Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Good Boat is Hard To Find

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders design and construct a safe and efficient human powered watercraft that can be used on a trip on the Great Lakes. Students utilize math and measurement skills to design and cut the pieces for their boat. Working in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. Geography: The Midwest

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research agricultural products of the Midwest. In this Midwest activity, students watch a video about the geography of the Midwest, discuss how topographical features were formed and review the agricultural products the Midwest...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Michigan Food: From Farm to You

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students recognize Michigan on a map and understand how its climate is affected by the Great Lakes. In this Michigan food lesson plan, students play a trivia game to identify the produce of Michigan. Students relate the climate in each...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Perfect Postcards: Illinois

For Teachers 4th Standards
Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered lesson on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional cross-state...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

US Geography: The Midwest

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate the geography and agricultural products of the Midwestern United States. In this US geography lesson, students watch and discuss a video that depicts the Midwest of the US as the breadbasket of the country. They make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

North Carolina Salt Dough Map Social Studies Project

For Teachers 4th
In this instructional activity, North Carolina Salt Dough Map, 4th graders create a salt dough map of North Carolina, Students use dough to form the shape of the state of North Carolina. Students label the three regions of North...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pop Around the World

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students study the origin of popcorn. They locate countries where it is grown on a world map. They color the world map and glue kernels of popcorn onto the countries from which popcorn originated. They write the names of common items...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

National Marine Sanctuaries Fish

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Information is provided on Gray's Reef, Florida Keys, and Flower Garden Banks marine sanctuaries. Young marine biologists then visit the FishBase and REEF databases to collect fish species information for each location. They then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 6: Examining Events from Different Perspectives Friend or Foe?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders sequence events of European exploration and colonization by creating timelines. They define the differences between primary and secondary sources. They discuss claims to Texas land in the 17th Century.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

For the Last 10,000 Years...

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the National Estuarine Research Reserve System and discuss why they have important cultural artifacts.  In this estuarine weather lesson students use the Internet and complete a worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Regions of Utah - Mapping

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders draw a rudimentary map of the state of Utah, dividing it into the three regions: the Great Basin, the Colorado Plateau, and the Rocky Mountain Region.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Big is a Crowd?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders compare the relative sizes of the five Great Lakes and their human populations. They describe some of the problems that arise when many people depend on a limited resoure. Students discuss how the Great Lakes and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Do Maps Show?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This teaching packet is for grades five through eight, and it is organized around geographic themes: location, place, relationships, movement, and regions. There are four full lessons that are complete with posters, weblinks, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Impact of Acid Rain and the Greenhouse Effect on the Environment

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students study acid rain and complete several activities that show how it affects the environment. They role play members of the community involved in a major decision involving the protection of the environment.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fur Trading

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students take on a role such as a farming community, hunting community or a trading post. They decide which products they focus on and then trade with the other groups.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Come On Over To Maya Place

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders analyze the Mayan culture. In this Mayan culture lesson, 5th graders study the Mayan culture noting similarities and differences between the Mayan culture and their own. Students examine hieroglyphic writing and the Mayan...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dead Sea Investigation: Middle East and African Connections

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students demonstrate comprehension of the physical characteristics of the Dead Sea region and its connection to the Red Sea and the African Great Rift Valley. They are given students the opportunity to understand the role of plate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Manifest Destiny and Westward Expansion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discover how manifest destiny and westward expansion are related. Using the Internet, they research the beginnings of the movement of manifest destiny and how it influenced people moving westward. They discuss the expectations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Peace Corps Challenge Game- Water Quality

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students advocate for clean water.  In this water pollution lesson, students play the Peace Corps Challenge Game, discuss the effects of polluted water and write a letter to the mayor of Wanzuzu highlighting the situation of the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Major American Water Routes

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders locate and identify the major bodies of water and waterways in the United States. Through a simulation activity, they describe how early explorers would have described their surroundings. Working in groups, they create...
Lesson Plan
Michigan Sea Grant

Wetlands

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Wetlands may not sound particularly ornate, but they are as important as any habitat! With a hands-on activity, young scientists build a wetland model and observe its many functions in action. They discover the importance of wetlands to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discover a Pond Food Web

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study the biodiversity of animal life in a pond. They investigate the interdependence between pond organisms by completing a pond dipping activity and completing a checklist.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Non Native Species: English Ivy-Landscape Plant or Deadly Killer?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers study the impact that invasive species have on biodiversity and more natural areas.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Determination of Water Hardness

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students investigate water hardness. In this water hardness lesson plan, students determine the water hardness in 4 samples of water after buffering each. By using titration and an indicator, students can determine the amount of calcium...