Curated OER
Don't Type To Strangers
Students create Web advertisements to protect young people from online predators. For homework, they write letters pitching their ads and analyzing their effect. They discuss their own use of the Internet and how to protect young people.
Curated OER
An Appointment to Remember
Students examine the arguments for and against President Bush's recess appointment of John R. Bolton as the United States ambassador to the United Nations and debate the appointment. They write letters to Mr. Bush expressing their views.
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Trading Up?
Students explore the benefits and drawbacks of free trade from the perspective of the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela, Chile and Mexico. For homework, they each write a letter to the editor expressing their personal...
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Perks and Perils
Learners research the life of the first family. In this U.S. Government lesson plan, students take a White House quiz, read an article about the first family and write in their journals about a typical day in their lives versus what a...
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A Recipe for Reading: Asian Style Rice and Eggs
Learners read, write about, and cook with rice in this home economics lesson plan. They reflect on the experience eating rice at home or in other ethnic foods.
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A World of Taste--Louisiana Gumbo
Students discover the multicultural contributions to New Orleans gumbo through participation in cross curriculum activities. In this multicultural diversity and New Orleans history lesson plan, students shade regions of a map according...
Crafting Freedom
Sequencing of Events in the Slave Narrative of Henry "Box" Brown
What steps did Henry "Box" Brown take while planning his own escape from slavery? Learners work in groups to analyze segments of Brown's narrative and identify the sequence of the most important events of his story.
Civil War Trust
Genealogy
The Civil War is undoubtedly a part of America's history, but could it be part of your pupils' history as well? Middle schoolers conduct research to discover a connection between their ancestors and the American Civil War. Whether they...
Curated OER
A Stinking Smelly Sewer
Students create a timeline of events that occurred in the Nashua River Valley as presented in the book, "A River Ran Wild." They write a description of a selected time period on an index card for a class timeline, and write a letter to...
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Christmas-Tree-Shaped Poems
Students create poems in the shape of a Christmas tree. They write an original poem detailing how a person can spread joy during the holiday season. The poem is formatted in the shape of a Christmas tree.
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Describe My City
Learners explore the functions of cities by creating a visual image of their own neighborhood. Students diagram, list, and label the major businesses and cultural areas of the neighborhood where they grew up, then write a letter to a...
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Getting Here from There
Students role-play early 20th century immigrants on their way to Indiana. They consider the methods of travel available to them and write a letter to a friend outlining their travel plans and adventures during the trip.
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Choosing Plymouth - Pilgrim Study Unit
Students identify the principal physical features the Pilgrims considered when choosing the location of Plymouth. They create a postcard to send to a friend in Europe as if they were a Pilgrim; illustrating one aspect of the settling in...
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Social Studies: Cultural New Orleans
Students observe the PBS film, "New Orleans," to explore such topics as race relations, cultural history, and urbanization. After examining n interactive map displaying the city at various dates in its history, students role-play as...
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What About Us? Women in the Civil War
Students research the role of women in the Civil War. In this Civil War unit, students research the role women played during the war. This unit includes eight different activities including vocabulary, writing prompts and a literature...
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Don't Just Stand By
Students discuss what it means to be a bystander to bullying and why it is difficult to help and support friends who are being affected by bullying. They brainstorm ways to overcome these challenges and are provided with strategies for...
Learning to Give
Deliver Gratitude Day
Gratitude is the focus of a discussion that sets the stage for pupils to take part in a service-learning project in which they deliver notes of kindness by way of social media or mail. A reflection closes the learning experience.
Curated OER
Frederica: An 18th-Century Planned Community
Students explore life as early settlers in Frederica by pretending to be crafts/tradesmen there and writing letters describing the fort/town to a friend or family member still in Great Britain, debating reconstruction vs. preservation,...
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Gold Mountain
Students read primary and secondary sources to find jobs as a Chinese immigrant. In groups they create a chart listing jobs for Chinese and write a letter about employment and living conditions to a Chinese friend.
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Beach Sands of the World
Students examine a variety of sand samples from throughout the world. On an index card, they write the characteristics of the sand and draw what the grains look like to use during the activity. Using a map, they practice plotting...
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Anne Frank: Courage and Responsibility
Sixth graders examine attitudes toward discrimination. They increase their sensitivity to diversity. After a lecture/demo, 6th graders read about people who exhibit courage and complete a writing assignment about them.
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Cultural Collision
Students examine the culture of the Native Americans. As a class, they discuss the negative impact of the melting pot theory and how different cultures can be preserved today. In pairs, they practice saying Native American words and...
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Deadly Lesson
Students read "Shooting at School Leaves 2 Dead and 13 Hurt" in the New York Times online. They explore their own thoughts and emotions about school violence in the wake of the March 5, 2001 school shooting in Santee, California.
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Introduction to Primary Sources
Students explore the usage of primary sources, what they are and how they originate. Artifacts are compared and contrasted as part of this historical inquiry as questions are formulated and conclusions drawn.