Minnesota Lesson Plans and Educational Resources

The sites below provide resources of particular interest to Minnesota teachers as well as students seeking information about Minnesota. If you are an elementary or secondary student doing a state report on Minnesota, read my essay, "Living in Minnesota." Then scroll through the links that follow to find anything else you need. If you are looking for lesson plans or other specific information, use the site index.

Lesson Plans with a Minnesota Connection:
Minnesota: A State Unit Study
A "cross curricular approach." See also Minnesota Unit Study.

Great States: Minnesota
Lesson plans and videos from PBS Learning Media.

Minnesota Floor Map
A middle-grade geography lesson in which students use materials and space provided to design a floor map of the State of Minnesota. See also Minnesota Map/Quiz, for a printable version of a basic Minnesota geography quiz using a completion format and Minnesota Word Search, for a word search puzzle on Minnesota cities and towns.

Where in the World Is the Northwest Angle?
A brief lesson plan in which students learn about the Northwest Angle's location, history, and people.

Minnesota Alliance for Geographic Education
See their classroom resources.

Minnesota's Three Geographical Regions
A lesson plan for grades 4-7.

Tracking the T-Wolves
An ongoing intermediate-grade activity designed to take advantage of students' interest in professional sports to help them learn about the first of the five themes of geography: location, particularly the location of U.S. and Canadian cities having NBA teams.

Minnesota Agriculture in the Classroom
Curriculum Matrix allows you to search their lesson plans.

Minnesota Literacy Council
Search for ESL and Adult Basic Education resources and lesson plans

Minnesota Opera Lesson Plans
Downloadable teacher guides from Minnesota Opera.

Art Educators of Minnesota
Lesson plans, standards, and curriculum resources

Minnesota Judicial Branch - Teachers and Students
Several lesson plans including Understanding the Minnesota Judiciary: Impartiality and Elections.

Minnesota Supreme Court Historical Society Curriculum
Three units with many lesson plans.

History Education MN
The Education Resource Portal of the Minnesota Historical Society.

Teaching Native American History and Culture
Resources from the Minnesota Historical Society.

Mt. Tredinnick's Minnesota History Course
Six units with lesson plans.

Minnesota History: A WebQuest
This 25-question WebQuest might make a good extension or culminating activity for your Minnesota state history unit.

Immigration to Minnesota
A lesson plan from PBS. See also the other similar activities on the right side of the page.

German Immigrants: Their Contributions to the Upper Midwest
A lesson plan in which students answer questions and practice their German while using photographs and documents from the American Memory of the Library of Congress.

Foreman
A lesson plan in "lumberjack math."

Minnesota Communities
Online explorations using primary sources from the Minnesota Historical Society on topics including people (Ard Godfrey, John Pillsbury, Julia Nelson, etc.), occupations (milling, pottery, mining), landscapes (falls, river, iron range), and milestones (Civil War, mill explosion, dangers of mining, and many more).

Grade 6 Minnesota Studies
Geography and history curriculum.

True North: A Fur Trading Lesson Plan
For grades 6-7 from the university of Minnesota.

Wild Rice Detective
A lesson plan for grades 3-12 on the life cycle of wild rice and traditional harvest methods.

Near v. Minnesota (1931)
A lesson plan from the Bill of Rights Institute on this landmark freedom of the press case.

Hmong Among Us
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 about the Hmong community in Minnesota.

Lake Agassiz: What, Where, When?
A brief lesson plan and accompanying worksheet.

Earliest Americans and Their Environments
Though this 3rd-grade lesson plan is not specifically about Minnesota, it does examine the land-bridge theory of migration from Asia to North America that offers one explanation of the arrival of the the first people to inhabit Minnesota. For further information, see First Americans, Paleo Period, Jeffers Petroglyph Site, and Lake Agassiz: The Ultimate Fishing Spot?

Prehistory of Minnesota
A lesson plan for ages 4-6.

MN Native American
A guide for educators, lesson plans, and resources.

The U'S. Dakota War of 1862
Teacher resources. See also Dakota Conflict WebQuest.

Sioux Treaty of 1868
A secondary lesson plan using historic documents from the National Archives and Records Administration.

Anishinabe - Ojibwe - Chippewa: Culture of an Indian Nation
A high-quality lesson plan for grades 3-5.

Intersecting Ojibwe Art Curriculum
Many "culturally relevant" art-based lesson plans from the University of Minnesota.

Katy Denman-Wilke on Ojibwe Culture
A lesson plan complete with a "cultural snapshot," vocabulary, related videos, extension activities, and additional resources.

Laura Ingalls Wilder
A biography. See also Little House - Big Adventure and Vocabulary Lessons - Little House in the Big Woods for teaching ideas.

Charles Lindbergh: An American Aviator
Links to lesson plans and resources about Charles A. Lindbergh, Jr.

Paul Bunyan
A Pre-K lesson plan/activity. See also Introduction to fairy Tales an d Tall Tales.

Minnesota Zoo
Learning activities from the zoo.

The Minnesota Fish Quiz
Not a lesson plan, but this interactive, online quiz is a fun way to learn about Minnesota fish species and may be just what you need to motivate the outdoors-types in your classroom this spring.

Natural Resources Education
The Minnesota DNR has a number curriculum guides and resources, many of which include lesson plans. Though some can be obtained only by attending a workshop or must be ordered by mail, the following sample activity is available online: The Incredible Journey (an upper elementary or middle grade lesson plan in pdf format from Project Wet). Other programs for which curriculum materials are available include Young Naturalists, Project Wild, Project Learning Tree, Wildfire Prevention Education Materials, MinnAqua, and Mining in Minnesota. Go to the main site above to find ordering information for the following curricula: Adopt-A-School, Arbor Month, and Fisheries Tour Packet & Supplemental Materials Guide.

Aquatic Plant Power
A "featured lesson" from the MN DNR's MinnAqua.

"Look Down in the Woods" - Multidisciplinary Classroom Activities
A Teachers Guide for the Young Naturalists article "Look Down in the Woods."

Tree Identification to Observe Diversity of a Given Nature Area
A 2nd-grade lesson plan developed to meet the Minnesota Science Standards.

Teacher's Guide to Arbor Month
One more set of activities from the above Minnesota DNR site.

Minnesota Raptor Center Teacher Resources
Raptor lab and virtual program.

Minnesota Trapper Education
From the DNR.

Mississippi National River and Recreation Area
Teacher resources including teacher's guides and classroom activities

Mississippi River
A "Teacher's Guide" from Kids Discover. See also The Mighty Mississippi for lesson ideas from Education World. For background information about the Mississippi River, go to Mississippi Headwaters Board.

Wildlife Along the Mississippi River
A lesson plan for grades K-5 from Education World. See also Mississippi River Scavenger Hunt.

Watershed Lesson Plan
Five days of lesson plans in pdf format on the Lake Superior Watershed. If you are doing an integrated unit on Lake Superior, take a look at Wisconsin Sea Grant, Minnesota's Historic Shipwrecks, Lights of Lake Superior, and the Great Lakes Information Network.

Lesson Plan on the Edmund Fitzgerald
A 4th-grade lesson plan about this ship sunk in 1975.

Water on the Web
This program from UMD looks really interesting. It is an interactive curriculum designed for advanced high school and college students that uses real lake data to explore basic science concepts through directed study and inquiry. To access the lesson plans, go to curricula.

Great Lakes for Kids
Lesson plans for grades 4-8. For more information on the Great Lakes, go to The Great Lakes Information Network.

Paddle to the Sea
A lesson plan usingthe book Paddle to the Sea by Holling Clancy Holling.

Resources for Minnesota Teachers:
Education Minnesota Home Page (Formerly MEA and MFT)

Teacher's Resources Minnesota DNR

History Education MN
From the Minnesota Historical Society.

Minnesota Public Radio
Sound clips you can use in the classroom.

Minnesota Science Museum - Schools

Teaching Resources - Minnesota Institute of the Arts

Teacher Resources - Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

Minnesota Department of Education

Minnesota Department of Education - Statewide Testing

Minnesota Department of Education - Academic Standards K-12

Common Core State Standards Initiative

Minnesota Department of Education - Special Education P)rograms

Information for Doing a State Report on Minnesota:
Living in Minnesota!
Are you doing a state report on Minnesota? This is your lucky day. I wrote this essay just for you!

Minnesota.gov
The "official" website for the state of Minnesota. It provides a selection of resources that should give you all the details, facts and figures, and anything else you need for your state report.

State of Minnesota Activities.

Explore Minnesota
Facts and figures about Minnesota from 50 states.com.

Minnesota Fun Facts and Trivia

Minnesota State Flag
A picture of and information about the Minnesota State Flag.

Minnesota Official State Highway Map
The above map is from the Minnesota Department of Transportation. See also Google Maps - Minnesota and Maps: Minnesota DNR.

More Information About Minnesota:
Explore Minnesota
Minnesota tourism information.

Minnesota Secretary of State: Learn About Minnesota
State symbols, elections, government links, Minnesota state history, and other stuff.

Minnesota State Demographic Center
Information on Minnesota's population.

Minnesota Geological Survey
See also Statewide Geology Data for Minnesota.

State Topography Image: Minnesota
Not too exciting, but worth a quick look.

Minnesota Government:
Minnesota Government
Find information on state, local, tribal, and federal government.

Minnesota Statutes, laws, and Rules

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton's Home Page

Minnesota Judicial Branch

Minnesota State Senate

Minnesota House of Representatives

Minnesota Nature/Outdoors:
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR)

Fish of Minnesota
Pictures and information from the DNR. Also see Minnesota Fishes.

The Minnesota Fish Quiz
Not a lesson plan, but this interactive, online quiz is a fun way to learn about Minnesota fish species and may be just what you need to motivate the boys in your classroom this spring.

Ice Fishing Directory
Yes, we really do ice fish here in Minnesota! See also Ice Fishing World for ice fishing information and reports about ice fishing action in Minnesota and North Dakota.

Minnesota Fishing Reports
See also Regional Fishing Outlooks.

Great Lakes Aquarium - Duluth
An excellent site for learning about fresh-water fish, particularly those found in Lake Uperior. For additional information, see Fish Species of the Great Lakes, and Minnesota Sea Grant.

Mississippi Headwaters Board
A great site for information on the Mississippi River. See also OldManRiver.com.

Minnesota State Parks

Boundary Waters Canoe Area
Information on the BWCA, which is on the border of Canada and Minnesota. See also BWCA.com.

North American Bear Center
Learn all about Bears from the North American Bear Center in Ely, Minnesota.

International Wolf Center
Images and information from the International Wolf Center, also in Ely, Minnesota.

National Eagle Center
Several lesson plans.

Minnesota Raptor Center
Eagles, Hawks, Ospreys!

The Superior Hiking Trail

Adelson's Cross-Country Ski Page
Get the latest information on snow conditions and races.

Minnesota United Snowmobilers Association

Minnesota History:
Minnesota Historical Society
See their Classroom-Ready Resources. If you are looking for the history of a specific region or town in Minnesota, try the Hennepin History Museum, Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums, Minnesota Local History, and Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums.

Today in History: Minnesota
Find out what happened on today's date that is significant in the history of Minnesota. See also Minnesota History Timeline.

Against the War
Not a lesson plan, but a novel available as a free pdf document, Against the War follows the lives of four Minnesotans during the Vietnam War. "It is a thoroughly documented study of the Vietnam War generation with many accurate descriptions of historical events that took place in the years 1967-1971, and with many links to websites that provided this information." It might make an excellent supplement to your Vietnam War unit. The novel is also available on public domain websites including World Public Library, Gutenburg, and Internet Archive.

From Site to Story
An excellent site with information on archaeological research in Minnesota. See also Jeffers Petroglyph Site and Lake Agassiz, the ultimate fishing spot?

Minnesota Indian Tribes

The Kensington Runestone
Did Vikings really explore Minnesota? Read this article and decide for yourself. For more information, go to the Kensington Runestone: An Ancient Mystery Solved, Kensington Runestone Museum, North American Runestones, and Vikings in America.

Virtual Museum of New France: The Explorers
See also The Mississippi Voyage of Joliet and Marquette, Louis Hennepin.

Louisiana Purchase Treaty
Information from the National Archives about this treaty that acquired vast new lands for the United States, including part of what is now Minnesota.

Historic Fort Snelling
See also Fort Scelling in the Expansionist Era, 1819-1858.

The Dakota Conflict Trials
Extensive information.

The U.S. - Dakota War of 1862
Information from the Minnesota Historical Society.

First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Information on this famous Minnesota Civil War regiment. See also 1st Minnesota.net.

Minnesota Immigration History Research Center
From the University of Minnesota.

Minnesota Mining History
A brief overview from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources: Minerals Division. See also Minnesota Taconite and What's mined in Minnesota?

Mayo Clinic History and Heritage
Learn about the history of this world-famous medical facility.

Minnesota Legislative Library: Minnesota Governors, 1849 - Present
A chronological list.

Famous Minnesota Winter Storms
Listed chronologically.

Minnesota's Historic Shipwrecks
This site developed by the Minnesota Historical Society not only provides information on shipwrecks, but also offers information on exploration and fur trade, the iron ore industry, lumbering, and railroads.

1895 Map of Minnesota
This vintage map may be just what you need for your state history unit. Be patient, as it takes a long time to load this page.

Minnesota Indian Nations:
Minnesota Indian Affairs Council
Information about Minnesota Indian tribes, treaties, and resources. For additional information see Treaties with Minnesota Indians, Indian Fishing and Hunting Rights, and Minnesota Indian Gaming Association.

History and Ancestry of the Lakota People

Brief History of Anashinnaabe - Ojibwe Indians
See also An Introduction to Ojibwe History and Culture.

Minnesota Indian Tribes, Reservations, Treaties
Links to pages for specific bands. Click on the right side menu

Native Languages
From my World Languages Page. See also Native Languages of the Americas.

Minnesota Cities and Towns:
Minnesota Cities
Links to Minnesota city websites.

Minneapolis Home Page

St. Paul Home Page

Saint Cloud Home Page

Duluth

Rochester
Home of the Mayo Clinic.

Bloomington
Home of Mall of America.

Minnesota Weather:
Minnesota Climatology
Information about Minnesota weather, including historical data.

Minnesota Weather
Current conditions and forecasts.

List of Minnesota Weather Records
From Wikipedia

Famous Minnesota Winter Storms
Listed chronologically.

Minnesota Newspapers:
Minnesota Newspaper Web Sites
Links to all Minnesota newspapers that have online editions.

Minnesota Newspaper Directory
Links and contact information for all Minnesota newspapers, including those which do not have online editions.

Saint Cloud Times
Our local newspaper. Check it out; it's not bad!

Duluth News-Tribune

Rochester Post-Bulletin

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Twin Cities Pioneer Press

Arts/Museums/Zoos:
Walker Art Center

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Minnesota Children's Museum

The Science Museum of Minnesota

Minnesota Alliance of Local History Museums

Minnesota Transportation Museum
In Saint Paul.

Lake Superior Marine Museum
In Duluth.

Stearns County History Museum
In Saint Cloud.

Gibb's Farm Museum

Spam Museum - Austin, MN

Minnesota Zoo