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In this lesson students will research Arkansas community festivals that are closely tied to the land. They will then create brochures that examine the festival from a geographic/historical prospective and share their information with the class. This lesson can be introduced in one class period. Research, development, and presentation of brochures will take additional class periods.

Formatted as a coloring book, Arkansas African American History Makers is a project which was coordinated by the Arkansas Martin Luther Jr. Commission. The purpose of the resource is to educate youth about the accomplishments of some important Arkansans. Twenty different African American history makers are highlighted in the fields of sports, music, business, education and government.

Students will use basic research techniques to develop a biography of a famous, or perhaps infamous, Arkansan. They will then use their findings in a creative format to reinforce the information they have uncovered as well as to share their findings with various groups.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period: Modern Era 1968 to Present

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

Through the study of the assumed extinction and rediscovery of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, students will analyze maps, charts, and graphs. Students will create a defense for the rediscovery of the species. They will also complete an assigned writing prompt for further analysis and opinion while utilizing organization strategies for using information.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period: Modern Era 1968 to Present

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

Students will analyze primary and secondary source information to learn about the struggles of women during the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Students will take this information and hold a rally to express their informed opinion on the subject. Students will place information within a graphic organizer/timeline to fully understand the steps towards accomplishing the 19th amendment.

The goal of this unit is to continue the study of the geography of Arkansas. This lesson plan should be a part of a study on mathematicians including Pythagoras. Use of Arkansas maps makes this an Arkansas History lesson.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period: Modern Era 1968 to Present

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

The goal of this unit is to introduce students to the concept of the Japanese relocation camps used during World War II in Arkansas. Students will organize information.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period: World War II Through the Civil Rights Era 1941-1967

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

Students will examine and analyze the economic reasons that caused the migration of many Arkansans to other areas of the Untied States. They will also review the outcome of this migration as these Arkansans searched for better living conditions in the timeframe from the Great Depression through World War II. They will practice organizing information.

Through the study of the assumed extinction and rediscovery of the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker, students will analyze the responsibility of citizens to report observations and preserve habitats. They will complete a writing prompt for further analysis and opinion. They will organize and synthesize information.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period: Modern Era 1968 to Present

Arkansas Academic Standards are subject to revision every six years by the Arkansas Department of Education.

Students will research the role of Cherokee history in Arkansas through resource documents beginning with Dwight Mission School (1820’s) through the Stan Watie Cherokee regiments of the Civil War (1860s). Students will access information using keywords.

Lesson Plan

Courtesy of CALS Butler Center for Arkansas Studies

Grade Level:5-8 Middle School

Time period: Louisiana Purchase Through Early Statehood 1803-1860;