The story of insulin goes back to 1869, when Paul Langerhans studied the pancreas under the microscope. As he examined the organ, he noticed that it was not uniform; clumps of a unique kind of tissue were scattered throughout. Langerhans was intrigued, but puzzled. What could the clumps in the pancreas be? Paul Langerhans’s son […]
The Creation of Indian Territory: A Unit Study
Up to June 30, 1834, Andrew Jackson had aggressively enforced the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which sent the Five Civilized Tribes of the South (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek, and Seminole) west of the Mississippi. He claimed that it was for their own good, that they could not live with the white men and prosper. […]
Tornadoes: A Unit Study
On the evening of May 25, 1955, an F5 tornado touched the ground near the Kansas-Oklahoma state line. As it proceeded northward, it took a northeast twist that put it on a direct collision course with the small Kansas town of Udall. Udall had been under a tornado watch that evening, but as residents watched […]
Sun Dogs: A Unit Study on Light & Optics
The Sun Dog Painting depicts the sun dogs that appeared over Stockholm, Sweden, on April 20, 1535. Unit study on light.
James Madison: A Unit Study
James Madison unit study resources. James Madison was born on March 16, 1751.
Leap Day: A Unit Study
It happens once every four years: February 29th! The leap day of leap years — those years ending in a number divisible by four…well, sort of. The earth takes 365.24219 days to travel around the sun (equinox to equinox). It is this trip that gives us our year: 365 days each year. And then there […]
Silent Night: A Unit Study
When “Silent Night, Holy Night,” was first performed on Christmas Eve 1818, its composers probably did not anticipate that it would become one of the world’s most beloved carols. While legend has embellished some of the details of the song’s early history, in reality the story is quite simple. In 1816, a priest named Joseph […]
Constitution Day: A Unit Study
September 17 (or the nearest available weekday if the 17th happens to fall on a weekend) is Constitution Day, a day set aside by the United States government to educate students and federal employees about the supreme law of the land. Establishing the Holiday Constitution Day was first observed in schools in Iowa in 1911. […]
The War of 1812: A Unit Study
There was no going back once President James Madison signed the declaration of war on June 18, 1812. The House of Representatives had already voted in favor of the war, 79 to 49, and the Senate had followed suit with a vote of 19 to 13. It was the first time that the young United […]
Jamestown: A Unit Study
On May 14, 1607, the weary travelers set foot on a low-lying island in the James River. The site was marshy and the water smelled rank, but the location offered a number of strategic advantages. For one thing, it was far enough inland to reduce the threat from prowling Spaniards. For another thing, it was […]
Peter and the Wolf: A Unit Study
Sergei Prokofiev was born on April 23, 1891, in a small village in Ukraine. Peter and the Wolf unit resources.
Maps: A Unit Study
Maps unit study. Mercator devised a way to project meridians and parallels onto cylinders so that the intersection of these lines formed 90 degree angles resulting in straight lines.
