Activity
Curated OER

Trickster Tale Comics: The Cunning Coyote

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
The trickster tale "The Coyote Places the Stars" tells how a coyote is sneaky but helpful. After listening to the tale, scholars use their imagination to create a trickster tale about a coyote, displaying their journey through a comic...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Comics for the Classroom: Addicted to Spending

For Students 11th - 12th
Political comics can be a great way to get kids thinking critically about current political topics. They assess this cartoon and analyze how the cartoonist feels about US spending policy. There are three solid critical analysis...
Lesson Plan
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American Library Association

Creating 21st Century Superheroes

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Create 21st century learners by utilizing technology and library databases. Scholars explore the concept of comic books as literature and create a superhero who could uniquely solve a 21st century global issue. Databases such as SIRS are...
Unit Plan
Vaquera Films

Wonder Women - The Untold Story of American Superheroines: High School Curriculum Guide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A 41-page curriculum guide tells the story of the untold stories of American Superheroines! Divided into three modules, the guide is designed to be used before, during, and after viewing the 2012 documentary Wonder Women! The Untold...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Causes of the American Revolution

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students answer the question of: How did England impose its political and economic control over the colonies? They create a comic strip depicting the event of the Boston Massacre. Students complete a Wordstoming activity to anticipate...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Comics for the Classroom: Debt Ceiling

For Students 10th - 11th
Upper graders examine the clichés that accompany this political cartoon, depicting how various people handle the national debt. They review several clichés quoted in recent times and write a 1-2 paragraph analysis of each. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Stereotypes

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine Native American stereotypes. In this Native American history instructional activity, 11th graders complete an activity about generalizations as they analyze the provided political cartoons regarding the portrayal...
Lesson Plan
Minnesota State University

Media Portrayal of the Vietnam War

For Teachers 10th - 12th
History classes can explore two different depictions of the Vietnam War experience with this engaging resource. While watching clips of Platoon and reading excerpts from the comic, The 'Nam, young scholars take notes for use in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Give Me a Little Sign

For Teachers 1st - 4th
Students watch an episode of the PBS show "Maya & Miguel," and demonstrate various letters and words in American Sign Language. They create a message using a comic strip, spell their name using ASL, and answer discussion questions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Philanthropy and Native Americans

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Pupils examine the philanthropic traditions of early Native American communities. They use graphic organizers to record information and share their ideas with classmates. They create three-panel comic strips depicting philanthropic acts...
Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

Separation of Powers

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners explore how the Constitution provides for separation of power and limited government, as evidenced by the three branches of government. They participate in role-playing situations, group discussions, and complete worksheets to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Revolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students review the events leading to the American Revolution and the Declaration of Independence. Using the internet, they examine many different political cartoons from the time period and discuss the political atmosphere. In groups,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Perceptions of Asian Americans

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine their own perceptions of Asian Americans and the origins of these perceptions and gain factual information about the Asian American culture and experience through completion of a quiz
Worksheet
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Cartoons for the Classroom: John Q. Public

For Students 11th - 12th
John Q. Public was a notable cartoon representation of the average American; but how accurate was this portrayal? Emergent analysts consider several topical points as they take a critical look into a cartoon portrayal of the American...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heritage: Famous People of the West

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate the impact of Brigham Young and Jim Bridger on westward expansion. They conduct research, develop a class information chart, and create a cartoon strip depicting what happened when Jim Bridger and Brigham Young...
Interactive
American Museum of Natural History

Tools of the Trade

For Students 6th - 12th
Archaeologist David Hurst Thomas details his search for a lost Spanish Mission on St. Catherines Island, Georgia. A great way to introduce youngsters to the life of and the tools used by archaeologists.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Aloha Lesson Plan: Perpetuating Indigenous Cultural Traditions in Diaspora

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine the culture and decline of the culture of native Hawaiian people as the islands were colonized. They study issues of cultural identity for Native Hawaiians.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

90 Miles: Immigrant Journeys

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Young scholars view a film that chronicles the experiences of Juan Carlos Zaldivar, a Cuban American immigrant. They discuss and analyze this autobiographical film and conduct further research on historical relations between the United...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

ARTIFACT to ART to GLYPHS

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study the development of early Latin American civilizations in unit one. The second part of the unit is based on early image-making attempts from the Cro-Magnon to the Peruvian Incas. Students create their own weavings using a...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Literary Humor

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars examine Nathaniel Hawthorne's style of humor and compare it to other humorists. They discuss the purpose of literary humor and determine how it develops characters and plots in stories. They analyze the use of different...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Newscapade

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students work in teams to research specific eras of American history focusing on important events, sports, entertainment, music, games, books, famous firsts or quotes, science and technology or trivia. They prepare presentations for the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comedy Across the Curriculum

For Teachers 11th - 12th
The New York Times Learning Network provides the resources that permit pupils to examine and then write and perform a fake news broadcast in the vein of “The Daily Show” or “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update. The generated reports...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Manga Mania

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Learners create a word web on the word "manga" through Internet research, which contains a vast array of information on the topic. They research and complete their word web, along with a classification chart, quiz, and crossword...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cartoons and Protest

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine political cartoons from 1774 through today, determine their meanings through analysis and discussion, and create their own political cartoons focusing on historical issues studied in class.