Curated OER
Flawed Democracies
Ninth graders examine the struggle for equal opportunity. In this American Government lesson, 9th graders create a timeline outlining various groups' struggles for equal opportunity. Students research and construct a timeline to...
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Looking at French Decorative Arts
Young scholars research the history of trade in porcelain wares from Asia and the quest to re-create true hard-paste porcelain in Europe and art in French society. In this French art lesson, students research and discuss the...
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Robert Boyle and Experimental Methods
Learners discuss the difference between the Baconian inductive method and the Aristotelian deductive approaches. They complete a given set of questions then discuss them with the class.
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Traveler's Trunk
Students analyze and interpret artifacts from the 1920s and explore the Great Migration. In this 1920s history lesson, students review background information about the Great Migration and use artifacts to study history of Chicago....
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Owls and Raptors
Students investigate the predator-prey relationship of owls and raptors. They examine a variety of resources about owls and raptors, develop a list of vocabulary words, dissect owl pellets and identify what owls eat, and play a...
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Dig It Up
Learners participate in an archaeological excavation to determine how archeologists make inferences about various cultures. They reconstruct the site using layers of drawings. They discuss the kinds of information they learned.
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A House Divided: Slavery in the United States
Students explore the history of the United States and slavery. In this slavery lesson plan, students view primary sources, complete journal writing, view videos, and answer short answer questions.
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Rhetoric and War
High schoolers examine the relationship between rhetoric and war. For this history of war lesson, students analyze paintings, photographs, movies, and articles that paint an opinionated picture of war. High schoolers...
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Ice Age Animals
Students research the ice age and the animals that were on the Earth at that time and have a debate on the explanation for the extinction of the ice age animals.
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Sedimentary Rocks
Students discover how sedimentary rocks form. They identify different examples of sedimentary rocks. They also discover what types of rocks are in Illinois soil.
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When Art Conveys Political and Social Conflict
Twelfth graders consider art as a medium to convey information and opinions on social conflict and issues. They analyze images from the Crocker Art Museum, discuss their effectiveness in raising awareness of an issue, and create a...
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The See Family
Third graders examine photographs as primary source documents. Students are broken into groups and are given photographs of the See Family.
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When Art Conveys a Political Message
Twelfth graders learn art is an effective way to convey a political message. They learn how political messages are created to convey a message. They analyze a piece of artwork and then write a short paragraph from the point of view of...
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Signs and Symbols
Sixth graders carefully analyze a triptych of the nativity, paying close attention to the lines, shapes and symbols included in the artwork. They explore the role of the Catholic church in society at the time the piece was created and...
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Documenting the Great Depression
Students compare and contrast two photographs from the Great Depression, and identify the ways in which the photographers depicted the hardships of everyday life during this period. They hypothesize about the story behind each photograph...
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A Dream of Classic Perfection
Students look at how Greek classical art and philosophy influenced the French Revolution. In this French Revolution lesson plan, students use primary sources, Neoclassical art, to look at how they show what society was like during this...
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Virtual Visits
Learners rate a variety of kid-friendly museum Web sites for both their educational and entertainment value. They reflect in writing about the overall success of each site to pique their interest in art, science, history or culture.
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Artifacts 2: Artifacts in Context
Learners will explore an archaeological mystery that demonstrates the importance of context in learning from artifacts. Factors such as the artifact's location, its proximity to other artifacts, and the number of similar artifacts found...
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Mammoth Extinction
Students explore various hypotheses concerning the extinction of the woolly mammoth.
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Learning from Letters and Other Mail
Students explore the history of our mail system. In this postal lesson plan, students evaluate mail as a means of communication, create a mail system in their classroom where they can send and receive mail. Once the students receive...
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Learning To Look
Students examine Jacques-Louis David's Telemachus and Eucharis and Dorothea Lange's photograph of a migrant mother and consider how artists communicate ideas across time. They look closely at, and think creatively about artworks.
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10 Great Places to Savor the Wild Blue Yonder
Students discuss developments in aviation. In this reading comprehension lesson, students read an article that discusses ten aviation museums and developments in civil and military aviation. Students find relationships...
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Solar System Adventure
Young scholars study the solar system and our galaxy, then write a science fiction story based on what they discover. They utilize worksheets and access websites imbedded in this plan to gain ideas for their stories.
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The Golden Spike
Students investigate modern transportation in the 19th century by examining artifacts. In this U.S. history lesson, students read the story Joseph's Railroad Dreams, and discuss the Golden Spike used in the first transcontinental...