Curated OER
Anishinabe - Ojibwe - Chippewa: Culture of an Indian Nation
Students investigate the American Indian tribe of the Chippewa. They identify the different names of the Anishinabe/Ojibwe/Chippewa nation, conduct a research project, explore various websites, and present their group research projects.
Curated OER
Plimoth Plantation Field Trip
Take a virtual field trip to the Plymouth plantation. Using the site linked in the instructional activity, discover how people lived during the 17th century in this part of the country. Discuss the role of the pilgrims and native...
Curated OER
What Was Columbus Thinking?
Why is Christopher Columbus one of the most studied figures in history? Upper graders will investigate why Christopher Columbus traveled to the New World and what happened to the native people he encountered. They read and discuss...
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast
Following an online activity, scholars listen to a read-aloud of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma. Pupils discuss their family traditions and complete a T-chart comparing the holiday then and now. Collages are made to...
Curated OER
What Can We Learn From Bones?
Students discuss what type of information they can gather from bones. In groups, they travel between stations in which they can view photos and listen to actual accounts of finding bones. They focus on the tools available to Native...
Curated OER
Go Fish!
Students are introduced to the culture of the Kumeyaay. Using their text, they discover how they used their native flora and fauna in San Diego. They participate in a matching game and examine the types of organisms who make their home...
Curated OER
The Nez Perce War
A lesson which combines the skills of notetaking with a history of the Nez Perce War against the United States Cavalry is here for you. Learners take notes while their instructor lectures them on the information. A quiz is given as a...
Curated OER
Where the Buffalo Roam
Second graders explore what life in the Chicago area was like hundreds of years ago. They discuss how settlers impacted the environment, and why there are no longer herds of buffalo in the Chicago area today. They read an article and...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving and Agriculture
Learners listen to the book "The Pilgrim Story" and discuss the Pilgrims and why they came to America. Students role play the Thanksgiving story and write about how Pilgrims and Indians relate to them today.
Curated OER
Field Trip to Living History Farms
Students tour "Living History Farms" in Iowa. In this field trip preparation lesson, students observe ways Native Americans began growing crops in the 1700's as well as how the farm changed in the 1800's. Upon their return from the trip,...
Curated OER
Kids in the Colonies
Students compare and contrast family life in colonial America with life today. They describe what communities were like in colonial times and how they varied from life today. A spokesperson from each group will present a verbal report...
Curated OER
Transportation and Mapping
Students view murals that depict various modes of transportation. They discuss the importance of maps to navigation and create a map. They compare and contrast transportation of the past with modes of transportation used today.
Scholastic
Learning About the Pilgrims With Crafts
Students research the pilgrims in terms of why they left England, their voyage to America, the challenges they faced when they arrived, and their relationship with the American Indians. To conclude this unit, the students have a...
Curated OER
Making Decisions Every Day
Third graders discuss the importance of being able to make decisions on their own. Using information on Montana's Native American tribes, they develop their own supporting statements. They also discover techniques to determine if the...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 Railroads and Settlement
Have you ever wondered how your town was placed where it is? Scholars research the impact the advancement of the railroad due to the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act had on the formation of civilization in the Great Plains. Map...
Curated OER
What Did You Say?
Students investigate how the Indians and Europeans first met and their first interactions using spoken language. Before speaking the class warms up to the idea with the use of body language and gestures. Then the teacher sets the scene...
Curated OER
Interdependence: A Colonial Example
Students complete a variety of activities related to Colonial America and how people lived at that time. They conduct research on a selected colonial trade and present an oral report as role-playing that craftsman, and participate in a...
Curated OER
Oral traditions: Facilitating education through verbal traditions
Bring oral traditions into the classroom to engage learning and facilitate best practices. From story telling to listening skills, this article provides reasons and rational behind oral traditions as a tool for education.
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark
Students investigate Lewis and Clark. In this Lewis and Clark lesson, students search the Internet for information about Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Students use maps to understand the explorations and decide which...
Curated OER
"The Society of Friends" and Society
Pupils work together to research the Quakers. They compare their own life to the Quakers. They identify core democratic values that the Quakers used to help the common good.
Curated OER
Talking Rocks
Artists imitate the symbols used by tribes of the Southwest or use their own word pictures that communicate something about themselves. This lesson plan is a perfect blend of visual art and social studies. Students create a beautiful...
Curated OER
Mini Coil Pots: Ceramics Lesson
Art is a wonderful way to teach historical or cultural concepts. Here, learners view a series of coil pots that have been created throughout history by a variety of civilizations. They then create and decorate a pot of their own that...
Teacher Created Resources
Thanksgiving Coupon Book
Students create a Thanksgiving coupon book. In this holiday lesson, students review the history of Thanksgiving and create coupon books to give to someone who they are thankful for.
Curated OER
Pennsylvania Colony
Students research the main reasons for the colonists moving to the Pennsylvania colony. They analyze maps, label a bubble map, list similarities/differences of immigrants then and now, and create a colonial newspaper advertisement.