El Yunque, a tropical rainforest in Puerto Rico, is the only rainforest in the United States. With 28,000 acres, this National Forest sees about 600,000 visitors each year. Wait a minute — a U.S. rain forest? Your class may not realize that Puerto Rico belongs to the United States. Polls… Continue reading
The story of Paul Bunyan is an American folktale. It may be more proper to say that the stories of Paul Bunyan are American folktales, because there are quite a few of them, sometimes gathered together into a single long story, but sometimes not. Paul Bunyan is a folk hero among… Continue reading
The rainforests of the Congo Basin are second in size to the Amazon rainforest, but they are greatly endangered. One of the nations in the region is Côte d’Ivoire, or Ivory Coast, so named for the great herds of elephants that used to live there. Now, this country which used… Continue reading
Wilma Rudolph was an exceptional athlete in track and field, a teacher, and an effective worker for civil rights. She is an impressive example of persistence in the face of adversity. Wilma Rudolph was born in 1940, in St. Bethlehem, near Clarksville, Tennessee. She was the 20th of 22 children,… Continue reading
Learning to read analog clocks is harder for modern kids than it was a generation or two ago when kids actually saw analog clocks around. This means that we can sometimes get so focused on this one skill that we don’t get into the concept of time itself. And yet… Continue reading
Our students admire athletes, from their teammates in school sports to professional sports figures. Athlete heroes are a varied group, so every student can find someone he or she can admire. Use our lesson plans to work on research skills and to learn about health. Create an ad. Instead of… Continue reading
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
