Curated OER
1986 Capsule: Hispanic Influence in the New World
Students research the conditions in Spain during the 15th and 16th centuries. In groups, they write a paper on the information they gathered during their research and why the situation is unique to Spain. As a class, they discuss the...
Curated OER
Conflict On The Plains
Eighth graders investigate the culture and lifestyles of the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne tribes. They use a variety of resources for research. They create questions based on information to be used during classroom discussion...
Curated OER
Mapping Community Values
Young scholars discuss the origin of various maps focusing on the values behind them. Students also explore how human needs and geography influence community settlement patterns. Young scholars extend learning by creating and mapping...
Curated OER
Longfellow Amongst His Contemporaries: the Ship of State Dbq
Students evaluate the ship of state metaphor in relation to the historical events in America from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. They synthesize ideas presented in ten different primary source documents and compose an essay...
Curated OER
Get Out the Vote!
Learners discuss importance of voting within a democracy, and investigate reasons why people vote, and why they don't. Students then conduct survey, make hypotheses about voter motivation, and develop materials to promote voting among...
Curated OER
Exploratory Teaching
Students participate in an exploratory teaching program. Individually, they identify the positives and negatives of being a teacher and how they effect the students. They use the internet to research the history of the profession and...
Curated OER
Bill of Rights
Students research, list, define and discuss all the aspects to the United States Bill of Rights. They assess their foundations by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson and reflect on all the conditions happening at the time period of...
National First Ladies' Library
The Sport of Kings: Horse Racing in America
Pupils examine the history of horse racing. They discuss their experiences with horse racing and conduct Internet research. They select a topic related to the history of horse racing, write and present a report, and read and summarize a...
National First Ladies' Library
Slavery in the Beginning: Creating a Virtual Museum
Social studies learners explore slavery in the American colonies from 1607 to the Revolutionary War. In groups, they explore a PBS website and a virtual museum. Using these websites and other online resources, students create their own...
Curated OER
What's in the Soil?
Second graders create stratified soil levels using pictures. In this earth science lesson, 2nd graders identify "artifacts" from 3 historic eras and divide them into 3 soil levels. Then they draw their own multi-level soil profile and...
Curated OER
Dr. King’s Leadership in the Aftermath of the Bombing of Birmingham’s Sixteenth Street Baptist Church
Pupils explore the concept of nonviolent resistance. In this nonviolent resistance lesson, students consider how Dr. King led during the aftermath of the bombing of Birmingham's Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.
Curated OER
Developing Flags
Students examine why having a symbol such as a flag is important for countries. In this flag instructional activity, students break into groups and create their own flag to represent their group dynamic.
Curated OER
The Great Gatsby
Students develop a visual display illustrating an event from F. Scott Fitzgerald's life and write a paper showing the relationship between the visual and The Great Gatsby. In this The Great Gatsby lesson, students research the life...
Curated OER
Students Working in Local Historic Preservation
Students develop an appreciation of history as they volunteer their time in historical museums. In this historical perspectives lesson, students work with valuable local documents as they aid the staff of selected local historical...
Curated OER
Robert Mugabe
In this famous leaders worksheet, students read a passage about Robert Mugabe and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym...
Curated OER
Dictatorship
Fifth graders research world history by researching democracy. In this dictatorship lesson, 5th graders read the story "The Composition" and identify a list of former dictators on the Internet. Students define several key terms and...
Curated OER
The Crusades
In this Middle Ages worksheet, students read a 1-page selection about the Crusades, examine the listed Web sites about the topic, and then respond to 13 short answer questions about the information presented.
Curated OER
French and Indian War
Fourth graders engage in activities that familiarize them with the causes of the French and Indian War. They discuss the problem that started the war, the countries involved, and the effects to come about as a result of the French and...
Curated OER
A Day for Choosing Revolution
Students read contemporary news articles about public protest. They describe a form of protest that took place in 18th-century Virginia. Students compare events or ideas that people protest about today to events or ideas protested about...
Curated OER
The Walking Purchase of 1737
Students review the main points of the Walking Purchase of 1737. In groups, they describe how the Iroquois, Minisink, and Delaware Indians felt about the purchase and compare and contrast the different views. They write and perform a...
Curated OER
Through The Looking Glass
Students examine the time period of westward expansion. In groups, they use the internet to research the reasons why people moved west during the 1800s. They write their own narratives playing the role of a member of a pioneer family...
Curated OER
Massachusetts Blacks in the American Revolution
Eighth graders examine the experiences blacks were having in Massachusetts before and after the American Revolution. They also discover that many blacks migrated to Canada in search of a better life.
Curated OER
Streams of Time Lesson Plan: Visually Organizing the History of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Students, after reading the Transatllantic Slave Trade, create a color coded triple-timeline to help them explain the chronological streams that flow through the essay.
Curated OER
Nineteenth Century Family Portraits
Pupils compare two nineteenth century family portraits using historical data, statistics, and historical context. Students analyze their own family pictures adjusting the criteria to the current decade. Lastly pupils study the changes in...