Lesson Plan
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History

A Different Perspective on Slavery: Writing the History of African American Enslaved Women

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the experiences of African-American women during the Civil War. Reading letters and autobiographies, they gain insight into how they dealt with slavery and losing their children. They create a model to evaluate the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of Flight Timeline Activity

For Teachers 1st - 8th
Scholars are introduced to the significant events that led to the development of today's modern forms of air travel. They create a timeline to identify the vital events that are related to man's flight. In addition, they research various...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History of Ponce de Leon in Florida

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Based in sound Educational Theory, this lesson uses art to convey the story of Ponce de Leon. Mild to moderately disabled students hear the story of the Fountain of Youth, examine a paining of Ponce de Leon, and act out a scene as Ponce...
Lesson Plan
1
1
BrainPOP

Civil Rights Lesson Plan: Tracking History Through Timelines

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Use the accompanying assessment to determine your class's prior knowledge on Martin Luther King, Jr. before beginning a lesson on the famous civil rights movement leader. The resource has young historians thinking about life for African...
Lesson Plan
Center for History Education

To What Extent Were Women's Contributions to World War II Industries Valued?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Women rose to the challenge when the nation's war effort called them—but were sent home when the GIs came back from World War II. Young historians consider whether the United States valued women's contributions during the war using a...
Lesson Plan4:38
TED-Ed

A Brief History of Religion in Art

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Did you know that some languages have no word for art? The English language does and the narrator of this short video discusses the aesthetic dimension of religious art as it "visually communicates meaning beyond language." 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Story and History: Peeking into the Past with Paintings

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Consider how you can use a visual source, such as a painting, to learn about a historical time or event. Young learners discuss primary sources and how they differ from secondary sources, then analyze the painting Mother and Child by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voice of History

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
Way before the digital age radio was the medium of popular culture. After listening to excerpts from radio programs (easily available on the Internet), participants return to the radio age by creating a two-minute sketch based on a...
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Black Diamond

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Score a home run with this packet of information on the very first player of the Negro League to be elected into the National Baseball Hall of Fame — cultural groundbreaker and sports legend Satchel Paige. These worksheets include a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Carta del tratado entre España y los Estados Unidos

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Explore the history between Spain and the United States. Class members examine a copy of an original letter written in 1821 by Colonel Jose Coppinger in St. Augustine, Florida about the treaty that refers to the Florida territory that...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Channel Islands Film

Dark Water: Lesson Plan 1 - Grades 3-4

For Students 3rd - 4th Standards
As part of their study of the history of the Channel Islands, class members craft an informational article to post on a bulletin board that features the Chumash ancestral tradition of tomol paddling.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

American Utopia: The Architecture and History of the Suburb

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Let's build a dream house! By examining promotional materials and photographs of early suburban developments, scholars consider what led to the development of this particular American dream. The resource includes case studies of three...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Indian/Native American Boarding Schools: Their History, Harm and Impact

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Encultureate, assimilate, or eliminate? The 2021 discovery of a mass grave of over 200 children on the site of a former Canadian Indian Boarding school led to the creation of the Federal Indian Boarding School Initiative. High schoolers...
Lesson Plan
PBS

History of Juneteenth and Why It’s Now a National Holiday

For Teachers 6th - 12th
June 19 is now a United States federal holiday. Young historians examine the background of the first Juneteenth celebrations and why on June 15, 2021, Congress finally approved "Juneteenth National Independence Day" as a federal holiday.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Mirror into History

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Are we really all that different from people in the past? First, learners of all ages write an autobiographical poem. Then, they research the lives of historical figures. They use the same format that they used to write their own poem to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History's Thermometers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Ancient coral beds give scientists clues to past ocean temperatures in much the same way that tree rings indicate historical weather conditions. High school scientists examine coral oxygen isotope ratios and plot the data as a function...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Importance and History of Ecological Conservation

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Discuss and analyze a variety of information regarding the history of ecological conservation and preservation, as well as its importance. Scholars work in groups to complete four different activities, then report back to the class for a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ancient Art of Shadow Puppet Plays

For Teachers 3rd
Shadow puppetry has an ancient past, it is also a great way to build oral expression and reading fluency. Young thespians research folk tales, compare and contrast reality and fantasy, then create and perform a shadow puppet play based...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) in the History Classroom

For Teachers 8th - 12th
SAC is a specific approach to discussing history and controversial issues. Rather than adhering to an either/or debate-style paradigm, it fosters speaking and constructivist listening to enable learners to build consensus through...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History

For Teachers 11th - 12th
The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Ancient Philosophy: Greeks or Romans?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While often not recognized, the ideas of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers still echo today. Using a series of videos and graphic organizers, individuals explore how ancient Greeks and Romans have influenced current Western political...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Vaccine History and Research

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It all becomes a matter of timing. Groups use a variety of resources to research the history of vaccines by first creating a timeline of vaccine research using leading scientists' work. Learners read articles to develop a story of the...
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Voices from the Past: History and Literature

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Art can enhance the understanding of history. That's the big idea in a lesson that has young scholars read Randall Jarrell's poem "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" and an excerpt from John Hersey's Hiroshima, which provide a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where are the Famous Women in History?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars investigate sexism in history by identifying important women from the U.S.  In this women's equality lesson, students discuss why they remember more men in the history of the U.S. than women.  Young scholars...

Other popular searches