Curated OER
Patriotic Arts: Influencing Canadians At War
Students study how war has shaped Canadian life, patriotism, propaganda, and music. They research primary source documents, novels, videos, and songs before celebrating Remembrance Day.
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Great Basin Tribes- Use of Land for Sustenance
Young scholars explore four Native American tribes from Nevada. In this Native American history instructional activity, students identify and generate important corresponding attributes of the Southern Paiute, Northern Paiute, Washoe,...
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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...
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Creative Captions - What do you think is happening at this moment on the voyage?
Seventh graders create captions for photos in English and Hawaiian, and after using primary sources, write historically accurate captions in both languages.
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Philadelphia's Important Contribution to the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Students analyze a primary source document (Jefferson's secret letter to Congress) and identify its objectives through the aid of focus questions. They complete a graphic organizer and write an article summarizing Philadelphia's...
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"A MLA Style of Life"
Students effectively research using the internet, encylopedias, magazines and newspapers. They desegregate into needed and un-needed information based on their research findings. Pupils recognize and appropriately site sources using a...
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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...
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A Journey Through Time!
Students use primary and secondary sources to conduct genealogical research on the challenges faced by those who immigrated to Canada.
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The Will Of Ebenezer Wells
Students discover that a is a good source of information about history. They see that a may also provide information or clues about attitudes, beliefs, practices, and economic conditions of the time period and place in which it was written.
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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 activity, students research propaganda sources and complete...
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Childhood Lost: Child Labor in the United States, 1830-1930
Working in groups, middle and high schoolers describe and discuss photographs depicting working conditions experienced by child laborers in the 19th century. They then write a persuasive paragraph supporting an amendment to regulate the...
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Information Shuffle
Gather some information, print it onto sentence strips, and then have your class physically shuffle the cards to better understand the importance of organizational patterns in writing. Middle school learners examine information for a...
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Influential People Taking A Stand
Seventh graders explore how influential people have taken a stand on difficult issues and the consequences that followed. This lesson connect American studens with students in England who present their own person for exploration.
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Identifying and Using Parallelism and Balance in Literature
Analyze the use of balanced sentences and parallelism in a narrative. Included in this resource is a narrative about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan titled, "The Train Ride Home". Middle and high schoolers review...
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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.
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Stating Your Case: Writing Thesis Statements Effectively
As a writer, if you have a weak introductory paragraph or thesis statement, you might lose your audience! Have your middle and high schoolers practice writing introductory paragraphs that include clear thesis statements in response to...
Thomas Jefferson Foundation
Personal Morals vs. Political Moves
Was Thomas Jefferson a hypocrite? That is the question facing class members as they examine excerpts from documents that relate to Jefferson's beliefs about slaves and slavery.
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1880s Agricultural Nation: Foods and Families on the Move
Students complete activities to learn about the agriculture during the 1880s. In this agricultural history lesson, students discuss the brainstorm questions about their neighborhood and its agricultural history. Students research to find...
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Battle Flags: Michigan and the Civil War Lesson 5 Letters from the War
Students investigate the letters written my Michigan soldiers during the Civil War. They examine the letters for clues about the life and attitudes of these soldiers.
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Enhancing Poetry with American Memories
Students explore poetry using American Life Histories: Manuscripts from the Federal Writers' Project. They compose their own unque "found poetry" based on the stories found in the collection.
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From the Mouths of Space Scientists: An Introduction to Space and Weather
After researching the Greenland Space Science Symposium, curious thinkers create a PowerPoint or video presentation. They use the information they gathered to construct their presentation.
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The Grandparent/Elder Project
Students interview a grandparent/elder to as part of a history and writing project. In this grandparent/elder project lesson, students record an interview of an older person who is willing to share their past. They look at pictures and...
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Whitewashing History
Students revisit issues of civil rights in the U.S. They use the recent national discussion of retiring Senator Strom Thurmond's 1948 Dixiecrat Presidential campaign as a starting point.
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Drake's West Indian Voyage 1588-1589
Learners investigate several maps detailing Sir Francis Drake's voyages. In this geography lesson, students practice reading maps and locating the precise locations of where Sir Francis Drake visited. Learners create an outline of the...