Writing
Curated OER

Do Presidential Candidates Need to Be Good Debaters?

For Students 7th - 12th
Blogs can be a good way for learners to engage in writing, critical thinking, and social media in a formal way. The New York Times has provided learners age 13-18 with an article, background information, and several prompts to get them...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Dongducheon: A Walk to Remember, A Walk to Envision: Interpreting History, Memory, and Identity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Cultural discourse can start through a variety of venues. Learners begin to think about how our minds, memories, and identities shape our attitudes toward culture and history. They analyze seven pieces from the Dongducheon art exhibit...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Excerpt from E.D. Morel's The Black Man's Burden (1920)

For Students 9th - 12th
The included excerpt would be a perfect contrary follow-up to reading, Rudyard Kipling's White Man's Burden. Journalist E.D. Morel composed the statement against imperialism in 1920. Black Man's Burden is a wonderful primary source...
Activity
American Psychological Association

Do Cookies/Donuts Improve Memory? Errors in Methodology

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If the methodology is skewed, the results will be skewed. That's the takeaway from an exercise designed to get class members thinking about research methods and statistics gathering. Instructors manipulate the testing environment to...
Lesson Plan
Ford's Theatre

Not Just Stone and Metal: Memory and Monuments Today

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Should we remove historical Confederate monuments? Teach scholars both sides to the story using a resource that includes a class discussion, reading materials from two prominent figures on both sides of the argument, and an assessment...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Intermediate Critical Reading - Photography

For Students 5th - 6th
Inform your class about the origins of photography with this short passage and accompanying questions. After reading a short informational text, leaners answer 3 questions about the content of the text. This resource could be used in a...
Lesson Plan
Brooklyn Museum

Lorna Simpson: Gathered

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Lorna Simpson is a photographer who has put together a collection of photos from the 1950s in order to challenge the idea that primary source documents are objective in their portrayal of history. Learners are introduced to Ms. Simpson's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Port of Entry

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners research patterns of immigration throughout American history. The focus is on the process of how immigrants came through Ellis Island. Students reflect upon the topic to develop critical thinking skills.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Emancipation Proclamation: Unfulfilled Promises

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars perform research into the Emancipation Proclaimation. The document will aid learners in understanding the history and culture of the time of writing. Finally critical thinking skills are used to formulate contextual meaning.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Memory & Song, Malagan Figures from New Ireland, Papua New Guinea

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students investigate the uses of images, shapes and colors in classic art sculptures.  In this art analysis lesson plan, students observe Malagan Figures, a type of sculpture from New Guinea, and describe the different ideas and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debate Topics and Ideas

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine both sides of arguments surrounding given debates. They use the internet and other research to collect information to support their stand on the controversial issue. Students debate their chosen topic. This lesson plans...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Are What We Remember

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars engage in research, small-group discussions, whole class discussions, family interviews, and interaction with multimedia resource material as they explore the relationship between memory and history.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Monuments, Memorials and Public Spaces

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Monument and memorial lesson plans can get students thinking about important topics and time periods in history.
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

The Power of Remembrance

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
On every July 4th, we watch fireworks and celebrate our independence, but how is the history of the American Revolution preserved? Four social studies lesson guide learners through different memorials, commemorative objects, and restored...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Hero or Tyrant: Connecting Beethoven’s Third Symphony to Napoleon, Part One

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The second and third movements of the Eroica, Beethoven's Symphony No. 3, provides listeners with an opportunity to connect to French Revolution and to Napoleon Bonaparte. As they listen to the music, individuals draw what their ears...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nifty Fifty State Trivia

For Teachers 4th - 6th
A wonderful game on U.S. States Trivia awaits your class. For this geography lesson, they will play a Jeopardy-style game. All the worksheets with the questions and answers are embedded in this beautifully-designed plan. Your class...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Math: Matching Rods and Religion

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Math and religious studies are integrated together using using cuisenaire rods and Kid Pix for this problem-solving exercise. In pairs, they match different colored rods to represent various groups of people. Meanwhile, students at...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Pan-American Exposition of 1901

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students examine the impact of the 1901 World's Fair. In this lesson on invention and politics, students watch a video then conduct Internet research in order to learn about the Pan American Exposition. Students will create a brochure...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oral Reports through 'Personality Bags'

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students prepare an oral book report on a biography they have read. They bring in a bag of objects they associate with the report's subject and use them as props for the report.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Cultural Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
High schoolers research the passage of the 19th Amendment as an illustration of the mutual influence between political ideas and cultural attitudes. They also read the Seneca Falls Declaration and explore the cultural shifts it both...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Preserving History for Illuminating Today's Values and Traditions

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Young scholars discover the value of oral history by creating their own audio recordings.  In this traditions and customs lesson, students listen to a local historian discuss the idea of preserving history through oral traditions....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration in America

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine the musical traditions that immigrants bring to the United States. They discuss the concept of home, complete the "My Home" worksheet, participate in a class discussion, and write a letter to a fourth grade...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Branches of US Government

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students research the responsibilities of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. In this U.S. government lesson, students research the jobs of those in each branch and present their finding to their classmates.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigrants East and West

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate the personal, political and economic events that drove people to leave their home countries. They research Chinese migrations in the 1800s and the English migrations in the 1600s. They create an identity based on...