Curated OER
The People's Design Award
Students analyze, critique, and evaluate information from various sources and learn about the design process. In this design lesson, students critique work submitted to People's Design Award and create a design of their own to present to...
Curated OER
Planning an Escape
Students plan their escape as though they were an 18th century slave. In this slavery history instructional activity, students use the Internet to research runaway slaves, then create a plan for escape in the form of a short story or...
Curated OER
One Room Schoolhouse
Students study pictures and artifacts of the one-room schoolhouse. For this compare and contrast lesson,students list similarities and differences in schools of today and one-room schoolhouses. Then students use this analysis to write a...
Smithsonian Institution
Solomon G. Brown: Letter Writing
Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...
Curated OER
Death On Board La Belle: Finding Clues from Old Bones
Students practice analyzing skeletal remains for clues by using the Internet. In this scientific investigation lesson, students research the La Belle shipwreck using the Internet and written materials, later completing a Skeletal Report...
Curated OER
Analyze Your Handwriting
Students explore the science of graphology. In this graphology lesson, students analyze a writing sample using the letter slope, line slope, and pressure to determine the personality characteristics of the writer. Students also analyze a...
Curated OER
Stained Glass for Your Class
Students investigate the history of stained glass and the creator of the art form. In this art project lesson plan, students utilize drawing paper to create their own style of stained glass using transparent paint. Students tape their...
Curated OER
The Iroquois Nation
Students explore the culture of the Iroquois in order to write a new version of Cinderella. In this lesson on the traditions and life of the Iroquois, students engage in several activities, 8 different center and conduct research to gain...
Curated OER
A Picture is Worth...
Students use their photo analysis skills to gain an understanding of what pioneer life in Canada may have been like by examining historical photos. Students are then given an opportunity to present their findings to the class in a...
Curated OER
Bias in Journalism
Students evaluate the credibility and reliability of various sources. Students survey the coverage of a particular event in different newspapers, select a current event and compare different perspectives. They write an article...
Curated OER
African Americans in the Maritime Trades
Learners explore Civil Rights by analyzing U.S. history. In this African American workforce lesson, students discuss the history of African Americans in Baltimore and the need for steady work that formed. Learners define vocabulary terms...
Curated OER
Japanese Festival Mask Making
Students learn about Japanese culture and make a mask. In this lesson about Japanese mask-making, students use research and art to explore the Japanese culture. Students research Japanese masks. Students design their own Japanese mask....
Curated OER
Nebraska: Using Pictures
Students create a scrapbook about Nebraska history focusing on Post Office murals. They choose their favorite murals and write a story to go along with the mural. In groups, students present their murals to the class and visit the...
Curated OER
In the Loop
Students practice comparing items by using a Venn diagram. In this diagram instructional activity, students divide a group of similar buttons by the small details that separate them using a Venn Diagram. Students compare and contrast...
Curated OER
Fractal Fraction Fun
Students discover the interesting patterns and shapes referred to as "fractals." In this geometry lesson, students utilize pieces of colored construction paper to create the branches of a fractal tree. Students discuss the rules and...
Curated OER
The Magic Words
Students investigate the truth behind several magic tricks by conducting the illusions in class. In this slight of hand lesson, students create an illusion using a coffee can and shoe box. Students perform their trick for friends and...
Curated OER
Can You Believe Your Eyes?
Students investigate hidden messages by analyzing images. In this art analysis lesson, students assess specific photographs by their use of light, framing, distortion and size. Students create their own juxtapositions in images and...
Curated OER
Telling the Stories the Past Tells Us
Learners create historical stories based on factual evidence. In this Telling the Stories the Past Tells Us lesson, students write historical stories using strategies such as characters, plot, setting, and voice. Learners analyze several...
Curated OER
Plants for Pleasure and Profit
Young scholars study about some of the specimens collected or diagrammed by Lewis and Clark, discuss their usefulness, and rank their importance. They write a persuasive essay detailing the plants they thought the most important.
Curated OER
Interviewing for Information
Students conduct interviews of Utah drivers representing different age groups. They transcribe this information for other members of their group to use it as a reference.
Curated OER
All That Sparkles is Silver!
Students analyze photographs for information about life in Virginia City Nevada in the late 1800s. In this Nevada statehood lesson, students work in teams to analyze photographs from Virginia City. Students brainstorm adjectives to...
Curated OER
National Women's History Month
Students explore the messages presented through propaganda posters for the Bread and Roses protest of 1912 and define their role in women's emancipation. In this women's history lesson plan, students research propaganda sources and...
Curated OER
Nellie Bly's Newspaper Club: Introducing the Science of Writing
Students evaluate a video about Nellie Bly, a famous reporter from the 19th century. They consider what makes a high-interest news article, write an essay in pairs and present it a literary tea.
Curated OER
Writing American Diaries
Young scholars examine the concept of historical perspective in writing. They read the diary of Sally Wister, a young Patriot from Philadelphia during the Revolutionary Era. Additionally, they must include different points of view in...