Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

Road to Revolution: How did Actions and Responses Lead to an Independent United States?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Using primary sources, maps, and an interactive M&M game, young historians examine the American revolution as if they were detectives trying to solve a crime. Resource includes graphic organizers and a final writing prompt to aid...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction Lesson to the Book Where the Red Fern Grows

For Teachers 4th - 6th
An excellent lesson plan on the classic book, Where the Red Fern Grows. Learners view the W. Wilson Rawls website and engage in a series of activities generated by the website. They write in their reflective journals, watch a video, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recreate the Race

For Teachers 2nd - 7th
Young scholars research and find the route of the Alaskan dog sled race.In this Iditarod race lesson students find the checkpoints for the Iditarod on a map. Young scholars research information in pairs about each one of the checkpoints....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Aboard!

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students, in groups, create a display showing a "train trip" to a destination of their choice from a teacher-made list. They also answer a series of questions related to their trip. Groups present their displays.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

City, County, Community

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students explore issues and situations that make for a city and its local environments. In this local government lesson, students design maps, define issues and create brochures that illustrate their understandings of these concepts and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparison of Snow Cover on Different Continents

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students use the Live Access Server (LAS) to form maps and a numerical text file of snow cover for each continent on a particular date and analyze the data for each map, corresponding text file to determine an estimate of snow cover for...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Has It Been? Tracking the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker

For Teachers 5th - 8th
By studying the assumed extinction, and subsequent rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, learners use maps and come up with a scenario for the rediscovery of the bird. This incredibly thorough lesson plan is chock-full of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Bear Facts

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students explore various kinds of bears and gather information about them.  In this research and habitats lesson plan, students chart their bear information on large posters with illustrations of their bears. Students map the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Anne Frank: One of Hundreds of Thousands

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars conduct research to put Anne Frank's diary into historical context. They use maps, timelines, essays and websites to examine the early victories of the German army, paying special attention to the Netherlands and...
Lesson Plan
Physics Classroom

As the Crow Flies Lab

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A simple, yet memorable, way of practicing with displacement vectors is described here. Divide your class into groups and assign each a different landmark on campus. They measure smaller legs of the path from the classroom to their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Good Sportsmanship Leads to Home Run

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Pupils share examples of good sportsmanship, then read a news article about a team helping an injured player score a home run. The teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students read the news...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Were Your Ancestors in 1871?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Here is a nicely designed lesson plan on ancestry and family history. In it, learners read an article entitled, "Where Were Your Ancestors in 1871?" Then, they make up a series of questions to profile their family and their community 100...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

Rescuing, Relocating, and Rehabilitating Wildlife

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Bring up the Deepwater Horizon (BP) oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010. Display the colorful diagram of the coastal and marine organisms living in the area. Show a video about relocating the eggs of the Gulf's sea...
Lesson Plan
Center Science Education

Tracking Hurricane News

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Here is a unique twist for your lesson on hurricanes. After examining extreme weather news headlines, your storm chasers view a PowerPoint about hurricanes and then zoom in on Hurricane Irene. They map a timeline of her trek up the East...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weather Observations

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Young scholars record the weather using an outdoor thermometer. In this weather lesson, students compare their recordings to that on the weather map online. Young scholars explain the differences of each weather reading. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Your Senses

For Teachers K - 1st
Here is a terrific lesson that uses a special State Quarter as a learning tool. This one uses the Alabama State Quarter. During this lesson, pupils learn about their five senses. They make observations about what is in paper bags using...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mangrove Ecosystem

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Eager ecologists explore ecosystems through video and photographs of a Mangrove. They discuss the animals in this habitat and how they interact with each other after reading and discussing "The Sea, the Storm and the Mangrove Tangle."...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Preparing for the Lewis and Clark Expedition

For Students 5th - 6th
Here's a worksheet to help your class envision the Lewis and Clark expedition. Your young historians read a one-page article on the expedition, use context clues and a dictionary to define eight terms from the article and write a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Down at the Orchard

For Teachers 1st
First graders examine what an apple orchard looks like and work with cardinal directions. In this apple orchard and direction lesson, 1st graders listen to Anne Rockwell's, Apples and Pumpkins, and Amy and Richard Hutchings', Picking...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Hundred Penny Box with Multiple Viewpoints and Persuasive Letter

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders read The Hundred Penny Box and complete comprehension activities. In these perspectives and letter writing lessons, 3rd graders read and discuss the story then complete a Venn Diagram to explore the different viewpoints in...
Lesson Plan
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The New York Times

Stress Less: Understanding How Your Mind and Body Respond to Anxiety

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What could be more relevant to teens and preteens than experiencing stress? Use an article from the New York Times website to practice valuable Common Core skills for informational text reading, and also get a discussion going in your...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hit The Trail

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Young historians research one of the most colorful periods in US History: the cattle drives of the 1800's. They research the three most popular trails, and complete mapping and writing assignments about each one. The lesson has many...
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

Measuring Elevation Past and Present

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
After viewing a short video about a climb up Mount Everest, high schoolers read about triangulation for measuring distant elevations. Have your class work in groups to construct an inclinometer and then use it to measure the height of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chilling Predictions

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research and prepare an almanac on the Arctic. They examine the laws that attempt to provide jurisdiction over this area and consider how these laws be affected if geography of the Arctic continues to change due to global warming.