This article highlights lesson plans and activities that help elementary students develop map skills as they learn earth science concepts.

Learners start by using the Arcadia Earth app’s Keep the Great Lakes GREAT section to glean base knowledge of the North American Great Lakes and factors impacting the region. Students then deepen their knowledge to discover human impact on the Great Lakes in regards to runoff and plastic pollution. This lesson incorporates the activity, Littered Lakes, which exposes plastic accumulation and flow throughout the region. The lesson concludes with discussing and brainstorming solutions to mitigate harmful runoff and plastic pollution. Although this lesson specifies the Great Lakes of North America, principles and concepts can be applied to any watershed.

Estimated time required: 1 class period.

Technology required for this lesson: Tablet or Smartphone.

This choice board, created from Google Slides, includes 15 different eBooks about Ancient Greeks and Romans and Ancient Greece and Rome. These eBooks will help build background knowledge on Ohio's Learning Standards for 7th Grade Social Studies on the early civilizations of Greece and Rome. Share this choice board directly with students and allow them to choose the eBooks they would like to read to learn more about the topic.

The history of earthquakes in the San Francisco Bay area is plotted on a digital map and analyzed in this video segment adapted from NOVA.

Information about genocide in Cambodia. Direct links to various topics including a definition of genocide, survivor stories, Khmer Rouge years, etc.

In this video segment from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, learn how Muslims in America celebrate Eid al-Fitr, the Ű_í_Ű__Ű_ŒŰ_ŒŒŰ‹_Feast of Breaking the Fast.Ű_í_Ű__Ű_ŒŰ_ŒŰ_í_Ű_Œ

This is the first of two lessons of “Elements of a Community” in which students will engage with and explore two artworks: the painting Landscape with Garage Lights by Jerome Myers and the Chinese figure Camel made from Terracotta. They will also create an original work of art based on their interpretation of the two artworks which then can be scanned for inclusion in a CocoCast “cast.” In this first lesson, students will preview a “Sneak Peak” of Landscape with Garage Lights and the Chinese Tang Dynasty Camel in their classroom.

By engaging with and exploring a work of art, first virtually via CocoCast in the classroom, then in person in the art museum, young students are empowered to share their own prior knowledge, use critical thinking skills like prediction, comparison, and sequencing, and better notice details of the world around them. The art museum becomes a part of their own community, just like the corner store, the library, and the school.

Estimated time required: 1 class period.

Technology required for this lesson: Augmented Reality, Internet Connectivity, Laptop/Desktop, Tablet.

This is the second and last of two lessons of “Elements of a Community” in which students will engage with and explore two artworks: the painting Landscape with Garage Lights by Stuart Davis and the Chinese figure Camel made from Terracotta. They will also create an original work of art based on their interpretation of the two artworks which then can be scanned for inclusion in a CocoCast “cast”. In this first lesson, students will preview a “Sneak Peak” of Landscape with Garage Lights and the Chinese Tang Dynasty Camel in their classroom.

By engaging with and exploring a work of art, first virtually via CocoCast in the classroom, then in person in the art museum, young students are empowered to share their own prior knowledge, use critical thinking skills like prediction, comparison, and sequencing, and better notice details of the world around them. The art museum becomes a part of their own community, just like the corner store, the library, and the school.

Estimated time required: 1 class period.

Technology required for this lesson: Augmented Reality, Internet Connectivity, Laptop/Desktop, Tablet.

This brief biography of Akenhaten (Akhenaten) fron PBS tells of his militant enforcement of monotheism in Egypt and the results of that.

From PBS' extensive website on Egypt's New Kingdom, this account of Pharaoh Amenhotep III tells of his rule and temple-building. Be sure to click on "Amarna Letters" for more information.

The beautiful Nefertiti, wife of Akhenaten, is described in this PBS site. Be sure click on the pictures to get more information and to watch the video. Requires RealPlayer.

Read about the powerful Queen Tiy, wife of Amenhotep III and mother of Akenhaten. Her role as a strong leader was extraordinary in Egyptian times. Be sure to watch the video too. Requires RealPlayer.

This video from Women, War & Peace demonstrates the power of women and suggests that in today's world, especially with the evolution of communication, the presence of women at peace talks is necessary and inevitable. [7:44]

In 1865, Dodge was scouting an area in the Laramie Mountains and discovered a pass where the Great Plains meet the Rocky Mountains. This flat stretch permitted a turntable to be built.

In this video segment from Religion & Ethics Newsweekly, learn about Muslims in Lawrenceville, Georgia, their plans to build an Islamic cemetery and the stiff objections from their Christian neighbors.

Modernization is an important issue in many places, including China and India. Students explore how it may impact such areas as society, politics, the economy, and the environment.

"Beyond Shocks: What Causes Business Cycles?" Conference Series No. 42, June 1998, from the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. A collection of articles that can be downloadable in PDF format.

This is a collection of video clips from a video called "Fiddle About". They teach about the Metis style of fiddling and some dances the tunes would accompany.