US Institute of Peace
Perspectives on Peace
Much like a garden, once the seeds of peace are planted, they need to be tended! How can humankind make and keep peace? The second installment in a series of 15 peacebuilding activities focuses on different perceptions of peace. The...
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Maintaining Plant Genebanks
Students examine the use, costs, and the need for plant gene banks. The rationale for gaining ownership over scientific information and the implications of the developing nations' reliance on biotechnology is explored in this lesson plan.
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Lesson 1: English-Indian Encounters
What did the English settlers think of the Native Americans inhabiting the Chesapeake region of the United States? Learners analyze a series of documents and images to determine the English perception of the local inhabitants. A great...
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Family Heritage Cookbook
Students compare favorite family recipes. In this cultural diversity lesson, students interview family members and record favorite recipes. Students examine cultural diversity through favorite foods.
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The Shape of Home
Students explore the diversity among homes in the world. In this diversity activity, students share the story "Connected to Everything" which features the story of a family that was forced to leave their land and move to a reservation....
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First Nations Plants and their Uses
Students identify the uses of plants by researching Native Americans. In this First Nations culture lesson plan, students identify the First Nations coastal people of British Columbia and their use of plants such as seaweed, bark and...
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From Yosemite to Joshua Tree
Fourth graders discover diversity of plant and animal life in California's parks and compare findings to identify what makes park areas unique. Students then publish their discoveries in picture books of their own design.
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The High Cost of Chemical Dependency
Sixth graders explore, analyze and study the effect and impact that humans have on the environment based on their choices as individuals, businesses and governments. They assess the balance between human activities and aquatic pollution.
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Michigan Ecosystems: The Web They Weave
Students examine the forest ecosystem and how all life in the forest depends upon itself. In this ecological lesson, students participate in a personal connections activity where someone pulls on a string and everyone feels it,...
Foreign Policy Association
U.S. and Europe Online Lesson Plan
Class groups investigate the economic and political implications of a country's policies on genetically modified foods, craft a position paper detailing that policy, and share their findings with the class. Armed with this...
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Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw
Learners explore the science and art of taxidermy, and research various biomes that could be depicted in museum displays. They synthesize their knowledge by creating dioramas that depict the diverse life forms typical of these biomes.
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Going...going...gone? Tropical Rainforests-How They Work, What They Do for Us, What's Being Done to Them...
Sixth graders explore the Tropical Rainforest and come to understand what it is and how it affects the ecosystem. In this rainforests lesson, 6th graders write about the Tropical Rainforest, imagine they are in the Tropical Rainforest,...
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The Sonoran Desert
Little learners examine a map of the southwestern United States and identify the Sonoran Desert. They locate different cities and rivers, determining whether or not each is found within this special ecosystem. A student handout is...
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Rain Reasons
Students explore how climatic factors influence the growth of plants. They create an experiment to find how variations in water, light, and temperature affect plant growth and describe how precipitation and geography can affect the...
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Native Americans and Native Plants
Students take a field trip to a native plant culture. They need to describe where the plants were before the Europeans occupied North America.
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Natural History of Costa Rica
Students use outline maps to become acquainted with Costa Rica. They see how it was formed and how its origin has created very diverse environments. Students then use atlases and compare their physical maps with maps of climate and the...
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Desert Views - First Impressions: Travelers on the Gila Trail
Students draw animals and plants that are described to them as they read passages of people who traveled across the Gila Trail in the Southwest. In this Gila Trail lesson plan, students also write a letter describing a plant or animal in...
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The Homestead Act
Eighth graders analyze the Native American's viewpoint of the Homestead Act. Using one Native American group who lived in Nebraska, they write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper discussing the Homestead Act and how it affected...
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Using Natural Resources In Chinese And Japanese Art
Students discuss the uses and availability of natural resources in China and Japan and how those resources effected visual art from each country. This instructional activity includes two possible enrichment activities.
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Go Fish!
Young scholars are introduced to the culture of the Kumeyaay. Using their text, they discover how they used their native flora and fauna in San Diego. They participate in a matching game and examine the types of organisms who make their...
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Tropical Forest Food Chain
Learners explore the interdependence of the animals and plants in tropical rainforests. They explore the importance of conserving biodiversity and tropical food chains. They create a tropical forest food chain and identify species that...
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Poisoning the Prairie
Seventh graders investigate what pesticides are and why people use them. They examine the effect of pesticides on prairie grasses and what alternatives can be used.
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Rain Forests: A Disappearing Act?
Students examine and locate rainforests on maps, and research the patterns of their destruction. They develop a bar graph of rainfall and temperature data, write a journal entry, and research the people, animals, and plants/products of...
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Prairie Scavenger Hunt
Students search for a variety of items while visiting a Listening to the Prarie exhibition.