For 8 weeks during 1991, a project was conducted in which literacy was emphasized within the context of one fourth-grade social studies classroom. The overall goal for this unit of instruction was to create language-rich experiences that would stimulate higher order thinking about the concept of Liberty. Additionally, students were to become more…

Describes a unit of study on China for use with students in the middle grades. Students research topics such as Chinese transportation and sports, reproduce Chinese characters, construct a relief map of China, prepare Chinese food, and solve a Chinese puzzle. (RM)

Presents a five-day instructional plan that allows children opportunities to explore and use idioms. (MG)

Six geography lessons which teach a global perspective to fifth graders are discussed. The lessons include examining maps made in countries other than the United States, brainstorming about another culture, taking an imaginary trip over a region just studied, participating in a simulation, and researching the making of a pencil. (RM)

Designed for students in grades 4-6, the teaching unit presents illustrations and facts about snakes. Topics include common snakes found in the United States, how snakes eat, how snakes shed their skin, poisonous snakes, the Eastern Indigo snake, and the anatomy of a snake. A student page includes a crossword puzzle and surprising snake facts. A…

A teacher of upper elementary deaf students describes a multidisciplinary study unit focused on the Alaskan dogsled race, the Iditarod. Activities included studying Alaskan geography and history, following specific racers (mushers) through daily updates faxed from Alaska, writing letters to mushers, calculating math facts related to the race,…

Presents an interdisciplinary unit that integrates mathematics, social studies, and technology to collect and analyze data about the fifty states. (MKR)

Intended for teachers of grades 5 and up, this unit provides 127 documents from California's history, 38 of which come from the California State Archives in Sacramento, one of the nation's largest and most sophisticated repositories for primary sources. The unit contains three elements: (1) a list of document descriptions, which includes a…

Activities in this unit are designed to sensitize students in grades 4-6 to the needs of animals and to the injustices many species suffer. The lessons focus on inhumane acts such as the use of steel-jaw traps, dogfighting, hunting, keeping exotic pets in captivity, using animals in entertainment, habitat destruction, factory farming, and animal…

The Environmental Education Project Center has developed these guidelines for teaching a unit in environmental studies. It is their intention that the teacher and student cooperatively plan the approach and content to be used during the course of study. In this unit about land, teacher resource information and student material are combined to form…

The Environmental Education Project Center has developed these guidelines for teaching a unit in environmental studies. It is their intention that the teacher and student cooperatively plan the approach and content to be used during the course of study. In this unit about air, teacher resource information and student material are combined to form…

Simple but innovative strategies that fourth-grade California teachers can use for building student knowledge of California geography while reinforcing map skills throughout a typical fourth-grade state studies curriculum are presented. (RM)

This sixth grade teaching unit covers Soviet propaganda, communism, relations with the United States, Soviet geography, Soviet arts, and Soviet life. Unit goals address the above content areas, map skills, and an attitudinal goal of helping students to develop a sense of respect for the life of Soviet citizens. Behavioral objectives are keyed to…

Presents an 11-lesson mini unit overview on wild and domestic pets. Lessons contain teacher preparation information and student activities. Skills, discipline orientation, and the humane concept associated with each lesson are also outlined. (ML)

Suggests having students design a football field (looking at it from above) as the final project of a unit on computer graphics. Includes listings for 13 short Applesoft programs (involving LO- and HI-RES graphics) which students can use in making the field. Advanced students can use the animation techniques. (JN)