National Endowment for the Humanities
Charles Baudelaire: Poète Maudit (The Cursed Poet)
After learning the main ideas of the Decadent movement, students work in small groups to read and translate poems by the French poet Charles Baudelaire using basic etymology skills. They then read the accurate English translations to see...
Curated OER
The Notorious Hope Diamond: What Makes an American Legend?
Students view and discuss a video on the legend of the Hope Diamond then compare and contrast other tales such as Paul Bunyan, Pecos Bill and Johnny Appleseed. They analyze basic characteristics of these legends then use descriptive...
Curated OER
Putting on Beowulf
Learners read "Putting on Beowulf" then, in separate groups, choose a segment of Beowulf to perform. They prepare a performance either "live" or on videotape. After listening and watching each performance, Students evaluate each...
Curated OER
Rites of Passage: Initiation Masks in French Speaking Black Africa
Students examine African cultures through the study of masks in the initiation ceremonies in French speaking black Africa. They analyze masks, and create their own masks.
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Longfellow Amongst His Contemporaries: the Ship of State Dbq
Students evaluate the ship of state metaphor in relation to the historical events in America from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. They synthesize ideas presented in ten different primary source documents and compose an essay...
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Exploring the Sonnet
Students research English/Shakespearean and Italian/Petrarchan sonnet forms. They write an original sonnet on their preferred form (English or Italian), write the poem on the wordprocessor and publish and post it on the net at the Sonnet...
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Anna and the King: The Real Story of Anna Leonowens
Students explore the true life of Anna Leonowens and how the mythic story of her relationship with the King of Siam evolved. They explore the systems of nineteenth century colonization as well as twentieth century political ideology.
Curated OER
Scops, Rappers and You: Historians with Style!
Students examine the epic poem Beowulf. In this analyzing poetry lesson, student compare listen to the Will Smith song "Wild, Wild West" and read Beowulf. Students analyze the song and the poem. Students then research an influential...
Curated OER
Human Behavior
Learners are introduced to the study of human behavior and develop their ideas about the importance of understanding mental health.
Curated OER
Children and the Death Penalty
Students examine how different countries deal with juvenile offenders. Using the internet, they research what offenses are punishable by death and how the laws protect students. They interview local authorities and discuss possible...
Curated OER
Because We Can, Should We?
Students identify a position on an issue of geographic importance and support it They read the story "By the Waters of Babylon," and write a paragraph explaining what they think the relationship between Babylon and the Biblical referene...
Curated OER
Organizaton of American States Project
Students discover the Organization of American States by researching currents issues in those countries. They create a PowerPoint presentation and share with the class.
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The Great Gatsby
Learners develop a visual display illustrating an event from F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and write a paper showing the relationship between the visual and The Great Gatsby. In this The Great Gatsby lesson, students research the life of...
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America's Wars, 1898-1945
Students examine the wars the United States was involved in between 1898 and 1945. In groups, they determine the causes and effects of each war and how each war changed the way the United States handled their foreign affairs. As a class,...
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"Encounter with a Skull" by Koda Rohan
Pupils, in pairs, develop two poems--one must be a haiku, the other must be a tanka. They recite their poems to the class.
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Biography of the Millennium: 100 People, 1000 Years (4 Parts)
Students explore who are the most influential people of the past thousand years.
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Imagen e ldentidad/Image and Identity: Multiple Voices, Violations and Victories
Students spend a year involved in a project researching the diversity of Native Americans.
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Harry Potter: Upper Grades Activity
Students interpret symbols and metaphors from Harry Potter that refer to real-life political and social issues.
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MONGOLIAN WOMEN - THEN AND NOW
Students are introduced to the history of Mongolia. This is a general overview before going into the real detail of the lesson. The main focus is upon the development of the women of Mongolia and the major contributions they have made.
Curated OER
What Did He Say?
Students practice the use of Subjunctive I and II. They then analyze a text to find Indirect Discourse and practice writing sentences in Indirect discourse. For homework, students find an online article written this way in which they...
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The Ebb-Tide
Students study "The Ebb-Tide", an original drama based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson."The Ebb-Tide", like many of Stevenson's works, is a nautical adventure combining mystery, murder and memorable char
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Victoria and Albert (4 Parts)
Students watch the four part series about Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. They answer and discuss questions related to the four part series.