English 9-10

In this interactive and multi-disciplinary lesson, students learn about all aspects of forest fires: what they are, what causes them, how they affect the environment, and how it is used by man. Students will learn the answers to these questions by looking at a variety of data sources from real-time data to case studies. Along the way, they will record their findings in a project journal.

The cougar has returned from the brink of extinction, and its increasing presence is a source of both wonder and concern. The combination of spreading urbanization and successful cougar conservation efforts has resulted in an increase in human-cougar encounters, sometimes with negative consequences to both.

These materials are designed to be interdisciplinary, constructivist in nature, and engaging for students.  The materials were developed using Understanding by Design emphasizing the student outcomes desired and working backwards to develop lessons to achieve them.

These essays by leading scholars address a variety of themes that enable teachers to show their students how the forces that shaped the American landscape also shaped America’s Past.