Curated OER
Native American Story Necklaces
Combine a study of Native American history and art in this lesson. Learners discuss the importance of fetishes in Native American culture, the history of necklaces, and create their own works of art. Your class will find this to be both...
Curated OER
Writing Exercises: Latin American Independence
Budding historical analysts take to describing the road to Latin American independence. They'll respond to three writing prompts which require them to describe or analyze specific events in Latin American history.
Curated OER
Art & Life During the American Revolution
Fifth graders examine and critique the art, artists, and artisans of late 18th century America.
Curated OER
African-American Art and the Political Dissent during the Harlem Renaissance
Students are introduced to the culture of African American art. Using the internet, they research the events surrounding the Harlem Renaissance and discover how it produced a wide variety of art and literature. To end the lesson, by...
Curated OER
Rococo Art & Architecture
A splash of light against the dark background of the Baroque period, the Rococo Art of 18th century Europe shines brilliantly in this appealing and artistic presentation. The slides focus primarily on the paintings of French and English...
Curated OER
The Changing Experience of Colonial Childhood
Students research how childhood was depicted in art in the 17th through 19th centuries. In groups, they research pieces of art and write a paper explaining how the portrayal of students in art changed at the end of the 18th century.
Curated OER
"What is an American?"
Eleventh graders ponder about what it means to be an "American." They discuss the impact of an author's word choice and sentence structure on text. They identify some major themes and development of the Letters... Compose paragraphs and...
Curated OER
Colonials & Revolutionaries: Background Historical & Cultural Information
The four major trends of the 18th century (The Enlightenment, the Great Awakening, British global ambitions, and economic disagreements) are the focus of a PowerPoint that places in context such influences as deism, mercantilism,...
Curated OER
Picturing History: John Singleton Copley and British Portraiture
Students observe and compare 18th century British portraits with those made by John Singleton Copley. By conducting research they explore the cultural climate of the portraits in order to write a historically accurate story.
Curated OER
Across The Centuries
High schoolers analyze the American Bill of Rights, compare it to the English Bill of Rights and note the differences in an essay. They access websites imbedded in this plan to do their research, then present their findings to the class.
Curated OER
Women's Lives in American Paintings
Students analyze paintings to determine characteristics of women and attitudes toward them in different time periods. They create a portrait of a woman and discuss their views of women through their own artwork.
Curated OER
Journey to America
Fifth graders carefully analyze the artwork, Les Emigrants, and explore the reasons that people emigrated to the United States, and what life was like for new arrivals. They discuss what things immigrants were able to bring with them and...
Curated OER
The American Revolution: Causes
Middle schoolers investigate taxation of the American colonist by the British which led to the revolution. In this American Revolution lesson, students analyze a poem called Revolution Tea, and then work in small groups to present an...
Curated OER
What Should a House Do?
Learners complete a unit of lessons on the similarities and differences between Native American homes and European settlement houses. They explore websites, read stories, design a dream house, and construct wigwam models.
Curated OER
The Poetry of Chinoiserie
High schoolers study Asian works of art and Japanese haiku. They then take this knowledge and create an original haiku in response to other works of art.
Penguin Books
A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classics Edition of Mary Shelley ’s Frankenstein
Contrary to popular belief, the monster's name in Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is not Frankenstein. A teacher's guide for the novel helps readers make sense of key details in the text, define vocabulary words, and discuss prominent...
Curated OER
Knowledge is Power
High schoolers explore the distinct forms of knowledge that enslaved Africans brought with them to America or developed while enslaved. They study how political movements of the 18th century helped develop abolitionist thinking.
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Colonial Identity
Students research and discuss the origins of the American colonies and explore how colonists were still influenced by English culture. As a follow-up project, students produce a portrait of an individual.
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Huguenot Street
Fifth graders read about and discuss American Colonial Folk styles of the 18th century. They research architecture and design found Huguenot Street and use their research and observations to design an original home.
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Learning the Printing Trade
Students explore U.S. History by reading biographical text in class. For this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read about the famous American's first job and the transition he underwent from printing to politics....
Curated OER
Pizza for Everyone
Pizza is the inspiration for the cross-curricular lesson detailed here. Start out with a poem about pizza and move into a discussion about balanced eating. To close the language arts portion of the lesson, ask your pupils to write...
Smithsonian Institution
A Ticket to Philly—In 1769: Thinking about Cities, Then and Now
While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...
Curated OER
The Role of Japanese Women through Art
Students examine the role of women in Japan through Art and create collages using learned knowledge that depict the role of women in America today in this exciting Art or Social Studies lesson.
Curated OER
English Perspectives
Students perform research in order to answer an essential question: How did the cultural characteristics, beliefs, attitudes, behaviors, and economic conditions of the French, English, and Indians contribute to the growth of inter-group...