Curated OER
Quilting Our Diverse Classroom
Students explore diversity and race by creating art. In this ethnic background instructional activity, students discuss their family history, where their relatives lived and how it affects their life today. Students create pieces of a...
Curated OER
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: How to Analyze a Historic Photograph
Students analyze historical images. In this primary source analysis lesson, students examine an photograph of Hershey, PA from the 1920's. Students collaborate with one another and their instructor to note the details in the photograph...
DocsTeach
Exploring America's Diversity: Luther Powell (Beginner)
Luther Powell immigrated to the United States to live the American dream—and create a better life for his son, four-star general Colin Powell. Elementary academics look at documents, such as, ship records to understand the immigration...
DocsTeach
Exploring America's Diversity: Mercedes Valle (Beginner)
An enlightening activity focuses on the life of Mercedes Valle, an immigrant from Ecuador. Scholars analyze ships and census records to understand the life of Mercedes Valle. In addition, they participate in a group discussion and...
DocsTeach
Exploring America's Diversity: Rosalia Fundaro (Beginner)
Elementary scholars learn about the life of Rosalia Fundaro, an Italian immigrant, using primary sources. They analyze documents, complete written prompts, and participate in group discussion to understand Rosalia's life in the United...
Historical Thinking Matters
Rosa Parks: 3 Day Lesson
How can evidence and perspective challenge even the most well-known of stories? Through primary and secondary source analysis, think-alouds, and discussion, young historians evaluate the historical narrative of Rosa Parks across multiple...
K20 LEARN
Blue or Gray? Perspectives on the Civil War
Using primary and secondary sources, such as letters and diaries from soldiers and civilians, learners consider why people fought in the American Civil War. A role-playing Historical Mingle activity, as well as discussion questions and...
Curated OER
Historical Context: Discovering a Painting
Students analyze a work of art. In this historical context lesson, students research the time period in which the art they observed was created. Students consider differing opinions about a work of art.
Carnegie Mellon University
International Perspectives to Climate Change 1
After a lecture about how the first industrial revolution triggered the path to climate change, your environmental studies class discusses what the impacts are. In a culminating activity, they get into groups and identify countries on a...
Carnegie Mellon University
International Perspectives to Climate Change 2
A couple PowerPoint presentations are used to stimulate discussion about the perspectives of different countries on the issue of energy consumption. Afterward, they play a game in which each team is assigned a country, considers its...
Curated OER
Writing American Diaries
Young scholars examine the concept of historical perspective in writing. They read the diary of Sally Wister, a young Patriot from Philadelphia during the Revolutionary Era. Additionally, they must include different points of view in...
Minnesota Literacy Council
Introduction to Historical Thinking
Christopher Columbus: hero or villain? Prepare class members for the debate with activities that asks them to think critically about how history is reported.
Curated OER
Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students
Learners of all ages solve historical mysteries. Elementary learners research historical topics by organizing information presented by their instructor, formulating hypotheses, and considering solutions to mysteries presented about...
Curated OER
Applying KWL Guides to Sources with Elementary Students
What is a KWL chart? Here is a well thought-out activity that has learners use KWL charts to gain historical perspective. Your class examines primary sources about historical events and identifies what they know, want to know, and,...
Curated OER
What Is an "Inquiry Lesson"?
Students complete inquiry projects. For this historical perspectives lesson, students conduct their own research on topical historical questions their instructors suggest. Students then locate historical evidence and analyze it to learn...
Curated OER
Understanding and Using Primary and Secondary Sources in History
Explore primary and secondary sources in this historical analysis lesson. Young researchers define the terms primary source and secondary source. They read a primary source document provided by the teacher and answer questions about the...
Curated OER
Adapting Documents for the Classroom: Equity and Access
Students examine primary sources to gain historical perspectives. In this historical analysis lesson, students analyze documents that their instructors have adapted to make more user-friendly. Example adapted primary documents are included.
Curated OER
Fires of the 21st Century
Students explore historical perspectives. In this contemporary history lesson, students listen to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire," discuss they lyrics, and add a new verse to the song for the years 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005.
Curated OER
Smoky Night
Second graders compare the neighborhoods they know to those of a different place and time. In this historical perspectives lesson, 2nd graders read Eve Bunting's Smoky Night and discuss the outcome of the story. Students also discuss...
Curated OER
Historical Air Photo Interpretation
Students identify and analyze land use changes over time with historical aerial photographs. They classify different land use into categories.
Curated OER
How Diverse is That?
Compare various types of biological diversity in a coral reef and calculate a numeric indicator that describes the diversity found in coral communities. Your class can work in groups to look at the abundance and distribution data of...
Stanford University
What Is History?
Five important tenets of any social studies class are available for young historians with a poster that defines history as an account of the past. It encourages learners to question reliability of an author's perspective, as well as to...
Curated OER
Chamberlain and Hitler, 1938--What Was Chamberlain Trying To Do?
Explore events prior to World War II. Learners view replicas of authentic photographs and hand written documents representing the viewpoints of Adolf Hitler and Neville Chamberlain. They discuss alternate viewpoints, consider historical...
K12 Reader
Two Viewpoints of the Same Event: Lee Surrenders to Grant, 1865
How did Union General Ulysses S. Grant view the surrender of Confederate General Robert E. Lee in 1865, which effectively ended the United States Civil War? After reading an excerpt from Grant's autobiography, your young historians will...