Source: American Experience

Learn about Hamilton and Jefferson' bargain that decided the location of the nation's capital and create a quiz about Washington D.C. Investigate and report on Alexander Hamilton's childhood in the Caribbean.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Civics: United States Government. Geography. United States History: 1754-1820s.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Map the route of the Bataan death march, and research the climate, terrain and vegetation of the route to explain the diseases and suffering of the prisoners. Create a map of the Pacific theater, marking locations of events of greatest importance.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Health & Fitness, Social Studies

Topics: Disease. Geography. United States History: 1929-1945.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Frontline / World

Research aspects of the crisis in Sudan by participating in a jigsaw grouping activity. Compare humanitarian efforts in Sudan with those that followed Hurricane Katrina.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Civics: Civil and Human Rights. Civics: United States Government. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Compare the route of the Alaska Highway with the earlier proposed route, and judge whether the correct decision was made. Examine the literature of Jack London for descriptions of the landscape of Alaska in the 1890s.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies

Topics: Literature: American. Geography. Transportation.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Explain the importance of location, both in Chicago's importance to transportation and trade as well as in the city's neighborhood rivalries. Compare and contrast urban renewal after the tragedies of the Great Fire and New York's 911 disaster.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Civics: Community & Citizenship. Geography. Urban Studies.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Research the natural and physical characteristics of China, and examine the social and political issues facing China. Discuss how Chinese traditions and beliefs are different from American traditions and beliefs.

Grade Level: 3-5, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Cultural Studies: Asian Studies. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Create a fact sheet about one African country, including its location in Africa, basic geographic information about it and which foreign power(s) colonized it. Prepare an illustrated map of locations that were important in Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Cultural Studies: African Studies. Geography. United States History: 1945-early 1970s.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Frontline / World

Explore geographical locations and health issues by participating in discussions and research activities on topics such as the discovery, spread, effects and control of diseases and improving healthcare for women in third-world countries.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Health & Fitness, Social Studies

Topics: Disease. Public/World Health. Geography. Womens Studies.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Frontline / World

Explore geographical locations and foreign or economic issues by participating in statistical and economic activities on topics such as the oil industry, calculations of when it may dry up and analysis of population growth in Curitiba, Brazil.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Math, Social Studies

Topics: Data Analysis/Probability. Statistics. Economics. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Frontline / World

Explore cultural and social issues by listening to music and participating in discussions on topics such as song lyrics regarding social themes and musical inspiration from nature and world cultures.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Anthropology/Cultures. Geography. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Frontline / World

Explore geographical locations and world issues by creating art such as memorial murals like those in Sri Lanka and tourist brochures for Romania. View images of George W. Bush to decide if propaganda has been used.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Geography. World History: 1990-present. Visual Arts.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Frontline / World

Explore geographical locations and social issues by participating in musical and writing activities such as job descriptions for the position of government minder, editorials regarding Jews and Arabs and letters describing capitalism.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Writing: Composition. Geography. World History: 1990-present. Music.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Compare and contrast geographical aspects of a town in Vietnam to a town in Tennessee. View photographs of war-torn Vietnam and explore the Gross Domestic Product of countries looking for connections between location and distribution of wealth.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Economics. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Examine the effects of population growth, and research ecotourism. Discuss how travel can create public health problems, debate the use of cloned agricultural products, discuss the impact of oil drilling and examine how wars affect the environment.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies

Topics: Ecology. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Investigate how people in the community recycle, identify major sources of litter and research an environmental problem. Research the Kyoto Protocol and express views about its ratification.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies

Topics: Ecology. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Explore the U.S. Presidential connection to three places in Cuba. Participate in a mock U.N. debate on whether or not the U.S. and Cuba should involve themselves in overseas disputes, using maps to illustrate points of debate.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Civics: Current Events/Issues. Civics: United States Government. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Compare world population growth patterns and estimate what area will experience growth over the next fifty years. Consider what causes some countries to suffer poverty while other countries prosper and why some people leave their native countries.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Economics. Geography. Immigration.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Use mapping and navigation skills to plan a trip to New York City from White Plains, New York. Chart a round-trip route using a commuter train from White Plains to Grand Central Terminal as well as the subway to visit three New York City tourist attractions.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Review the geography of the Middle East, explore events that have affected the boundaries of the countries there and predict how peace between Palestine and Israel might affect the geography. Compare Israel to your home state.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Cultural Studies: Middle Eastern Studies. Geography. Historical Perspective.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Research the working conditions the builders of the Hoover Dam experienced and compare that to conditions today. Explore the impact the dam has had on westward expansion and population growth, pollution of local aquifers and economic trends.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies

Topics: Ecology. Engineering. Geography. Technology and Civilization.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Prepare and examine bar graphs of economic indicators to compare Confederate states, Union states and border states during post-Civil War Reconstruction. Prepare a map illustrating the locations of crimes committed by Jesse James and his gang.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Economics. Geography. United States History: 1850-1877.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Explore the geographic distribution of the birthplaces of the Presidents, the countries which played important parts in foreign policy in the Carter administration and President Carter's activities in other countries afterwards.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. United States History: 1968-1989.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Investigate the water needs of Las Vegas, and prepare a public service announcement encouraging citizens to conserve water in the area. Illustrate the shift in population toward warmer climates using maps or charts that show the changes over time.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies

Topics: Organizing Information & Ideas. Civics: United States Government. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Create illustrated maps of important locations in Malcolm X's life. Contribute to a booklet on countries of Africa and the European nations that colonized them.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Cultural Studies: African Studies. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: NOVA

Examine the geography, resources, economy, government and culture of Cameroon. Explore the characteristics of ants, examine interactions among species, evaluate the role of insects in the lives of an African tribe and examine the practice of animism.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies

Topics: Ecology. Zoology. Cultural Studies: African Studies. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Research and prepare a list of ten statements, some of them true and some of them false, related to either Greenland or the Eskimo people. Use your statements to try to stump your classmates.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Anthropology/Cultures. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Hopes On The Horizon

Learn about the UGC and other peasant rights groups in Mozambique. Discover land rights issues in Mozambique, and compare these to land rights issues locally and around the globe.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Civics: Civil and Human Rights. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Research one New York City landmark and role-play a guide in a virtual tour of the city. Critique films set in the city in order to contrast the portrayal of the place -- as wealthy, poor, glamourous, run-down, exciting or dangerous.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Geography. Urban Studies. Film.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: NOVA

Examine what causes hurricanes to form, research local weather events, develop weather emergency plans, discuss the dangers of a hurricane and explore possible hurricane damage caused by three different hurricanes. Watch the related video online.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies

Topics: Meteorology. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Compare 20th century presidential races to explore the effect of the "solid South" on elections. Explore Southern monuments, cemeteries, parks, public events or organizations dedicated to preserving the memory of the Confederacy.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. United States History: 1850-1877.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Create a map of Texas, including places and landmarks important to Texas history. Draw a map showing U.S. territory that was once a part of Mexico, and determine Latino populations in each of the 50 states.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Cultural Studies: Latino American/Chicano Studies. Geography. United States History: 1801-1861.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Describe the challenges and long-term effects that communism had on various countries during Kennedy's career, and map various "hot spots" of unrest around the world in 1968.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. World History: 1945-1990.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Investigate questions related to the history of Puerto Rico. Prepare a timeline of the last five centuries of Puerto Rican history.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Cultural Studies: Latino American/Chicano Studies. Geography. United States History: 1945-early 1970s.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Describe how Seabiscuit's exploits in 1938 were a welcome respite to the country's economic woes and worries over troubles overseas. Create a map of the United States, marking places that were most important in Seabiscuit's career.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. Media Studies.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Locate a US Army Corps of Engineers' project in your district and create a fact sheet explaining the project. Create an annotated map of places influenced by James Eads - both his wartime military projects and his postwar civilian projects.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies

Topics: Engineering. Civics: Community & Citizenship. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Compare and contrast the hippie movement to four other events when young people attempted to change the world. Research and create a presentation on a topic related to the world's image of California, and compare past events with the summer of 1967.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. Historical Perspective. Sociology.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Compare and contrast major political and economic developments in the U.S., Germany and the Soviet Union following the crash and subsequent Great Depression. Investigate popular vacation spots of the elite, both before the crash and today.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Economics. Geography. United States History: 1929-1945.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Use photographs, drawings and documents to compare the city of San Francisco on the day that gold was found and after the Gold Rush transformed it. Consider the needs of people traveling long distances to Gold Country.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. United States History: 1801-1861.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Explore how advances in transportation over the last two centuries made humanity more vulnerable to the spread of disease. Learn about countries that have not yet eradicated yellow fever.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Health & Fitness, Social Studies

Topics: Disease. Geography. Transportation.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Research what scientists learned in the mid-19th century about the environment deep in the North Atlantic as they laid the transatlantic cable. Create a map of the cable's approximate route and explain why it was chosen.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Science & Tech, Social Studies

Topics: Communications & Computing. Oceanography. Geography. World History: 1750-1900.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Investigate the political importance of various locations around the world during the Cold War. Explore the birthplaces of United States Presidents and list the factors that explain which states gave birth to the most Presidents.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Civics: United States Government. Geography. United States History: 1945-early 1970s.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Investigate the U.S. decision to annex Hawai'i and then increase its military presence there. Examine the lists of overseas bases run by each branch of the armed services to determine how widespread the U.S. military presence is today.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Civics: Current Events/Issues. Geography. United States History: 1890-1930.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Compare changes in the geographic distribution of African Americans to investigate the northern migration. Survey presidential elections of the 20th century to explore political reasons for black oppression.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Civics: Comparative Political Systems. Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Investigate Nuremberg's role in Nazi Germany and why the Allies chose it as the site of the war crimes tribunal. Research and report on one of ten cities most devastated by the war.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. World History: 1945-1990.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Map the trail, events and places important to the westward expansion of the United States, and determine the most economical means of traveling across the continent using an airplane, train, bus or car.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. Transportation.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Locate on maps of Vietnam and the U.S. major battles and anti-war demonstrations from one year of the Vietnam War to identify links between the events. Research and mark on a map locations of importance during the Vietnam War.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. World History: 1945-1990.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Hypothesize one way in which later events would have been significantly different if the atomic bomb had not been dropped on Japan in 1945. Write a newspaper article based on this "counterfactual" scenario.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography. World History: 1900-1945.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Map areas of the world where American military forces have fought wars and describe the importance of the locations of battles mentioned in letters read in the accompanying program.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Social Studies

Topics: Geography.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project