Curated OER
The Progressive Era in Illinois
High schoolers collect photographs on the Progressive Era in Illinois, then write three newspaper articles, using one photo per article. The article will highlight an event in Illinois during the Progressive Era. The newspaper must also...
Scholastic
Perfect Postcards: Illinois
Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered lesson plan on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional...
Scholastic
The Rise of Railroads: Illinois
Railways not only cross the US, but they are also intertwined with the history of America. Using a timeline format, individuals explore the connections between major events in American history—such as the Civil War—and the rise of the...
Curated OER
Prairie Poetry
Ninth graders take note of the ways in which word choice, rhythm, language and narrative voice, as well as point of view in a poem can be used to evoke a time and place. They use their insights to create a poem of their own.
Curated OER
Aerial Photography
Eleventh graders compare the artistic values of Terry Evans' photography with LandSAT images and other images made for purely scientific, government and commercial purposes. They consider the artistic choices made in aerial photography.
Curated OER
Lesson 11: Illinois History 1800's Dual Timeline
Young scholars identify and research key event in the history of Illinois during the 1800's and create a dramatic skit or oral report based on the event.
Curated OER
The Great Chicago Fire Survivors
Students compare and contrast the experiences of two survivors of the Great Fire of Chicago using a Venn Diagram.
Curated OER
ILLINOIS PICTURE TIMELINE GAME
Fourth graders explore Illinois state history by finding six historical photos and then putting them in sequential order.
Curated OER
At Home on the French Frontier: 1700-1800
Students role play bartering for goods and services as the French settlers did in colonial Illinois. They start with eight household items to acquire through bartering. They have to calculate values for each object and determine the...
Curated OER
Prairie Settlement
Middle schoolers make a decision for site selection for a farm during the 1840s in the Midwest. They build research and writing skills by recording the information used for analysis in a chart and as diary entries.