Curated OER
Economic and Social Changes in the High Middle Ages
Students investigate the economic and social changes that occurred in the High Middle Ages. They listen to a lecture and take notes, and in small groups compose a medieval charter and role-play its presentation to the class.
Curated OER
Middle Ages Diary
Learners research life in the Middle Ages. They write a historical fiction diary based on a character they create. Students use the six steps to process writing to complete their diary. They orally present their diaries to the class.
Curated OER
Theology…the Use of Silence in the Classroom
Immerse your class in the Middle Ages with a thorough history activity. After viewing examples of illuminated manuscripts such as the Book of Kells, they discuss how these were the mode of keeping and storing information employed by the...
US Holocaust Museum
Time Capsule in a Milk Can
Imagine dumping out a milk can and finding letters from one of the darkest moments in history! Scholars use Holocaust Reading Passages and research to discover how people recorded and hid history during the events of World War II. They...
Curated OER
History of Ponce de Leon in Florida
Based in sound Educational Theory, this lesson plan uses art to convey the story of Ponce de Leon. Mild to moderately disabled students hear the story of the Fountain of Youth, examine a paining of Ponce de Leon, and act out a scene as...
BioEd Online
Muscle Fibers
What better way to learn about muscle than by dissecting one? Using cow muscle (beef), learners compare bundles of yarn to muscle fibers as they explore each. The supplemental reading about astronauts losing muscle mass in space and what...
Curated OER
Courage: Hero Traits
What does it mean to be a hero? Who qualifies as a hero? In groups, middle and high schoolers brainstorm a list of heroes and create a list of characteristics that a person must possess in order to be a hero. Extend this lesson plan by...
Curated OER
Rave Reviews
A fun lesson that utilizes toys and persuasion! After reading the article, which was written in 2005, pull some advertisements for toys currently being sold. These will be more relevant to your middle and high schoolers. What toy is a...
Curated OER
Recurring Nightmares
Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...
Curated OER
Knights and Kings
Students explore feudalism. In this government lesson, students examine the role of knights and kings. Students discover the training boys went through for knighthood. Students write a letter home as if they were a squire during the...
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...
Smithsonian Institution
Students’ Response to 9/11—A Documentary Report
Young historians research the devastating attacks of 9/11 and use that information to script their own documentaries. The follow-up activity includes recording the documentary and conducting classmate interviews,
Curated OER
Rites of Passage
Students explore coming of age ceremonies. In this rites of passage lesson, students research spiritual, religious, and secular child and adolescent rites of passage rituals. Students design personal rites of passage.
Curated OER
How to Play Baseball a Social Skills Lesson
Team sports are quite social; they involve following rules, playing cooperatively, communication, taking turns, and interpersonal relations. Introduce your special education class to the all-American sport of baseball. They learn about...
University of Arizona
Found News Poems
Combine informational text and creative writing with one fun activity! Middle and high schoolers write found poems based on newspaper headlines that they find. The resource includes a thorough lesson plan and many links to articles that...
PBS
Stories of Painkiller Addiction: Prescription Drug Abuse Awareness Campaign
The I-STOP law was designed to regulate the distribution and tracking of prescription drugs. After reading an article about its signing and implementation, middle and high schoolers work together to come up with their own ideas for an...
Curated OER
"The Gambler" and "The Journey": A Comparison of Worlds in Two Short Stories
“The Gambler” and “The Journey” offer readers an opportunity to experience two very different views of Jewish life in Poland between WWI and WWII. Whether used as a part of a study of the Holocaust, or as a compare/contrast exercise, the...
Curated OER
Data Squares
Middle and high schoolers examine how data squares organize and sort information and data sets. They discuss examples of data squares, complete a data square about themselves, organize the data squares for the class together, and compile...
KOG Ranger Program
The Value of Oregon’s Forests
No matter where you go, you're in the middle of a forest in some way. Use a lesson about forests and the many ways they contribute to our world, including the ecosystems of animals and plants living in their shady soil.
Curated OER
Social Studies: Area and Population Density
Math scholars of many ages examine the concept of population density and then discuss the significance of the population densities of Minnesota and China. They figure the population density of their school.
Curated OER
Getting the Word Out
Discuss and generate blogs in this technology instructional activity. Middle and high schoolers explore examples of blogs and create their own blogs. Use this instructional activity throughout the year to reinforce concepts from your...
Curated OER
Down in the Dumps
After an introduction to municipal sludge, middle school ecologists consider the pros and cons of dumping in the Hudson River Canyon. The class is split into two groups: one to debate in favor or dumping and one to debate against the...
Curated OER
The Reformation
High schoolers reflect on the specific details surrounding the Reformation. In this World History lesson, students watch the film "Luther," then apply what they learned in their discussion on the Reformation with the film to complete a...
Curated OER
Problem Based Inquiry Learning
Tenth graders research Nuclear Energy and Radioactivity, how is this form of energy used for the good of mankind in solving the energy crisis and the hazardous aspect of using this form of energy. They cooperatively work in groups to...