Center for History and New Media
The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
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Lascaux Cave Art on Ceramic Stones
Here is a great way to incorporate art into your next unit on prehistoric people. The class makes stones out of ceramic clay and then creates paintings like those found in the Lascaux Caves in France. A video link, full day-by-day...
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Sula/Song of Solomon/Tar Baby
Students answer assigned questions as a group, write individual essays, complete a research project, and complete a writing project.
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Chocolate Chip Cookie Mining
To understand the impact coal mining has on the environment, pupils will extract chocolate chips from a cookie. Imagine the cookie is the environment and the chips are the coal. Instruct them to mine as many chips as they can, then have...
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Happy Birthday, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Primary learners will embrace diversity and celebrate multiculturalism through these engaging activities. Which include reading the story Martin Luther King and singing the song "A Man Named King." They will also explore the concept of...
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The Emancipation Proclamation Through Different Eyes
Students examine how various segments of the American population viewed the Emancipation Proclamation. They read the Emancipation Proclamation, analyze key terms and statements in the document, and participate in a debate.
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Discover Picture-Perfect Projects
Use classic, well-loved picture books as means of infusing visual and language arts in the elementary classroom.
Polar Trec
Polar Detectives: Using Ice Core Data to Decode Past Climate Mysteries
How does examining an ice core tell us about weather? Learners set up and explore fake ice cores made of sugar, salt, and ash to represent historical snowfall and volcanic eruptions. From their setups, scholars determine what caused the...
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African Americans: 1800 - 1870
Students explore living and working environment of both slave and free African Americans from places throughout the United States.
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Images of Gary: An Ideal Place to Live?
Students examine photographs depicting historical scenes from the US Steel Photograph Collection. They develop criteria to analyze or judge an image's representation. They assess photographs according to the criteria.
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The Harlem Renaissance
The Harlem Renaissance inspired a group of writers, musicians, and artists whose influence is still seen today.
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Moving West with the Forts: Using an Interactive Map
Students discern a map of Texas and it's forts in the early to mid-1800's. From this map they analyze movement from the moment Texas became a state to its involvement in the Civil War.
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Hero Portrait done in Micrography
Learners discuss heroes, choose hero of their choice, write short biographies, and create drawings of heroes.
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Observational Drawing
Students create drawings using oil pastels that convey cultural, social and historical meaning. Drawings are evaluated on use of color planning, contour drawing, color blending, line and pattern.
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Daydreaming with Marc Chagall
Explore the concepts of surrealism and cubism that Marc Chagall portrayed in his art. Your elementary artists will read articles about the artist and practice the methods used in surrealism and cubism.
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Making Lewis and Clark's Journals Come Alive
Students are presented daily excerpts from Lewis and Clark's experiences. The dates and activities are tracked on a classroom map.
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Ancestor Project"
Learners research their family heritage and bring in photocopies of items representing their families. They create an attractive, artistic collage using these images.
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Chinese Dragons
Students use texture, line, shape, pattern and color to create their own dragons to celebrate Chinese New Year.
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Bug Jars
Learners explore symmetry. Students observe a variety of bug and plant drawings, then draw a bug jar. Learners observe bugs from the top of the jar for a symmetrical view, and the side of the jar for an asymmetrical view. Students draw...
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Community and Colonization
Eighth graders explore the nature of the European colonization in the Americas. They compare how it relates to the inception of their community. Students identify the major players in America's colonization and explore the motivations...
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Follow the Drinking Gourd
Students listen to the song "Follow the Drinking Gourd" and repeat what they have heard. They discuss the significance of the story and how it relates to Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. They observe a map of areas in the...
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Mr. Lincoln's Way
Young scholars read the book, Mr. Lincoln's Way by Patricia Polacco, They discuss racism and discrimination. They draw a bird and write a paragraph discussing what makes their bird special and unique.
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Only the Ball Was White
Tenth graders analyze how government policies on segregation effected the game of baseball. They evaluate how baseball and sports became a microcosm of the United States. They evaluate court decisions that lead to the segregation laws in...