Browse lesson plans

Archaeobotany

In Intrigue of the Past, page 2.6

Students will use pictures of seeds, an activity sheet, and a graph to identify seven seeds and the conditions in which they grow. They will also infer ancient plant use by interpreting archaeobotanical samples and determine changing plant use by Native North Carolinians by interpreting a graph of seed frequency over time.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 and 8 Science and Social Studies)

Barrier islands

In Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks, page 1.8

This lesson is part of chapter one of the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks." Students examine the difference between simple overwash barrier islands and complex barrier islands. They also learn more about the island-building process and the effect this process can have on daily life on barrier islands.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science and Social Studies)

By Stanley R. Riggs, Dorothea Ames, and Karen Dawkins.

The coastal dilemma

In Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks, page 1.15

This lesson is part of chapter one of the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks. Students look at examples of shoreline erosion. They reflect on the impact this erosion can have on human life on the Outer Banks.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science and Social Studies)

By Stanley R. Riggs, Dorothea Ames, and Karen Dawkins.

Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks

The lessons in this unit allow students to explore the processes affecting North Carolina's Outer Banks and the impact these processes have on daily life there.

Format: lesson plan (multiple pages)

Ecuador: A land of climate diversity

In this lesson, students will create climate graphs and analyze photographs to investigate the various types of climate in Ecuador and the interactions between climate and human culture. The lesson plan is designed to be adapted to the study of various countries.

Format: lesson plan (grade 5 and 7 Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies)

By Eric Eaton.

Estuarine shorelines behind simple overwash barrier islands

In Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks, page 1.13

This lesson is part of chapter one in the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks." Students take another look at simple overwash and complex barrier islands. They examine more closely how overwash and inlet processes are crucial to the long-term maintenance of barrier islands and how these processes can affect human life.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science and Social Studies)

By Stanley R. Riggs, Dorothea Ames, and Karen Dawkins.

Geography centers

A geography unit in which students investigate and compare their hometowns and other cities. The unit incorporates nine centers: math, science, social studies, reading, writing, computers, puzzles and games, art, and listening. They all have activities that are integrated with the geography unit.

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)

By Laurie Perry.

Human responses to eroding shorelines

In Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks, page 1.16

This lesson is part of chapter one of the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks." Students look at efforts that are taken to prevent shoreline erosion. These include building hardened structures along shorelines. Students examine the effects these efforts have on barrier islands.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science and Social Studies)

By Stanley R. Riggs, Dorothea Ames, and Karen Dawkins.

The migration of the monarch butterfly

The students will listen to and discuss books about butterflies and the migration of monarch butterflies to Mexico in order to integrate science, social studies, and language arts.

Format: lesson plan (grade 2 English Language Development, Science, and Social Studies)

By Martha H. Dobson and Margaret Monds.

North Carolina Coastal Plain province

In Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks, page 1.7

This lesson is part of chapter one of the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks." Students compare and contrast the Northern Coastal province and the Southern Coastal province.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science and Social Studies)

By Stanley R. Riggs, Dorothea Ames, and Karen Dawkins.

Researching the North Carolina coastal plain

This lesson plan will provide students with a more in-depth knowledge of the animals, industry, and land geography of the coastal plain. Students will conduct research on the internet and in other resources to find information on the vital parts of the coastal plain. The lesson culminates with group presentations of their research and a Venn diagram developed individually comparing the outer and inner parts of the coastal plain.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Development, Science, and Social Studies)

By Ana Sanders and Heather Ennis.

Rising tides: Climate change and the sea

This lesson plan uses videos, NASA visualizations, and digital map projections to help students understand the connection between climate change and sea level rise. The lesson draws on the "Climate Refugees" story on the Powering a Nation website, and includes independent research and inquiry activities that allow students to explore sea level changes in North Carolina and around the world.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 English Language Arts and Science)

By Linda Schmalbeck.

Salt trading in Asia

In this interdisciplinary lesson, students explore the mineral salt from a variety of perspectives — scientific, geographic, and cultural. The lesson incorporates images of salt production in Nepal and Vietnam. It may be used with grade 4 or grade 7.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 6–7 English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies)

By Edie McDowell.

Sea-level change and coastal dynamics

In Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks, page 1.3

This lesson is a part chapter one of the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks." Students learn about how the sea level has changed over several thousand years. They also look at sea level changes from the past century and infer what sort of affects these changes have — or will have — on the life of citizens in coastal areas.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Science and Social Studies)

By Stanley R. Riggs, Dorothea Ames, and Karen Dawkins.

Shifting coastlines

In Intrigue of the Past, page 4.3

In their study of North Carolina's changing coastline during the Paleoindian and Archaic periods, students will determine the positions of the coastline at different times and decide what types of archaeological information has been lost due to rising sea levels.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 Science and Social Studies)

Time

In Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks, page 1.2

This lesson is part of chapter one of the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks." Students look at a chart of geologic time dating back to the beginning formation of the earth through modern times, noting that many geologic changes occur over millions of years. They also look at photographs of recent geologic change to learn that some geologic changes occur in a human time frame, as well.

Format: lesson plan (grade 7–10 Science and Social Studies)

By Stanley R. Riggs, Dorothea Ames, and Karen Dawkins.

Using coastal evidence to make management decisions

In Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks, page 2.2

This lesson is part of chapter two of the unit "Coastal processes and conflicts: North Carolina's Outer Banks." Students act as if they are residents of the area affected by the opening of Isabel Inlet. Depending on which group they are in, they argue for or against the closure of the inlet in a class debate.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 English Language Arts, Science, and Social Studies)

By Stanley R. Riggs, Dorothea Ames, and Karen Dawkins.

Vietnam waterways: Ecology and conservation

In this interdisciplinary lesson for grades 6-8, students will examine the relationship between the physical environment and cultural characteristics of the Mekong River valley in Vietnam. Students will evaluate the current conditions of the Mekong River and suggest long-range solutions for improving, restoring, or preserving the quality of the river.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Information Skills, Science, and Social Studies)

By Edie McDowell.

Zoo integrated unit

The unit uses the North Carolina Zoological Park as a teaching tool rather than as a nice place to visit. It can be used by a single teacher or multiple teachers of different subjects, and it is aimed at 7th and 8th graders.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies)

By Craig Smith.

Resources on the web

Animals versus people: Who's the better navigator?

In this Xpeditions lesson, students explore animal navigation and compare animal to human navigational capabilities. Activities in this lesson engage students in online learning, cooperative group work, and creation of a final project using technology.... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Science and Social Studies)

Provided by: Xpeditions