Curated OER
Iced In
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...
Curated OER
Ancient Hunters of the Great Lakes
Students describe theories on how the first humans came to America and show the evidence that supports it. For this investigative lesson students study given material and prepare written or oral reports in their groups.
Curated OER
The Mighty Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway System
Young scholars participate in a variety of activities in a unit about the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway System. They create a diorama, read related stories, and correspond with other classes located in other port cities along the St...
Curated OER
The Great Water Hunt
Students examine a globe to locate the bodies of water present and create a representation of those bodies of water for further exploration of the concept. Extensions of their observations are made at school, home, and the community.
Curated OER
P.O.V.'s Borders Picture Project: Lesson 1 - Air
Take photos of human activities that impact air quality. Collaborative groups present one of the photographs, identifying how the activity contributes to air quality and what can be done to minimize the impact. As one in a series of...
Syracuse University
Erie Canal
While canals are not the way to travel today, in the first half of the nineteenth century, they were sometimes the best way to move goods and people. Scholars examine primary sources, including maps and pictures, to investigate the role...
Curated OER
Students Slide to School on Air-Powered Sled
Students locate the Great Lakes on a US map, then read a news article about a sled being used as a wintertime school bus in Wisconsin. In this current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a map and vocabulary activity,...
Curated OER
Exploring the History of the I&M Canal
Students examine the building of the I & M canal in Chicago. Using the internet, they research the lives of the individuals who worked on the construction and develop a timeline of events. They explore the impact of the canal on...
Scholastic
Perfect Postcards: Illinois
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...
State University of New York
Going Back in Time Using “George Washington’s Socks”
After reading Elvira Woodruff's George Washington's Socks, young readers and writers embark upon writing their own historically based story, with a focus on developing ideas and details throughout the piece. In small groups, class...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan on the Edmund Fitzgerald
Fourth graders describe the weather conditions and location of the Edmund Fitzgerald when it sank in Lake Superior.
Curated OER
Globe Skills Lesson 7 The Transcontinental Railroad
Young scholars explore the Transcontinental Railroad. In this geography skills lesson, students use map skills in order to locate legs of the Transcontinental Railroad on globes.
Curated OER
The Water Cycle
Students are introduced to the components and importance of the water cycle. They are shown how groundwater moves using a model. Students list 9 places on earth where water is found. They define the terms cycle and water cycle.
Curated OER
The Building of the Transcontinental Railroad#140
Students participation in a simulation of laying the track of Transcontinental Railroad starting from three different locations. They use toothpicks and coffee stirrers to build the rails. They evaluate which group laid the most track...
Curated OER
What in the World Is a Watershed?
Students discover the role of a watershed. In this geography lesson, students are shown a diagram of a watershed and discuss the definition of a watershed. Students demonstrate the role of a watershed by using an umbrella and spraying it...
Curated OER
Summertime Travel
Third graders write about a summer event they participated in. In this paragraph writing lesson, the teacher models how to write about a place they have visited. Students then write their own paragraphs. Students will point out on...
Curated OER
Learning from Maps and Timelines Time Travel
Young scholars create timelines depicting the important events in the lives of the groups that arrived at the Fort St. Louis. They include the fate of La Salle and the colonists.
Curated OER
Aquatic Exotics
Students identify and describe the aquatic exotic species found in Illinois. Using the internet, they research the species origins and discover their effects on native species in the area. They discuss how appropriate it is to introduce...
Curated OER
Richard Misrach
Students analyze the Great Salt Lake as a resource for artistic work and other studies. In this art analysis lesson, students view maps that show the location of the Great Salt Lake including a satellite image. Students can also study...
Curated OER
Important Rivers of the World
Third graders become familiar with names of the different parts of a river, define and locate drainage basins, locate six of the continents and explore the major rivers on each one, conduct research on a river of their choice.
Curated OER
Splish Splash
Students study drinking water. In this environment lesson, students draw the path of drinking water from the place of precipitation to the tap after researching a map and information from the United States Geological Survey water...
Curated OER
Centennial: Ghost Riders And Rest Stops
Fourth graders read aged letters that describe communities or stops along the route of the early Pony Express. Each day they mark on a map where the letters come from and chart the Pony Express route. They compare to today's mail and...
Curated OER
Heritage: For Some Must Push and Some Must Pull
Students discuss modes of transportation of pioneers, listen to one of the handcart stories, build model handcart out of paper, and sing 'The Handcart Song.'
Curated OER
Cities as Transportation Centers
Students work in small groups to identify some of the major transportation centers, recommending two as possible sites for a national political convention, based on population density and the travel networks available in 1835.