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...
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
Senufo Painting
Students create a Senufo painting in the same style as the Fakaha tribespeople from West Africa. They listen to a teacher-led lecture on Senufo painting, develop a sketch of an animal and masked figures, and draw their figures on burlap.
Curated OER
Courage of the Heart
Students research discrimination and how people fought against for the common good. In this discrimination lesson, students watch a movie about Alfred Blalock and Vivien Thomas. Students generate a list of words about discrimination....
Curated OER
Jamestown Journey Part 3
Fourth graders study the economy of Jamestown. In this early settlers lesson, 4th graders read about the trade between the English and the natives in Jamestown. This lesson is part of a larger unit and coincides with the novel The Double...
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...
Curated OER
December
Students create snowflake similes, Kwanzaa plaques, menorah banners, and more for the month of December. For this December activities lesson plan, students also analyze characters in How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
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...
National Park Service
Making Choices
What factors go into a decision to enter a war? Use a collection of primary source documents and images to prompt a discussion about the American Revolution and the reasons for entering a war against Britain.
Curated OER
You Gotta Have A Hat
First graders compare versions of the folktale, 'Caps for Sale.' After listening to both stories, 1st graders utilize a Venn Diagram imbedded in this lesson plan to produce a graphic organizer detailing the similarities and differences...
Curated OER
American Literature and the Civil War
Students prepare for and respond to literature selections. This package includes fourteen lessons from the American Literature, The Civil War and Its Aftermath: 1845-1880 series, each covering a different reading selection. Pre-reading...
Curated OER
Nelson Mandela, Symbol of Courage
Fifth graders study Nelson Mandela. In this leadership lesson, 5th graders study the life of Nelson Mandela. Throughout their learning, they read biographies on Nelson Mandela, compare their community to those in South Africa, discuss...
Curated OER
Fables and Trickster Tales Around the World
Students analyze fables and trickster tales from various cultural traditions. For this fable analysis lesson, students identify the elements of fables and trickster stories. Students read Aesop's fables and Ananse spider stories....
Curated OER
Modeling Our Writing Style After Another Author's Style
Students reread "The Senegalese Miracle" from a previous lesson. As they read, they must underline as many images related to their senses as possible and share their findings with the class. In partners, they practice chunking...
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 plan, students look at demonstrative adjectives, common adjectives, and proper adjectives....
Curated OER
Aesop and Ananse: Animal Fables and Trickster Tales
Learners complete compare and contrast activities dealing with fables and trickster tales to determine how each uses animals to portray human characteristics, specifically strengths and weaknesses, as well as pass wisdom from one...
Curated OER
OK in Oklahoma? All-Black Communities
Students read to discover the African-American migration to Oklahoma following the Civil War and the eventual settlements of thirty-two all-black towns. To present their findings, students will write position papers and participate in...
Curated OER
Unintended Consequences: Policies that Impact Migration
Students examine the cause-and-effect relationship between the Agricultural Adjustment Acts of the New Deal or the 1965 Voting Rights Act and African-American migration. They write an essay evaluating the effectiveness of the Voting...
Curated OER
Searching the Internet
Students discuss current knowledge of internet searches. They research vocabulary terms related to internet usage. Students list African-Americans that they believe have made a difference. Each student picks a person to research and...
Curated OER
Build a Black History Database/Timeline
Students research famous people and events in Black History then break the biographies and events down into specific information related to dates in history. They
Facing History and Ourselves
Emmett Till: Confronting the Murder
The 1955 murder of Emmett Till is often regarded as the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Learn more about the brutal crime—and, as many believe, the miscarriage of justice—that began a national conversation...
Curated OER
Jazz it Up!
Students research the history and contributions of Jazz in their local environments. They then design and create a wide variety of presentations to share with the class using as many mediums as possible.
Curated OER
A Poem's Theme
Show young poets how to use the main idea and voice to determine the theme of a poem. Model the steps using Listen Children. Lucille Clifton’s This Morning provides guided practice. Finally, class members use Nikki Giovanni’s...
Curated OER
Figurative Language
Fifth graders identify and categorize figurative language in poetry.They read a poem and find an example of figurative language, then read the included hand-out on figurative language, and describe each type of figurative language. They...