Fifth graders utilize a map of the I&M Canal (imbedded in this plan), and perform a series of tasks. They calculate distance, find specific points of interest and solve a set of story problems about the canal.

Students explore the means of transportation available in the 19th century and its role as both facilitator and enabler of the westward expansion. They create a project board illustrating their findings.

Students investigate the history behind The New Deal through using primary source documents. This allows students to discover history with limited background knowledge. They answer questions and receive further clarification with the...

Fourth graders explore the state of Illinois. They use maps and research the state of Illinois. Students track their trip through the state and they create a travel narrative of their journey. Students use maps to identify geographical...

Students learn about Mound Cities and how they both started and stopped. In this Mound lesson students explore how Mound Cities did not succeed and why. Students dig deeper then the lesson as they discuss defeat and relate it to their...

Students explore how authors write stories. In this careers lesson plan, students invite an author into the classroom and ask him/her questions about writing as a career.

Students investigate the underlying reasons for immigration, focusing on five major trends: political, economic, family, career and educational. They examine the immigration of Spanish speaking groups.

Fourth graders explore the reasons for the Industrial Revolution and its effects on France.

Students examine various items in order to realize the weight difference between train, vehicles and humans. They realize that trains are heavy and cannot stop quickly.

Fourth graders write cinquain poems showing an understanding that people cannot outrun trains. They examine safety messages concerning tunnels, bridges and trains.

Ninth graders, in groups, determine reasons for African-American migration to the west

Students analyze the factors that led to migration in the 19th century including the forces that drew people to resettle as well as to return a place where they previously lived.

Students read The Northern Migration and research immigration policies of different nations for the past and the present. They create a bulletin board or spreadsheet using their information.

Students read a narrative "The Domestic Slave Trade" and answer questions about states' slave trading. They read another narrative "Runaway Journey" and answer questions about runaway slaves. They discuss the impact of the slave trade on...

Students read a section of the Runaway Journey narrative and conduct a survey. They use survey statistics to question their validity and decide why a respondent might not answer truthfully.

Learners, in groups, collaboratively explore the rapid growth of Chicago (from 350 to 300,000 in less than 40 years), and how the city changed to accommodate such rapid growth.

Students study the 14th Amendment, then review and analyze a Supreme Court brief. There was much racism exhibited toward the Chinese immigrants by the European Americans; this came in the form of institutional racism and mob violence....

Eighth graders discuss and analyze Civil War data, manually graph data on handout, work with partners to enter data into spreadsheets, and create charts on spreadsheet for each data set.

Fifth graders create a KWL chart on discrimination and human rights. While reading different stories, they take notes on each character in the books. To end the lesson, they discuss the forms of discrimination today and how African...

First graders engage in a reading of poems in colorful language. They become with the interrelation of using Spanish and English words interchangeably in a text. The lesson also builds multicultural appreciation for young students.

Students answer questions that are related to factors that determine the type of mining used? They are able to answer questions after reading the assignment. Some questions that are asked: Briefly describes the steps of surface mining....

Ninth graders identify and recognize characteristics of nonfiction in literary works, explore language and culture of Gullah people, compare and contrast purposes of spirituals and quilts in terms of their relationships to escape from...

Fourth graders summarize the participation of Indiana citizens in the Civil War. They research an assigned topic and build a museum exhibit that displays at least five points of information relating to the topic. Students write a...

Students examine maps of Palmer, Massachusetts and practice giving directions. As a class, they discuss how it changed from a farming community to more industrial. To end the lesson, they take pictures of the community to show how it has...