Students work in small groups to practice basic map skills. They take turns giving directions and tracing a path from one location to different destinations on the map.

Students participate in a game that explores map reading skills and intermediate directions. The teacher turns over a direction card for each player or team and announces the move, and they move towards a designated cardinal or...

Young scholars incorporate the five themes of geography to study the Yangtze river region. They analyze the possible effects of the three rivers gorge damn project on this area and role play a float the entire length of this dangerous...

Young scholars explain the origins of Thanksgiving. As a class, they list all the meanings, stories, and images that come into their minds when they hear the word "Thanksgiving." After reading about Thanksgiving, pairs of students create...

Eighth graders practice the skill of reading maps.  In this geography lesson, 8th graders participate in a classroom lecture on how to read a map. 

High schoolers recognize the power of protest. In this civil rights instructional activity, students consider the success of Rosa Parks and her protest that sparked the movement. High schoolers study the Montgomery Bus Boycott in depth...

Students examine the concepts of diversity and assimilation. They identify the validity of sources and recognize bias, and create original illustrations from the students' point of view which show the impact of the Spanish friars on the...

Which animal is best for you—a dog or cat? Why? Engage third graders in an opinion writing assessment that prompts them to read facts about both pets, and then write and decide which pet is best for them.

Even if you've never picked up a musical instrument, chances are that music has directly impacted your mental and emotional development. Sixth graders engage in a reading activity in which they read two articles on the impact of music on...

Newspapers and broadcast news. Social media, blogs, and blogospheres. Class members generate a list of news sources they use to get information about events. The big idea here is to introduce the necessary vocabulary and to establish a...

Designed to be used with a showing of the 1951 version of The Red Badge of Courage staring Audie Murphy, this learning guide includes discussion questions, suggestions for activities, and topics that can be discussed with parents.

Progress through various aspects of the  "The Beautiful Era" in this presentation. Political, technological, and scientific contexts surround the time of innovation and change in the world landscape. The short length of this slide...

Welcome your class back to school! They will participate in a character education lesson plan in order to build community at the school. First they identify needs of new students by putting themselves in their shoes and create welcome...

A viewing of Disney’s 1993 film of The Adventures of Huck Finn launches an examination of the events in and themes of Mark Twain’s story. Viewers respond to prompts on a film story worksheet, engage in full-class discussions, and select...

Students play a board game where their tokens must move Columbus west. They choose cards which give commands to move in a coordinate direction. They practice moving west, north, east, south by playing the game.

Seventh graders work together to focus upon the skills needed for career development. They work together to find the kind of responsibilities that are needed in the contexts of home, work, and school. They create a poster based upon the...

Students improve speaking confidence when using difficult question forms. This lesson focuses on helping students explain how to engage in this kind of social conversation. A worksheet imbedded in this plan provides practice.

Students study state maps. In this map skills lesson, students identify the states' location and how to use a legend. Students complete photocopies of the state map.

Students discover how to interpret maps. In this geography skills lesson, students explore geographic themes as they complete worksheet activities regarding road maps, shaded relief maps, and topographic maps.

Students identify the locations of pivotal American Civil War battles. In this map skills instructional activity, students label Fort Sumter, Antietam, Vicksburg, Gettysburg, and the Battle for Atlanta on an outline map. The map is not...

In this research skills worksheet, students collect information about the desert regions, savanna regions, and rainforest regions of Africa and then respond to 7 questions about each of the regions. Students then compare the regions...

Students identify and analyze map symbols and map grids by completing various worksheets and creating their own map using these skills. Students identify and analyze what latitude and longitude are on a map to play a game of Bingo....

Young scholars practice locating positions on the world map. In this map skills lesson, students explore the world map and items such as the compass rose, Equator, mountains, cities, etc. The young scholars practice locating positions on...

Students research USGS maps and identify the major features. In this map skills lesson, students identify low and high elevations on a USGS map and practice finding latitude and longitude.