorm a list of things that represent a certain country or cultural heritage and...
Curated OER
Laura Ingalls Wilder and Pioneer Life
Fourth graders complete a three-week unit about Laura Ingalls Wilder and pioneer life. They research the topography of Michigan in the 1870's, conduct Internet research, write journal entries, participate in polka and waltz dancing, and...
Curated OER
Teaching the Five Themes of Geography Through Picture Books
Read the story Make Way for Ducklings and introduce little ones to the five themes of geography. Reread the story, while displaying transparencies to reinforce the five themes. In groups, learners view pictures and identify the themes on...
Curated OER
Prepare for a Field Trip
Students write a journal exercise that relates to preparing for a trip. They make a visual map to generate ideas about things to see, do and learn during the field trip. They assign roles for different tasks that need to be performed...
Curated OER
Investigate Non-native Neighborhood Invasion Species
Students investigate non-native species that are invading local or state environments. They choose one species to research and report on.
Curated OER
Community Arts Projects
Youngsters learn about community through exploration of their own neighborhood.In this lesson about community, students create a community in their classroom. Students think about what their community looks like by making a map. Students...
Curated OER
Sky 2: Shadows
students will explore making shadows and tracking the movement of an object over the course of a day to look for patterns. It is best to couple this shadow activity with reading the book, Bear Shadow, and making a map of Bear's...
Curated OER
The Earth's Surface
Students identify the characteristics of places. In this communities lesson, students discuss what they observe when they travel and construct a list of places in their neighborhood. Students use a Landscape Picture Map to circle...
Curated OER
Discovering Your Community
Students focus on the origins of the families that make up their community by exploring their family's origins through themselves, parents, and grandparents. Students create a map marked with family origins for the class.
Curated OER
Deciphering Community
Students explore the concept of a community. They identify and group various kinds of communities. Students create a concept map exemplifying their membership in different communities. They write a narrative describing their...
Curated OER
Writing About Outdoor Activities
Students discuss what they like about parks and make a list of different things they like to do there such as swing, run, play ball, ride a bike, or go on a hike. They discover the locations of some examples of National Parks and that...