Curated OER
Spin Cycle
Students explore the concept of "spin" and discuss how politicians use spin to sway public opinion. A leading American politician is selected and talking points that exemplify the main idea of this lesson are shared with the class.
National First Ladies' Library
Social Studies: Who Burned Down Barnum's Museum?
Learners examine the social conflict of the 19th century and the destruction of the American Museum. In pairs, they conduct Internet research and attempt to solve the mystery of who burned down the museum. Clues to the mystery are found...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Students write a paper in which they analyze a quotation or symbol from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. In this American literature lesson, students choose a famous quotation or symbol from the novel and analyze the importance and...
Curated OER
Echoes of Blue and Grey: Weekend Warriors
High schoolers view a video about the Civil War and then describe famous battles from the perspective of either the Union or the Confederate side.
Curated OER
Country: El Salvador
Students visit sites to explore the history, wildlife, and geography of El Salvador. They play an interactive game of Concentration and watch a slide show that includes pie charts and bar graphs on Hispanic population in the United States.
Curated OER
Jackie Robinson and Civil Rights
Students complete a worksheet and study key vocabulary while researching the biography of Jackie Robinson and the Civil Rights Movement. They chose another Civil Rights leader to investigate and present to the rest of the class before...
Curated OER
India: Where Remarkable Differences Are Ordinary
Students research India and Indian culture. In this Indian research lesson plan, students research and report on the lives of Indian children. The report will be in the form of a mock interview between a journalist and an Indian child....
Curated OER
Spy on a Spider
Students view slides or live specimens to name and describe the distinguishing features of groups of arthropods, especially spiders and insects. They complete worksheets, observe webs and then search for and record where spiders can be...
Curated OER
Show Me The Dinos
Students explore a site of numerous fossil excavations. Using an interactive quarry map, they locate dinosaur specimens and individual bones. In groups, students use "Show Me" cards to answer questions, compile information, and create...
National First Ladies' Library
The Medal of Freedom: The Nation's Highest Civilian Award
Learners discover the American Medal of Freedom, also known as the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Using the internet, groups of students research the history of the award, its recipients, and its origin. Each group prepares a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
The Hispanic World
Go on an electronic field trip. Discover Spanish-speaking countries through Internet exploration. Students participate in a whole group discussion to general knowledge about the location, cultural background, independence and current...
Missouri Department of Elementary
My Conflict Shield
As an exercise in self-awareness and improvement, class members create a Conflict Shield listing 12 skills they believe are the most useful in conflict resolution. They then color the ones they have mastered while leaving uncolored those...
Curated OER
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Freedom
Welcome to America, the land of liberty and freedom. Examine the ways in which the terms liberty and freedom have been used in the United States. After researching and analyzing quotations from the past and present, students create an...
Curated OER
Exploring the Narrative of an Enslaved African
Students evaluate the role of slave narratives as primary source documents and analyze the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass for revelations about the lives of enslaved Africans during chattel slavery. They examine the role of...
Stanford University
Jacob Riis
Fourth graders view and discuss the photographs of Jacob Riis.In this Jacob Riis and Immigrants instructional activity, 4th graders analyze the photographs of Jacob Riis and answer questions about the feelings evoked by the photographs....
Curated OER
Tour Of South America
Students explore South America. In this geography lesson, students research landmarks of historical or national significance and use their findings to create slideshows.
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin and the U.S. Constitution
Students explore U.S. history by completing a quiz about civics. In this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read assigned text about Franklin's role in the development of the Constitution and the creation of a new...
Historical Thinking Matters
Rosa Parks: 5 Day Lesson
What led to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and how might historians approach this question differently? This rich series of lessons includes a short introductory video clip, analysis of six primary source documents, and...
Curated OER
Understanding Primary and Secondary Sources
Students identify legends in Tennessee and U.S. history, and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. They list examples of primary and secondary sources, participate in a field trip to the Country Music Hall of Fame, and...
Curated OER
Mr. Powell Leaves Washington
Students examine the life and achievements of Colin Powell. After reading an article, they discuss the role of the Secretary of State. In groups, they evaluate his successes in different regions throughout the world. They reflect on the...
Thirteen Ed Online
What is Conceptual Art?
Research, art history, and web page creation! Sounds too good to be true. With tons of links and resources, the lesson provides you with everything needed to engage the class in an amazing art and research activity. They create an art...
Curated OER
Creating an Original Opera
This may be a lot to ask of a high schooler, but then again, who knows? Pupils work in groups to explore, write, and then perform an original opera. They view versions of The Magic Flute and La Traviata, then compose a plot, characters,...
Curated OER
Voices of History: Relating Historic Events to Current Events
Students discuss the current events affecting the country today. In groups, they relate a historical event to a current event. They research and present the point of view of a historical figure in an interesting way. They compare and...
Curated OER
Immigration/Migration: Today and During the Great Depression
Eleventh graders compare experiences of their families to those living through the Great Depression using famiy interviews, photographs, films and document from the Library of Congress.