Learners collect memorabilia and create shadow boxes in the style of David Stewart. They also compose a poem and explain their identity in an oral presentation. This is a rare lesson that works quite well for a variety of age levels.

Twelfth graders write creatively and reflectively on 20 different events or memories that shaped their senior year. They organize memorabilia into a scrapbook with 20 entries and create a cover that represents their senior year. They...

Students create a Power Point scrapbook that compiles memorabilia representing the life of Jay Gatsby. They read the novel, "The Great Gatsby" and conduct internet research using the "American Twenties" website. In small groups, they...

Shoe boxes are fantastic for art projects! Kids create travel boxes, where they can store their travel memorabilia. Tip: Instead of using this idea to make travel cases, create social studies boxes instead. Kids will make these travel...

Students watch an episode of the PBS show Maya and Miguel called Family Time. They examine the importance of cultural memorabilia and make a collection that includes descriptions and stories about the items.

Students brainstorm lists of heroes, heroic qualities, and ways to pay tribute to heroes. In this Holding Out for a Hero instructional activity, students record Clemente's heroic attributes as athlete ad humanitarian. After visiting the...

Twelfth graders interview war veterans about their combat experiences and write newspaper stories about their interviews. They share their interviews with classmates. they discuss the impact of war on the veteran and the United States.

Students read poem, "The Bridge," by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, discuss how they are connected to other human beings, both past and present, and create time capsules including their favorite memorabilia.

Fifth graders answer questions such as: Where does my family come from? What was it like for my ancestors to grow up as America developed? What differences in society were present then? What was similar to today? students conduct...

Learners examine the value and use of scrapbooks in writing and historic inquiry. They view and discuss online interactive scrapbooks by Mark Twain, and in small groups create a collaborative scrapbook that reflects the time and place...

For first-hand research experience, learners study the achievements of baseball hero, Babe Ruth. They gain a better understanding of the game, especially the role of a home run. They then use their research findings to create...

High schoolers encounter how to work together as a group to accomplish a common goal. They gain more experience in doing research using library reference materials as well as internet sources. Each group is responsible for making a...

Learners create a 3-D self-standing album containing an accurate timeline of his/her life. They select personal items to attach to the timeline (like jewelry, photos, etc.). Also, they create journals as keepsakes for themselves and...

Students investigate the history of baseball and create baseball cards based on research they have collected about early baseball players.

Students discuss the United States Postal Service and choose an artifact from one decade. In this art instructional activity, students research how the artifact chosen relates to Chicago and the United States. Students create their own...

Students create their own sculpture representing the idea of environmental responsibility and recycling. In this science lesson, students observe Les Constellations des Voisines du Pole by Joseph Cornell, make recycled...

Students create a mixed media collage. For this visual arts lesson, students look at the work of Jane Ash Poitras. They create their own collage that shows their personal and collective history and experiences. 

Students experience the art of basic quilting. They learn to blend a simple fabric screen base and add embellishments to create a personalized heirloom. Students use collections such as buttons, trims, photos and other craft supplies to...

High schoolers investigate the life and work of the Japanese poet, Matsuo Basho as the Japanese poetic forms are studied. Nature, symbolism, and history are probed as the lesson is developed.

Students analyze the images of heavy metal bands. They view video clips of the band KISS and discuss. They design their own heavy metal band costume.

Students interview senior citizens about life in the old days. Sharing research with their classmates, they create their own database. They use technology to enhance the information they gathered from the senior citizens.

Young scholars analyze how historians are trying to keep history alive and preserve it for generations to come. They view some schools trying to save an entire culture and language from extinction. Students participate in history...

Students explore family backgrounds and traditions while discussing how memories are preserved. In this patchwork quilt lesson, students create a keepsake by compiling pictures, drawings, and magazine clippings of things that are...