Curated OER
Blending Fiction and Nonfiction to Improve Comprehension and Writing Skills
Young scholars explore a content area by reading both fiction and nonfiction texts on the topic. They do more research online about the topic. After comparing the texts, they create their own written original work, using both narrative...
Curated OER
Tell Me a Whopper!
Sixth graders investigate tall tales as a literary genre. They listen to a number of tall tales to discover how exaggeration is used as a story element. They write and publish a tall tale using word processing software. They illustrate...
Curated OER
Graphing and Demography: The Domestic Slave Trade
Students create graphs or charts based on the data a narrative imbedded in this plan. They make them either by hand or by using Excel or a similar database program. This lesson plan utilizes technology in a meaningful way.
Curated OER
Bark, Meow, Purr, Snort - Oh, What a Voice!
Students brainstorm differences between dogs and cats. They discuss the elements that make a story effective and write a story with a beginning, middle and end in the voice of a cat or dog.
Curated OER
Found Poetry with Primary Sources: The Great Depression
Students read a sample found poem and create one together as a class. In this Great Depression lesson plan, students select a topic, such as miners, and read primary source documents related to the topic. Students select one narrative as...
Curated OER
Open Door, Closed Door Lesson Plan: Discrimination in Immigration And Migration
Students read The Northern Migration and research immigration policies of different nations for the past and the present. They create a bulletin board or spreadsheet using their information.
Curated OER
Mixing Races in New Orleans
Students discuss the changes in the legal, social, and political status of African Americans and those of mixed ethnicity after reading the narrative, Haitian Immigration: Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries.
Curated OER
A Comparative Look at Migrations
Students explore and compare and contrast the migrations of African Americans in the United States in the decades before and after the Civil War.
Curated OER
Writing Letters Using Appleworks
Students discover how to write letters using Appleworks. Following a demonstration by the teacher, they compose rough drafts of their letters. Working independently, students correct their drafts and type the final versions.
Curated OER
Persuasion
High schoolers explore the characteristics of a persuasive letter. They label each characteristic and they create a persuasive letter using the correct business letter format. Students recommend a school rule or change of a rule and...
Curated OER
People, Not Numbers: Bringing 12 Million into Personal Ter
Students forge a compassionate link to the large numbers of people who were the victims of slavery as opposed to thinking of them simply in terms of numbers. They perform a math exercise to put the number of people in slavery into...
Curated OER
Trusting Statistics Lesson Plan
Students read a section of the Runaway Journey narrative and conduct a survey. They use survey statistics to question their validity and decide why a respondent might not answer truthfully.
Curated OER
Dear Wife & Children Every One
Students explore the struggle that Kansans had over the slavery issue. They read a letter from John Brown to his family, and write a newspaper article about the Battle of Osawatomie from John Brown's perspective.
Curated OER
Ruby Bridges: One Little Girl's Brave Act
Second graders examine the life of Ruby Bridges. In this bravery lesson, 2nd graders read the story of Ruby Bridges and discuss Ruby's actions and decisions.
Curated OER
Which Car Will Mom Approve?
Eighth graders write a comparison/contrast essay to determine which of two cars should be purchased from the parents' perspective.
Curated OER
Dear Wife and Children Everyone
Students study the issue of slave vs. free states. They explore the actions and personal commitment of John Brown and write a newspaper article about the Battle of Osawatomie from John Brown's perspective.
Curated OER
Pictorial Portfolio
Students develop a pictorial portfolio of important assignments, projects and activities through their high school years. They use a camera and decide what makes a good photograph. Students organize their photographs into a portfolio...
Curated OER
Institution vs. Individuals
Learners examine and evaluate how the U.S. government dealt with the Native American populations during westward expansion. They complete a class KWL chart, take notes during a teacher-led lecture. Students read about the Battle at...
Curated OER
Blubber: Discussion Guide
Young scholars read Blubber by Judy Blume. In this Blubber discussion lesson, students answer pre-, during, and post- reading of the novel to assist them with comprehension. Themes addressed are problem solving, perspectives, leadership,...
Curated OER
Forest Joe Lesson Plan: Outlaw or Hero?
Students become familiar with an American legend that is unfamiliar to many. Presented with the legend of Forest Joe, a runaway slave who, much like Robin Hood, stole from the rich to give to the poor, students draw comparisons and...
Curated OER
Little America in Liberia
Students study the history of Liberia prior to and after the influx of immigrants of African Americans. They investigate the cultural differences between the African Americans and newly-arrived Liberians.
Curated OER
Indi/Visual
Eighth graders take photographs for a photo essay contest. Using primary source documents, they review various types of artwork and discuss how some of the images have become commonplace. They use the internet to view examples of...
Curated OER
Language Arts: Predicting and Clarifying Techniques
First graders discover predicting and clarifying skills while reading "The Old Woman and Her Pig." During the reading, they check their predictions while evaluating the characters, setting, problems, and solution. On the second day,...
Curated OER
Families: Different and the Same
Students compare varying family structures. In this family structures lesson, students write a book about their family. Students read The House on Mango Street.