Fourth graders compare and contrast the clothing during the 19th century to the fashion trends of the present day. They design something suitable for a future time period and explain why.

Students analyze and discuss several primary source documents that address the changes in technology that affected New England agricultural communities in the early 19th century. They also identify and discuss historical contexts for...

Students investigate the cultures of Native Americans and Euro-Americans through their clothing.  In this photograph analysis lesson, students observe historic photographs and analyze the style of clothes people wore and how it...

Learn the art of quilting with this lesson plan that can be connected to a history lesson on quilts in Ancient Egypt, China, and modern art. After studying a general history of quilts, its uses, and the history of different patterns,...

Students read and discuss the writings of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Timothy Shay Arthur and others to explore mid to late 19th century dress reform. They use their findings to write a letter to an editor from a 19th century viewpoint.

Eleventh graders utilize the writings of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Timothy Shay Arthur, Elizabeth Smith Miller, Frances Hard and others to explore the dress reform movements of the mid to late 19th century.

Students examine how decorative motifs are adapted to other types of objects by craftsmen and artists. They examine photos on the Illinois State Museum website, discuss design elements, adapt a motif to a line drawing, and transfer a...

Students compare aspects of daily life from the mid-19th century with those of today to contrast life then and now. They study newspaper advertisements for housing and clothing from then and now and create and illustrate their own...

Students study women's clothing in the 19th century as well as one prominent feminist of the time. They examine women's dress of the period from the picture book read aloud You Forgot Your Skirt, Amelia Bloomer! They provide adjectives...

Learners study the challenges diverse people encountered in the late 19th century American society, how racial and ethnic events influenced America during the Progressive Era, and the conditions affecting employment and labor in the late...

Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...

Students are introduced to the work and lives of 19th century lumberjacks through a living history slide show presentation. They compare and contrast life 150 years ago with the present. Students describe the history of logging in...

Students research immigration to find out why people from Europe, Asia, and elsewhere left their homelands during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Then they determine what living conditions were like when immigrants first settled...

High schoolers study John Wanamaker's department store and its attractions to 19th century consumers.  In this Civil War instructional activity high schoolers compare the different styles of shopping pre department stores and...

Eighth graders examine the role of intended meaning in Ralph Earl's portrait of Andrew Jackson. They, in groups, research periods in Jackson's life and use gathered information to create their own portraits of Jackson.

Eighth graders consider how immigration impacted the East. For this West Virginia history lesson, 8th graders research the effects of immigration on Wheeling, West Virginia. Students also gather information about immigration on a field...

Young scholars examine the image of the cowboy that is presented in popular culture. Students read about Native American, African American, Mexican, and Canadian Cowboys. For homework, they analyze a classroom textbook's depiction of...

Fifth graders investigate jobs and how people identify with their job.  In this labor lesson, 5th graders create a book from illustrations of various jobs. Students read an article about labor and answer questions about the article....

For this historical events worksheet, students analyze an anti-immigration political cartoon and respond to 3 talking point questions.

Students disucss the role the tourist industry played in popular perceptions of cowboys and Indians. They discuss the image of cowboys, as it is presented in fashion and contemporary advertisements. Students read about a town in Montana...

Students create a "class quilt" using techniques learned from the study of Asian textile practices in this six-day lesson for upper-elementary school. This lesson requires parent volunteers.

Students explore through art and literature the social mores and ideals of beauty during the Edo period (1615-1868) in Japan. This lesson includes resource links and possible lesson enrichments.

Students create a chart comparing visual clues with artistic meaning. This lesson plan is designed to introduce students to the ways in which consistent patterns of gesture and pose chosen by an artist (specifically George Catlin)...

Students will develop a greater awareness of the things surrounding them and will be able to build a bridge between their own material culture and that of an imaginary figure from the past. This lesson plan focuses on the significance of...