Curated OER
Exploring Racism in America
High schoolers examine racism, stereotypes, and biases in their personal lives and in the U.S. media. They discuss examples of racism, exploring the types of stereotypes and biases that still exist in our society. They access a...
Curated OER
Researching and Writing About Another Country's Holiday: Documenting and Communicating Information
This lesson plan is a culminating lesson plan which follows students researching, collecting citations, evaluating and selecting text, graphic materials and visual aids. In this concluding lesson plan, 5th graders discuss the assessment...
Curated OER
Researching Another country's Holiday: Organizing and Recording Information
Prior to this lesson plan, 5th graders will have collected notes from several sources. Students extend their note taking to include at least one example each of summarizing and paraphrasing. They record bibliographic information for each...
Curated OER
Learning the Blues
Young scholars take a virtual field trip to Memphis, Tennessee in their study of the blues, its characterisitics, founding fathers, and histororical influence on modern music. They compose blues lyrics that reflect present-day attitudes...
Academy of American Poets
We Sing America
Pair the famous poems "I Hear America Singing," by Walt Whitman, and "I, Too, Sing America," by Langston Hughes, with a more recent poem by Elizabeth Alexander called "Praise Song for the Day" to demonstrate a theme and introduce your...
Smithsonian Institution
Solomon G. Brown: Letter Writing
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...
Curated OER
The Westward Movement
Students study the westward movement through examining stamps. In this westward movement lesson plan, students draw conclusions, determine cause and effect relationships and examine the westward movement of the United States by...
Curated OER
Emotion Masks
High schoolers analyze and discuss masks of different cultures as an art form to evoke emotion. This lesson culminates in the creation of individual mask designs and self-directed assessment (included).
Curated OER
Tapokadooa: How the Dawes Act Affected Northern Paiute Children's Lives
Students investigate the Dawes Act and understand its effects on the Paiute Indians. In this Paiute instructional activity, students recognize that many Native Americans lost their land and money after the Dawes Act. Students dissect a...
Curated OER
Community Symbols: Heroes and Leaders
Students research the importance of community leaders in portraits. In this art history lesson, students look at the painting "The Ascension of Simon Bolivar on Mount Jamaica" and discuss what they see in the portrait. Students research...
Curated OER
Gwendolyn Brooks
Students write a poem. In this writing lesson, students learn about Gwendolyn Brooks, a famous poet. Students discuss shape poetry and how it is written. Students choose an object from nature and write their own shape poem.
Curated OER
Robert Smalls: Warrior and Peacemaker
Young scholars research the events that led to the Civil War and the Reconstruction. In this Civil War history instructional activity, students study images of Robert Smalls and research his role in the Civil War. Young scholars review...
Curated OER
"Thank You Ma'am" by Langston Hughes
Students use Langston Hughes' "Thank You Ma'am" as a reading and vocabulary improvement activity. In this reading and vocabulary lesson, students review the related vocabulary and read the poem. Students discuss the story elements in the...
Curated OER
Warriors Don't Cry
Learners write a journal depicting a day in the life of a character and a newspaper article. In this Warriors Don't Cry lesson, students summarize the main events of integration and find out about the life of Melba...
Curated OER
Hard Edge Painting
Middle schoolers study the history of hard edge painting and discover demonstration techniques using a variety of fonts and discuss lettering. They present a number of abstract works of art with hard edge technique and works of art with...
Curated OER
Adjectives and Descriptive Phrases
Students examine the use of adjectives and descriptive phrases to improve their written pieces. In this adjectives and descriptive phrases lesson, students look at demonstrative adjectives, common adjectives, and proper adjectives. They...
Curated OER
Courage of the Heart
Middle schoolers research discrimination and how people fought against for the common good. In this discrimination instructional activity, students watch a movie about Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas. Middle schoolers generate a list of...
Curated OER
What Is Kwanzaa?
Pupils use vocabulary related to Kwanzaa. They identify main ideas and details related to the celebration of Kwanzaa and summarize information about Kwanzaa. They make picture books appropriate for first and second graders.
Curated OER
What's the Main Idea?
Students explore poetry. In this main idea in poetry lesson, students read poems from Words with Wings, thenidentify the main idea and complete a "Main Idea Mania" worksheet.
Curated OER
Act it Out
Students discuss racial stereotypes. In this racial stereotypes lesson, students develop a character from information given to them on an index card. Students give their character a race different from their own and write a...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America - Gospel Beginnings
Students identify musical characteristics of gospel and sing a gospel selection. They practice the call and response technique. After going through individual parts, they sing the entire song with piano accompaniment.
Curated OER
The Motown Dynasty (1969-1980) Part 2
Students connect achievements of noted artists with their roles in the music industry. They identify many Black music industry leaders and their contributions with the Motown Sound.
Curated OER
3-D Multicultural Ornaments
Students create and color three-dimensional ornaments reflecting December's many cultural celebrations. They decide which symbol they wish to create as an ornament, draw or trace the outline of the symbol, and follow directions as they...
Curated OER
Black and Blue
Students create print advertisements that persuade viewers to visit African-American history museums by detailing their artistic, cultural, and historical benefits.