We may earn money or products from the companies mentioned in this post.
A New Orleans unit study is a perfect way to learn important pieces of United States geography, history, and culture.
As roadschoolers, I am always trying to find new ways to connect geography to our homeschooling. Just like this unit study and accompanying notebooking pages, which is the first in a series of US geography based resources I’m putting together for my kids.
I have always loved geography. It was a spark that was ignited when I was a kid and took mega road trips across the country with my parents. And, that spark lit the way for us to become roadschoolers, zigzagging the country with our own kids.
My hope is that you can use this resource with your kids or in your classrooms along with us!
And, the best part is these online resources and notebooking pages will help you learn about a new place without ever having to leave your home! But, I did include field trip ideas in case you can get there to visit.
While a study of a place and its people can never truly be complete, I do believe that this unit study will give you a good place to start studying this fascinating city and its history with your kids.
*Don’t miss the companion post I wrote featuring books all about New Orleans:
New Orleans Book List for Kids
It is full of titles for all ages and levels and should have plenty of titles for your New Orleans unit study, so be sure to check it out!
New Orleans Unit Study Resources
City Profile
New Orleans was founded by the French Mississippi Company in 1718 by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne. Although the land was already occupied at the time by the native Chitimacha Tribe.
It is the largest city in Louisiana and made up of more water than land! Below I’ve listed a few city profile facts for you below.
Nicknames: The Big Easy and Crescent City are two nicknames for New Orleans, but there are others.
Population: 393,292
County: Orleans Parish
Time Zone: Central Time Zone
Land Area: 169.43 Square Miles
Water Area: 180.43 Square Miles
Elevation: About half of the city is below sea level. So, the elevation is an average of only about 1 to 2 feet above sea level!
Major Landforms
Mississippi River
A Brief History of the Mississippi River
Lake Pontchartrain
Facts about Lake Pontchartrain
Lake Pontchartrain Causeway is the longest bridge over water in the world.
Wetlands
Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge
Landmarks
The French Quarter is one of the most famous and historically significant places in New Orleans. A Brief History of the French Quarter
Historic Jackson Square is a park in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and was named for Andrew Jackson.
St. Louis Cathedral is a beautiful landmark in New Orleans. And, it holds the title for oldest continually running cathedral in the United States.
The Cabildo is located in the French Quarter next to St. Louis Cathedral and in Jackson Square. Now a state museum, it is historically significant because it was the seat of government during the Spanish colonial period. And, it is where the Louisiana Purchase was signed in 1803, doubling the size of the United States. After that, it continued to be used as the supreme court for the Louisiana territory and state of Louisiana into the 1800s.
City Park is over 150 years old. And, at 1300 acres this public park features many attractions and beautiful spots to spend the day.
Cafe du Monde is said to be the most famous coffee shop in the world. It has been serving New Orleans coffee and it’s famous beignets since 1862.
The Superdome is a sporting arena where you’ll see the New Orleans Saints play. And, it was where thousands of Katrina victims sought shelter after the hurricane.
Field Trip Ideas
If you can get to the city for a field trip or vacation it’s the perfect way to bring a New Orleans unit study to life! There’s sure to be some great destinations for you in the round-up style lists below!
List of free things to do with kids in New Orleans from New Orleans Kids
7 Fun Free Things to do in New Orleans from Traveling Mom
40+ Free Things to do in New Orleans with Kids from Pint Sized Cities
Things to do with Kids in New Orleans from Free Tours by Foot
New Orleans Kids Activities from The Advocate
New Orleans Unit Study History & Cultural Resources
The meat of a New Orleans unit study will be found in the history and culture of the city. So, the rest of this post shares ideas from the city’s rich history and culture.
These two articles give an overview of New Orleans History:
This article from the History Channel on the History of New Orleans begins with the city’s founding and ends with information about Hurricane Katrina.
History of New Orleans by Period
Pirates in New Orleans?
Learn all about the pirate who called New Orleans home, Jean Lafitte.
After declining a British offer to help seize New Orleans in the War of 1812, Lafitte partnered with General Andrew Jackson in exchange for a pardon for himself and his fellow pirates after a U.S. naval force captured most of his fleet. Following the Battle of New Orleans, Jackson became a hero and the United States pardoned Lafitte and his men.
Jean Lafitte National Historic Park and Preserve
Battle of New Orleans – History Channel
Chalmette Battlefield is the site of the Battle of New Orleans that took place during the War of 1812. Fought against the British, it is significant because it was the last battle ever fought on American soil against a foreign enemy. The NPS page I linked to has a few printable files for kids about halfway down the page.
Jazz
Become a Jazz Junior Ranger at the New Orleans Jazz National Historic Park! The website has links to learn about famous Jazz musicians like Louis Armstrong, as well as all kinds of other information.
Including, a kids page with two links to download Junior Ranger Jazz packs. One is for young kids k-3 and is just a few pages, the other is for grades 4-8 and has a lot more information in it.
There’s even an address for you to mail it in if you can’t visit in person and the NPS will send your child a Junior Rangers Badge in the mail for free!
Mardi Gras for Kids
Learn about Mardi Gras with this video from PBS Kids:
Mardi Gras – PBS Kids Learning Video
Mardi Gras Crafts:
I put together a printable Mardi Gras Mask Craft for my daughter this spring that would make a great craft option during your study of New Orleans.
Get some STEM in with this Shoebox Mardi Gras Float Craft from New Orleans Moms Blog.
Bake a King Cake for a fun hands-on activity:
Mardi Gras King Cake Recipe from King Arthur Flour
Hurricane Katrina
Katrina was a category 5 hurricane that hit Louisiana in August of 2005, causing devastating flooding and damage in the New Orleans Area.
Hurricane Katrina Facts & Information – National Geographic
If you’re looking for some hands-on hurricane learning check out how we made Edible Hurricane Dough a few years ago while waiting out Hurricane Harvey.
Lesson Plans
The teaching and learning section of the NY Times has multimedia resources, articles, and lesson plans available for education purposes.
This link, Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, Then and Now, will bring you to the top of this giant list of resources. But, if you’d like to skip to the lesson plans, which is pretty far down the page, go here >>> Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans Lesson Plans.
These links below go to lesson plans from the NEA. There is a Hurricane Katrina specific lesson plan for each grade level and many others about hurricanes in general. Some of the lessons overlap, but there are grade-appropriate lesson plans at each of the links.
Hurricane Lesson Plans Grades 3-5
Hurricane Lesson Plan Grades 6-8
History Lesson Plans for New Orleans Unit Study
All of the unit studies below are specifically for middle or high school. The first is a lesson plan on the city’s unique architecture and the others are on various topics relating to the history of New Orleans.
Architecture Lesson Plan
Teaching with Historic Places Lesson Plan – Vieux Carré: A Creole Neighborhood in New Orleans
Topics in New Orleans History Lesson Plans
The Historic New Orleans Collection has 15+ downloadable lesson plans. Their focus on using primary resources makes them excellent resources and perfect for any unit study.
These instantly downloadable lesson plans include the following topics and more:
New Orleans: The Founding Era
Lousiana and New Orleans during Reconstruction
Music in New Orleans
New Orleans during the Civil War
The World’s Industrial and Cotton Centennial Exposition in New Orleans
New Orleans and the Spanish World
Creole World
Don’t forget to check out:
New Orleans Book List for Kids!
New Orleans Unit Study Notebooking Pages
There are a million ways to use notebooking pages, which is probably why they’re such a popular resource with homeschoolers. They accommodate multiple learning styles, ages, and interests. All of which is appealing to me with a wide age gap between my homeschooled kiddos.
And, they make the perfect place to record everything your child will learn during a New Orleans unit study!
Notebooking pages are perfect for our mostly child-led homeschool as well. I can give these New Orleans notebooking pages to both my kids and they will do something completely different with them. As it should be.
This pack of notebooking pages includes:
- A Beautiful New Orleans Cover Page – One is in full-color and the other in black and white for coloring
- Set of Full-Color Primary Lined Pages – Perfect for the youngest learners!
- Set of Full-Color Standard Lined pages – Ideal for any age
- A Full Set of Black & White Pages – All pages have been duplicated and are available in black and white for coloring and easy printing.
- City Events Timeline Page – To record events in New Orleans history
Grab Yours Now!
$4.00Add to cart
Have fun learning about New Orleans!
Heidi
Pingback: Louis Armstrong FREE Unit Study - peanut butter fish lessons