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Social Studies
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Classroom Activities
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U.S. History Pre-1800 to Present
Building on Ground Zero
In "Learning from Disasters," students research safety feature and
building code changes that were recommended in response to major
disasters, including fire, hurricanes, and terrorist acts. Grades
6-8, 9-12.
Great Inca Rebellion, The
In ""The Tale Bones Tell," students analyze actual data from two
prehistoric communities--a hunting community and an agricultural
community--to infer the impacts of diet on health. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Missing in MiG Alley
In "Changing the Face of War," students research the technological
advances, tactical strategies, and roles aircraft have played in the
United States' five major international conflicts of the 20th
century. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Pocahontas Revealed
In "Examining an American Myth," students rewrite the story of
Pocahontas based on archeological and historical evidence. Grades
6-8, 9-12.
Search for the Lost Cave People
In "Material Possessions," students examine primary source documents
to draw inferences about 17th century American colonists. Grades
6-8, 9-12.
Secrets of Making Money
In "Bucking Trends," students design paper currency to investigate
properties of different kinds of materials. Grades 6-8.
Space Shuttle Disaster
In "U.S. Space Exploration Time Line" research the progression of
U.S. manned space exploration and learn the causes of the Challenger
and Columbia shuttle accidents. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Sultan's Lost Treasure
In "Where, When, and Who?," students interpret four different sets
of artifacts to determine the country, time period, and person
associated with each. Grades 6-8.
The Spy Factory
In "National Security vs. Individual Rights," students consider the
tradeoffs between fortifying national security and maintaining civil
liberties. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
World History 1500 A.D. to Present
Codebreakers
In "Codemaker's Guidelines," students learn about codes and then
create their own to encipher a message. Grades 6-8.
Decoding Nazi Secrets
In "Operation Decode," students experience how ciphers can conceal
and protect information. Grades 6-8.
In Search of the First Language
In "Getting the Word Out," students match sources and definitions to
a set of words and consider their origins. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Missing in MiG Alley
In "Changing the Face of War," students research the technological
advances, tactical strategies, and roles aircraft have played in the
United States' five major international conflicts of the 20th
century. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Nazi Designers of Death
In "The Selection," students read a reflection of Auschwitz life by
Elie Wiesel and suggest ways for gathering evidence to support the
author's claims. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Secrets of the Parthenon
In "A Monumental Puzzle," use a viewing guide while watching the
program about the reconstruction of the Parthenon and discuss
answers to questions related to the monument after watching. Grades
6-8, 9-12.
Secrets of the Samurai Sword
In "Mixed-Up Metals" students explore the characteristics of metals
and produce a series of posters on different alloys, outlining their
properties and how they are used. Grades 6-8.
Secrets, Lies, and Atomic Spies
In "Puzzling Messages," students break a code and explore the skills
required in this form of analytical thinking. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Shackleton's Voyage of Endurance
In "Weighty Decisions," students decide what to rescue from the
sinking Endurance and compare those decisions to ones made by
Sir Ernest Shackleton. Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12.
Sultan's Lost Treasure
In "Where, When, and Who?," students interpret four different sets
of artifacts to determine the country, time period, and person
associated with each. Grades 6-8.
The Bible's Buried Secrets
In "Deciphering the Past," explore how linguistic analysis can be
used to help identify sources of a text as well as relative time
periods in which the text was written. Grades 9-12.
The Spy Factory
In "National Security vs. Individual Rights," students consider the
tradeoffs between fortifying national security and maintaining civil
liberties. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
World History Prehistory to 1500 A.D.
Cracking the Maya Code
In "Calendar Count" students investigate how scientists began to
understand the meaning of Maya glyphs and determine their own birth
date using the Maya Long Count calendar system. Grades 6-8, 9-12
Fireworks!
In "History of Fireworks," students create timelines that trace the
evolution of various aspects of fireworks from their invention to
today. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Great Inca Rebellion, The
In ""The Tale Bones Tell," students analyze actual data from two
prehistoric communities--a hunting community and an agricultural
community--to infer the impacts of diet on health. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
In Search of Human Origins, Part I
In "Locating the Evidence," students plot and analyze locations of
important African finds in the search for early human remains.
Grades 6-8.
In Search of Human Origins, Part III
In "Back to the Present," students provide anthropologists of the
future with clues about a 21st century classroom. Grades 6-8.
Infinite Secrets
In "Archimedes' Recipe for Pi," students duplicate the method
Archimedes used to estimate the value of pi. Grades 6-8, 9-12.
Lost King of the Maya
In "Calendar Count," students learn about and apply the Maya Long
Count calendar system. Grades 6-8.
Lost Treasures of Tibet
In "Designing a Mandala," students consider angles and geometric
shapes as they create a mandala-style piece of art. Grades 3-5, 6-8.
Mummy Who Would Be King, The
In "Matters of Mummification," students use descriptive clues to
determine the culture and method of mummification of various
mummies. Grades 6-8.
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