Curated OER
Leaders, Laborers, and Other Perspectives of World War II
How did the women in France feel about their country’s involvement in World War II? Class groups are assigned a country involved in WWII, and individuals within the group adopt the point of view of leaders, laborers, businessmen, women,...
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Politics and Leadership
Students research a historic leader and analyze how a philosopher's writings influenced the ruler in an essay. In this philosophy of government lesson plan, students view a video and participate in a class discussion on how great...
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George Washington & the Classics
High schoolers will compare and contrast famous philosophers with George Washington. In this history lesson, students work in small groups to define Classicism, Legalism, Democracy, Republic and Civility, then read some short...
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Akhenaton
Middle schoolers look into the development of religious beliefs. In this ancient civilization lesson, students research the founders of several world religions including Akhenaton. Middle schoolers use their findings to create world...
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World Religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam
Students explore the three main monotheistic religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam. They compare the history, important figures, holy books, places of worship, and symbols of faith of each religion through discussion...
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Four Enlightenment Thinkers
Students examine lives, philosophies, and political beliefs of four Enlightenment Thinkers: Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. Students then work with partner to write short speech from...
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An Introduction to Islam
Learners research the basic philosophical and ethical ideas of Islam and the ways in which they are similar to or different from other major religions of the world.
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Science and Natural Philosophy Before the Seventeenth Century
Students complete a worksheet about some of the natural philosophers in history. They use graph paper and create a timeline with the dates of birth and names of a list of natural philosophers. They list four questions concerning life and...
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Galileo and the Inevitability of Ideas
Students research Galileo's work and contributions to science. They make a timeline of Galileo's life, discuss the historical context for his book "Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems" and examine his trial by the Inquisition for...
One Pot Learning
Reading Comprehension Worksheet
Three annotated passages from Ralph Waldo Emerson's essay on "Nature" provide young philosophers a chance to improve their reading comprehension skills as they gain insight into Emerson's ideas.
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Government and Economics: The Ties that Bind
Students discover the relationship between government and economics. They examine concepts explained by Adam Smith and present them to the class. They also discover economists who have made a lasting contribution to the world.
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Who Invented Religion?
Students explore religious controversies with the release of the film "The Passion of the Christ." For this current events lesson, students discuss religious beliefs and the place for violence in religious and historical films.
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The Teachings of His Holiness: The Dalai Lama - Day 1 of 6
Sixth graders explore philosophy by analyzing the teachings of the Dalai Lama. In this Buddhist history lesson, 6th graders analyze a quote from the Dalai Lama and discuss their opinions on his philosophical teachings. Students identify...
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Social Studies: Ancient China
Seventh graders examine the contributions and influences of dynasties on Chinese history. They role-play as citizens during selected dynasties and write daily autobiographical entries. Students complete projects on the geography,...
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Rockin’ the World: Rock and Roll and Social Protest in 20th Century America
Students explore protest songs. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students examine issues-based music by summarizing lyrics and revealing inferences, generalizations, conclusions, and points of view found in the songs.
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Do You Really Know What Wealth Is?
Students examine what it means to have wealth-a concept that turns out to be philosophical as well as economic-and examine the importance of music. They examine the concepts of wealth in Mali and in the United States and consider the...
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Late 19th Century U.S. Foreign Policy
Eleventh graders discover that many of the issues the United States faces today elicit the same type of political, philosophical and moral debate that has divided the country in the past.
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Banking on a Good Turn
Students research the economies of countries in the Group of 8 and present how their economies have changed over the past five years and how the relationships among these countries affect each other in light of world events.
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The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions
Students examine the time period of the Harlem Renaissance. As a class, they are introduced to five artists and discuss their art and techniques. Using the internet, they also research the philosophers of the time period and how...
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Belief Systems Along the Silk Roads
Learners examine cultural diffusion. In this Silk Road activity, students research primary sources to compare and contrast the religious beliefs encountered and shared by those who traded along the Silk Road route.
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A Year
Students examine an author's philosophical look at life through anecdotes he describes as a teacher in Uzbekistan. In this Uzbekistan lesson, students analyze a literary passage in order to identify, then practice using, similes,...
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Teaching Creation Myths
Students examine various creation myths from around the world. They compare/contrast the myths, write their own creation stories, and present their myths to the class in the form of storytelling, role-playing, dance, or a puppet show.
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A Trip Back In Time
Students develop an understanding of Ancient Greek life. Students explore cultural, political, and social processes that shape different city-states. Students discover people such as Socrates and Alexander the Great.
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The Spirit of Islam
Students do six different lessons that have many activities which help them to gain an understanding of Islam and Muslim people and how people must work together to combat stereotyping.