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Early Jazz
Students gain an understanding of early jazz. They study Dixieland and the Roaring Twenties. They examine the American historical significance and cultural implications of early jazz.
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Revolutionary Money
Examine paper money from the American revolution! Historians study the paper bills and discuss the history of money. How has money changed over the times? Activities are included.
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Kids and Leisure in Early 1900s Ann Arbor
Fourth graders describe how Michigan has changed and stayed the same over time; describe and classify human/cultural characteristics of Michigan; describe and explain the importance of individuals and groups who have made a difference.
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The Value of a Museum
Students view a video about the value of museums. They discover how they preserve history and culture and at the same time educate the public. They discuss other ways they can learn history.
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Inventors & Trailblazers
Learners are introduced to a groups of African American inventors. In groups, they research the role of each person in improving different industries. They also examine the barriers African Americans faced from the Civil War to the...
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Creating Stories Using Pictographs
Fourth graders research pictograph stories written by Native Americans. They investigate the history behind pictographs, and look through a reference book identifying the different pictures. The teacher then create their own individual...
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Lena Horne: Race and the American Artist
Students examine how race played a critical role in Lena Horne's life. They conduct Internet research, participate in a class debate, write a letter, and create a presentation based on their Internet research.
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Ben Franklin and the Rising Americans
Students prepare for and learn through a walking tour of Philadelphia. In this history lesson, students support their studies with a field trip. This lesson could be adapted to suit regions with other historic places or museums.
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Deep like Rivers: Four African American Poets of the 1920s and 1930s
Learners examine work by outstanding African American poets from the time period of the 1920s and 1930s. They study aspects of American and African American social, cultural and artistic history that influenced the content of some of the...
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You're a Grand Ol' Flag
Learners explore American flag and its symbols, and create an original flag that represents what they see in their own lives.
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Celebrate A People!
Students explore African-American students literature as an integral building block in empowering all students to a better awareness when reading and writing. They use as a productive Social Studies tool for overall understanding of the...
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Making Inferences about a Llano River Rancheria
Seventh graders study the Indian groups who lived 1,000 years ago on the Llano River. They use paintings and photographs of tools and other artifacts to make inferences and conclusions about how the Indians lived.
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Native to Maryland
Students explore Native American tribes in Maryland. In this Maryland history lesson, students investigate Native American tribes in a webquest. After completing the webquest students create a triarama.
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Weaving a Story of Cooperation: The Goat in the Rug
Weaving is an important part of Navajo culture. Read The Goat in the Rug to your fourth and fifth graders, and give them a glimpse into the process of rug making from the point of view of a goat! They will learn new vocabulary words and...
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Northwest Coast Indians: Spring and Summer Salmon
Here is a fabulous lesson about the cultures of the Northwest Indians. Through an exploration of a story about the Salmon People, learners study the practice of harvesting salmon and the cultural importance of salmon to the Northwest...
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Great Depression and New Deal
The five activities outlined in this resource packet engage class members in projects that ask them to research the causes and the effects, both national and local, of the Great Depression and the New Deal policies of FDR.
Ocean Explorer
Looking for Clues
Upper graders become "shipwreck detectives" by studying the debris field from a shipwreck in the Aegean Sea which took place in the 700s. A website is accessed that gives specific information about the debris field, and pairs of...
New York City Department of Education
What Did I Do to Be so Black and Blue: How Did Jazz Influence Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man
How did jazz influence Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man? Class members read some of Ellison's non-fiction writings about blues and jazz, listen to records, watch videos, and engage in student-centered discussions. They then produce podcasts...
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Kimchee
Seventh graders examine the cultural food of the country of Korea. In groups, they discover different types of foods from different cultures with a focus on Kimchee. They identify the nutritional value of the food, how it affects the...
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American Indians
Sixth graders review and study the major regions of Native Americans and how their cultures were influenced by geography, natural resources and religious beliefs. They utilize chronological thinking, historical analysis and historical...
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Comparing Northwest Native American Communities
Students review how to use the database from previous lessons. Using the information, they identify the historical and environmental effects on the people living in the Pacific Northwest. They examine the various Native American groups...
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Jewish Women: Chief Cooks of Culture, Family, And Community
Students explore and analyze how one's culture, food, family and community end up having or shaping our environments as well as determine our destiny's. Food preparation serves as a key component in a Jewish woman's makeup and strength...
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Woods Canyon Pueblo
Students read the relevant sections of Woods Canyon Pueblo: Life on the Edge online; they fill out the Native American Perspectives Eighth Grade Study Guide on paper. Several of them share their essays with the class.
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The Preservation of a Heritage: Study of the Acadians
Students in a French class examine the life of the Acadians. In groups, they research the experiences of the Acadians coming to Louisiana and identifying the characteristics of the Cajuns. They compare and contrast the Acadians culture...