Curated OER
U.S. Mint Releases New Jefferson Nickel
Learners share their knowledge of Lewis and Clark, then read a news article about the redesign on the U.S. nickel to commemorate Lewis and Clark's expedition. Introduce the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students...
Anti-Defamation League
Impact of the U.S. Expansion on Indigenous People and Stereotypes About Native American People
The 2004 U.S. bicentennial sparks a discussion about its meaning and importance to United States history. Readings, maps, tables, and reflective writing prompt small groups to explore the westward expansion, Lewis and Clark, and how...
Curated OER
U.S. State Reports
Students conduct Internet research on a chosen U.S. state. They include information about the history, climate, geography, symbols, and tourist attractions of their state, and write an original poem.
Curated OER
The Great States Race
Here is another in the interesting series of lessons that use the special State Quarters as a learning tool. This one uses the Indiana State Quarter. During this activity, utilize a brilliantly-designed board game that is embedded in the...
Curated OER
The Great Lakes
In this Great Lakes worksheet, students observe the Great Lakes location on a partial U.S. map, write their names in the acronym HOMES, list them in order from largest to smallest, and identify states that border them. Students write...
Curated OER
Postmark U.S.A.
Students identify and collect postmarks from across the United States. They develop a list of ways to collect postmarks, display the postmarks on a large U.S. map, and find the exact location using MapQuest.
Curated OER
Basic U.S. Geography
Provide your 11th graders with a basic understanding of U.S. Geography. They label the state, regions, and boundaries found in the contiguous U.S. as well as Hawaii and Alaska. Then, they complete two Internet related activities.
Curated OER
Follow the Light
Here is another in the interesting series of lessons that use the special State Quarters as a learning tool. During this instructional activity, pupils learn about lighthouses, maps, the cardinal directions on a compass, and U.S....
Curated OER
Teaching With Documents: U.S. Constitution Workshop
What does it mean to be American? Explore the constitution and what it really means to be a citizen here. First, learners of all ages will investigate different primary source documents. Then, they establish each document's...
Curated OER
Water Features - Lesson 2 - U.S. Political Map Grade 4-5
Students locate water features on maps. In this geography lesson, students complete worksheets that require them to identify water features on a U. S. political map.
Curated OER
U.S. Political Map
Students explore the symbols found in a map legend. In this map skills lesson, students locate the legend on a political map and explain what each of the symbols mean. Students locate and identify several symbols on the map.
Curated OER
U.S. and Canada: How are We the Same? How are We Different?
Get high school geographers to compare and contrast Canada and the United States. They begin by drawing a freehand map of North America, then complete readings to gain insight into Canada. The text is not provided; however, another text...
Curated OER
Mapmaker, Make Me a Map!
Here is a well-designed, very thorough lesson plan on mapping for very young children. Within the six-page plan, you will find everything you need to implement the lesson. They will identify various landforms found in Colorado on a map,...
Curated OER
Tibet and the U.S.
Students examine the relationship between Tibet and the United States. They explore the political relationship between the two countries. Students identify geographical features and political boundaries of the Tibetan and Chinese regions.
Curated OER
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire in the U.S.A.?
Students research the states, gathering information and creating questions and answers. They play a form of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? using the student-generated questions and answers.
Curated OER
"Place the State" Game
Students participate in a computer game in which they locate and place the U.S. states on a blank outline map. In small groups, they take turns dragging and dropping the states in the proper location on a map.
Curated OER
Vocab Grabbing the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution
Students identify concrete and abstract nouns in the preamble to the Constitution, and complete Frayer Model graphic organizers using history and current events as examples of American values. In this preamble lesson plan, students use...
Curated OER
United States Map - Lesson 9
Learners explore the concept of cardinal directions. In this geography lesson, students identify the compass rose on a large U. S. map and then discuss the cardinal directions.
Smithsonian Institution
Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands
The Mexican-American War created social borders—not just physical ones. Scholars learn about the effects of the Mexican-American War on the people living in the borderlands using text excerpts, maps, and partnered activities. Academics...
Curated OER
What do Maps Show: How to Read a Topographic Map
Middle schoolers identify the characteristics of topographical maps. Using examples, they practice reading them and describing the information they gather from them. They also discover how to use the website from the U.S. Geological Survey.
Education World
Edible Resource Maps!
Young scholars discuss resource maps and examine examples from library resources. Working in groups, they create edible resource maps by drawing examples, such as popcorn on the border of Iowa and Nebraska. Then they use cookies in the...
K20 LEARN
Manifest Destiny: U.S. Territorial Expansion
A close examination of John Gast's painting "American Progress" launches a study of the concept of Manifest Destiny used to justify United States' policy of westward expansion. Young historians read statements from persons with different...
Curated OER
Spanish Influence on United States Currency: The Origins of the "Dollar"
Sixth graders research the Spanish influence on early colonial America and the process of establishing the present U.S. currency. They read and discuss an informational handout in small groups, and take a short quiz. Students then...
Curated OER
Our States, My State
Here is a very nice lesson on the shape of the United States, and the shapes of the individual states for your young geographers. They utilize worksheets embedded in the plan to color in a variety of states and to become familiar with...