"In order to fully understand the geographic concept of natural resource use, students should learn about the ways that resource extraction affects the physical and human landscape. In this lesson, they will discuss how a specific economic activity in a region can facilitate the creation of towns, which often turn into ghost towns if the economic activity ends."

This lesson pairs with a video that explores the following topics: Separation of Powers- Explore the constitutional limits on the power of government and see how the system of checks and balances works. National Government - Examine the responsibilities of the national government and see how federalism divides power between the national government and the states. State Government- See how most of the laws we live by come from state government. A Presidency Remembered: Ronald Reagan- Take a look at the legacy of President Ronald Reagan.

"There is no single objective way to describe why an artifact is significant to a culture. Objects are important to different people for different reasons. To make this idea personal, students will be invited to bring to class important cultural artifacts from their own lives. Each object will be "interpreted" by a student anthropologist who will make hypotheses regarding the importance of this object. The student anthropologist will also determine what this artifact says about the culture of the owner. The owner of the artifact will get a chance to tell their actual story."

Students discover how we rely on our global neighbors by collecting data about where in the world the goods we use every day are produced.

Students will analyze how the 50 State Quarters Program represents both the diversity and unity of the United States. They will identify human and physical geographic characteristics of Roman culture from Roman coins and examine how Roman emperors used coins to help unify their empire.

Scholastic's Global Trek is a way for students to travel around the world without ever having to leave their classroom. When students arrive in the country of their choice they are supplied with a suggested travel itinerary. This itinerary offers them links to background information and a chance to read about the country's people.

Students discuss merchants located in their community. Then students choose a local business to write a letter to.

In this lesson, students explore how different social factors affect civic participation and equality across the country and in their own school community.

State of Minnesota Standards for Social Studies

This is a lesson plan focused upon the Lakota Sioux and their keeping record of time and events with the use of Winter Counts. This detailed set of activities is appropriate for all grade levels: elementary, middle, and high. This lesson fulfills MN Standard I A 1 and MN Standard I C 1

Educational information, activities and resources for educators, families, and students. Educational materials emphasize inquiry based learning with primary sources and museum collections. Smithsonian visit planning for educators, students and families. This site is an incredible resource for a teacher involved in any discipline.

PBS Teachers provides PreK-12 educational resources and activities for educators tied to PBS programming and correlated to local and national standards and professional development opportunities delivered online. As stated in the lesson plan overview: "Through the activities presented in this lesson, students will become familiar with the tenets of the Homestead Act, the shifting borders of the American frontier, and the life faced by homesteaders. After a class discussion and examination of a variety of Web sites, students will complete an written assessment in which they will determine whether or not the land available through the Homestead Act was, in fact, "free." This lesson can be used as an introduction to a unit on American settlement in the latter half of the nineteenth century, or as a pre-viewing activity to the PBS series FRONTIER HOUSE. A basic knowledge of 19th-century United States history is required."

At the Minnesota Historical Society we've been collecting, preserving, and telling Minnesota stories for 150 years.