In 1856, the steamboat Arabia was heading up the Missouri River to St. Joseph and other pioneer towns with merchandise for the stores that sold provisions to people heading west to the gold fields of California, as well as the people living there in Missouri and Kansas. She hit… Continue reading
Just as you can make a classroom map and add all the places you learn about, you can also make a classroom timeline and add all the events you learn about. One option is to use Timeglider, which describes itself as “like Google Maps, but for time.” We started a… Continue reading
When you study the United States and its three branches of government, you’ll find that the judicial branch includes lots of courts. But one of those courts is particularly important: the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court currently has 9 members. Online resources StreetLaw has an interesting collection of resources for… Continue reading
The United States has three branches of government. Here are lesson plans and resources to help your students get to know all three. The executive branch The President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, the president’s staff, and the cabinet are members of the executive… Continue reading
As we get ready for an election year, a patriotic theme is a natural. It’s also a fun way to introduce American History lessons, and a cheerful theme at any time. Read on for ideas for ways to use patriotic songs in art and English lessons. There are plenty of… Continue reading
Galileo Galilei was an astronomer, mathematician and physicist who is sometimes called the Father of Modern Science because of his use of observation and experimentation, which we now call the scientific method. We’d like to share with you some of our favorite lesson plans for learning about the life and… Continue reading
IN 2013, a grand total of 3,000 American college students studied Farsi, the Persian language. Social studies standards in many states are Eurocentric, presenting Ancient Persia only as an empire conquered by Greece. Yet our students hear about Iran — modern Persia — on the news with some frequency. Why… Continue reading
One of the challenges in teaching ancient history is that it’s easy for students to get the idea that Ancient Egypt happened… and then Ancient Greece happened… and then Ancient Rome happened… and then came the Middle Ages. Especially when ancient history comes in pieces, as Greek mythology… Continue reading
Mesopotamia, meaning “between the rivers,” was the cradle of civilization. Explore the people who lived here thousands of years ago with a couple of our favorite Mesopotamia lesson plans. These two lessons are designed to give a sense of time and place for ancient Mesopotamia, while integrating critical thinking, math,… Continue reading
Paris is one of the great cities of the world. We visited the City of Lights and enjoyed long walks, fine art, and amazing food. The older parts of Paris are filled with stunning architecture and many places to explore. There are wonderful new parts… Continue reading
