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Teacher Resource Materials

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Commemorate and celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation with America250 and worldwide edtech leader Discovery Education!

America’s Field Trip takes learning beyond the classroom, allowing students to experience firsthand the places that have helped shape the nation and build a deeper connection with America’s history and culture.

Below educators will find standards-aligned lesson plans and ready-to-use activities that leverage Discovery Education’s award-winning platform and provide instructional inspiration. Designed to have different levels of investigation and discovery, these models are familiar to students and easily incorporated into the lesson cycle.

New for the 2024-2025 school year is an educator-facing instructional video with an accompanying educator guide and classroom activities that help teachers at every grade level align the contest prompt, “What does America mean to you,” with standards frameworks.

Master Class Video

 

For each grade band below, please note that the ready-to-use activities are only interactive when accessed through the free Discovery Education Experience platform.

Grades 3–5

Lesson Plan: America’s Future

Students will explore their role in shaping the future of their community and America at large. They will start by sharing their thoughts on what America means to them and their hopes for the nation’s future. They will also learn about the concept of active citizenship, which dates all the way back to America’s independence. Through readings and discussions, students will discover examples of active citizenship in America’s past and present. Students will then work in groups to create plans to get involved in their community or work toward positive changes as they collaborate to be active citizens who strive to make America the best it can be.

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Ready-to-Use Activity

Students will make connections to the concept of community strength using linguistic and non-linguistic representations.

Community Connections: Z Chart Student Activity

 

Grades 6–8

Lesson Plan: Civic Power

Students will explore what it means to be civically engaged and how civic action is tied to American identity. They will brainstorm their own ideas about civic action, investigate misconceptions, and analyze historical examples of civic action from the past to present. Through discussions, station activities, and personal reflection, students will discover the power of civic action and identify ways they can make contributions or improvements to their community.

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Ready-to-Use Activity

Students will connect prior knowledge to new content related to The American Dream.

America for All: Reminds Me Of Student Activity

 

Grades 9–12

Lesson Plan: We the People

Students will explore how the Preamble to the United States Constitution outlines opportunities for reflection and civic action. Students will consider the importance of civic action in their school and community, analyze the text of the Preamble, and identify how the goals outlined in the Preamble create a blueprint for civic action today and in the future. Through peer discussion, historical inquiry, and textual analysis, students will explore how the concept of “We the People” empowers them to become engaged community members.

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Ready-to-Use Activity

Students will create a summary statement that supports a headline about America’s journey since the Declaration of Independence.

The Semiquincentennial: Read All About It Student Activity

 

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