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 instructional activity, students research propaganda...
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
Influential People Taking A Stand
Seventh graders explore how influential people have taken a stand on difficult issues and the consequences that followed. This instructional activity connect American studens with students in England who present their own person for...
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.
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.
Curated OER
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...
Curated OER
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.
Curated OER
Jim Thorpe: The Greatest Athlete of the Century
Young scholars discuss what makes a sports legend. In this Jim Thorpe activity students analyze both the triumphs and tragedies of Jim Thorpe's sports career. Young scholars then write a letter persuading their representative to name Jim...
Curated OER
The Grandparent/Elder Project
Learners 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...
Curated OER
The Immigrant Experience In America
Students study immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. Each student create an identity of an immigrant and write an essay in the first person. Essays describe what they found when they arrived in New York City.
Curated OER
Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story - The Birth of Soul
Young scholars analyze various kinds of music. In this music lesson plan, students listen to music clips to determine the kind of music each clip is then they participate in a class discussion about the music and prepare a presentation.
iCivics
Drafting Board: Community Service
Should schools impose community service graduation requirements? In the final lesson of the Drafting Board series, learners solidify their practice of crafting an argument supported by sound reason and evidence.
Curated OER
"In God We Trust": The Camden Man Who Put the Missing Motto on the Dollar Bill
Here is a fascintating lesson which relates how the motto "In God We Trust" came to appear on all US currency. It turns out that a man from Arkansas came up with the idea and petioned his congressman and President Eisenhower himself to...
Denver Art Museum
Tea Gathering Quick-Write
Japanese tea gatherings are the inspiration for a great lesson. Learners are provided with an image of a tea caddy made for thick tea and asked to describe what they notice and what that might mean. This leads into a larger lesson about...
Curated OER
Brochure Writing
Have your budding authors evaluate various writing styles found in informational brochures. They look for effective writing, compare and contrast styles, and create an assessment.
Curated OER
Lincoln's Legend and Legacy
Students evaluate Lincoln's impact on American History. In this Civil War lesson, students view a film clip of writings about Lincoln. Students take notes and compare how the writings define his legacy. Students write their own poem or...
Curated OER
Meet The Artist
Young scholars investigate art history by researching a particular artist. In this biographical lesson, students are given a brief summary of a artist's life and are assigned to create a report on the person. Young scholars create an...
Curated OER
Put Your Face on the Map
Learners investigate topography and contour lines by examining a human face. In this mapping lesson, students create a plaster cast of a face and create a map of the contours of the face one centimeter at a time. Learners examine the...
Curated OER
The Words that Surround Us
Students investigate writing that we read daily by analyzing advertisements and articles. In this language arts lesson, students discuss the images and writing they see daily, where it comes from, and what it represents. Students...
Curated OER
Whose Buffalo?
Seventh graders examine how the Plains Indians vied with white commercial buffalo hunters for the millions of Great Plains buffalo. They create an illustrated broadside supporting the interests of either the Indians or the commercial...
Curated OER
Research Famous People in History
A research project about famous people in history can be an interesting, and motivating assignment for students.
Curated OER
Explaining a Legend
Students explain the place of the legend of Herakles in ancient Greek life and compare ancient and modern legends in an essay.
Curated OER
A Piece of the Puzzle
Discover the process of writing a story by comparing it to a puzzle. Begin by examining a diagram shaped like a puzzle which contains important elements of a story. Learners mix and match the pieces with elements of a story they are...
Curated OER
Dear President Obama
Students write letters to the president as he begins his term. In this letter writing lesson, students discuss goals they hope the president will consider, and send good wishes to the president and his family. After the letters are...