Study and research the American Civil War in this explanatory writing lesson. Middle schoolers complete six activities to learn about the American Civil War and soldiers' views of the war. The lesson includes several options to complete...

W.H. Auden’s poem “Refugee Blues” launches a study of the problems of refugees. Background information about the poem and general information about Jewish refugees from Germany and Austria are provided, as are discussion questions and...

Can we learn a thing or two about history by looking at pictures from the past? As young historians view 2-D and 3-D primary source photographs, they respond to a series of worksheets that guides them toward unveiling clues...

Students view video clips from the "American Photography" series. They write an essay about the regulation and censorship of photographs. They share their opinions with the class.

Scholars participate in a gallery walk to examine photographs related to WWII and record thoughts about the pictures in note catchers. At the end of the gallery walk, pupils share their observations before participating in a discussion...

Explore the Great Depression! Discover the challenges people experienced during the time period. Learners investigate photographs from the Dust Bowl and WWII era and create a story line about the photographs, writing a newspaper article...

Students explore the Korean War through photography. In this Korean War instructional activity, students examine photographs taken by a soldier and respond to question about them.

Young scholars explore the work of a Civil War photographer. In this Civil War activity, students access the photographs by Matthew Brady through the web link and examine the photographs he took in order to better understand the Civil War.

Students explore paintings, photographs and writings about the Holocaust using the internet. Researching the various websites, they will discover different human experiences of Holocaust victims. After researching, students write about...

In this reading response worksheet, students create a word of art depicting a scene in Lois Lowry's novel Number the Stars. Students use lead pencils or charcoal to make a picture in black and white because color photography was not...

Young scholars explore emotions represented in artwork.  In this cross curriculum social studies and art lesson plan, students explain examples of political and social issues expressed in artwork by Dorthea Lang, Diego Rivera, Dan...

Students examine the types of propaganda used throughout World War II. In groups, they view examples of different posters and artwork used to identify the human emotions the government was trying to appeal through. They develop their...

Students analyze photographs and texts using primary source analysis. In this primary source lesson students determine whether the photographs and text are truthful.

Young scholars create historically accurate newspapers. For this Civil War lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the events, battles, and personalities of the war. Young scholars collaborate to publish newspapers...

Learners interview a family member of a different generation. After brainstorming story topic ideas, they choose a topic about which to write focused interview questions. Using their notes from the interviews, students write and essay...

Learners examine the work of the photojournalist W. Eugene Smith. They analyze photo-essays by Smith, construct a pinhole camera, and create their own photo-essay.

In this ESL adverbs of degree and reason worksheet, learners answer questions about books and films they like using the given format. They tell how much they like them by using comparisons. They describe the games and hobbies, and sort...

Fifth graders choose a black and white copy of a photo from the Civil War and 'enhance' picture by adding color using crayons and colored pencils. They research the photo.

Students analyze the work of two artists who made interventions in public spaces. In this art analysis lesson, students investigate ephemeral and site specific art. Students complete image based discussion and related projects.  

Young scholars analyze Alexander Gardner's photograph of Abraham Lincoln and complete related activities. In this Abraham Lincoln instructional activity, students describe Abraham Lincoln as he is presented in Gardner's photograph. Young...

Students look carefully at four photographs by Dorothea Lange and discuss them in terms of what is depicted and what she may have wanted to communicate. They review what they learned about the Dust Bowl, the Depression, the war era, and...

Students discover characteristics of Pop Art through slides and discussion of the 60's era and produce a pop art portrait of themselves using Clarisworks paint program and Hyperstudio.

Students discuss major events in the 60's era including conflicts, culture, and history. Students also take a look at artists from this time and discover Pop Art. They then create their own portrait in the Pop Art style using Clarisworks...

Young scholars thank their freedom fighters. In this Veteran's Day lesson, students honor members of the U.S. Armed Forces by designing a program to pay tribute to them. Young scholars use technology tools to conduct interviews, take...