Curated OER
The Land of Immigrants
Students access information and data about US immigration using the Internet and other sources. They identify from research data the countries from which the largest number of immigrants to the US come from and create a database of these...
Curated OER
Digging Up Facts
Students research a historical legend. They participate in a discussion of the legend of Kissing Kate Barlow in the novel Holes. Students then chose one of three American legends and use internet research to complete a provided graphic...
Curated OER
African-American Civil War Soldiers Lesson Plan
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson plan, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...
Curated OER
Tossing the Text Book: Teaching Modern History
Tenth graders analyze primary sources. In this Current Events lesson, 10th graders write a short two - three paged paper answering a specific question. Students prepare a fact sheet for the class detailing points that support the...
Curated OER
"O Captain! My Captain!"
Who was Walt Whitman, and what link does he have to president Abraham Lincoln? After Lincoln's assassination, Whitman wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" This poem and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" are the focus of exercises...
Curated OER
The Play's the Thing: The Drama of Cyrano de Bergerac
Students practice dramatic 'living' through various drama activities. In this drama lesson, students define drama, view examples of dramatic elements in Cyrano de Bergerac and Roxanne, define characterization within the dramas, study the...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Heroes in American Culture
Students examine heroes and discuss their characteristics, values, and actions. They produce Powerpoint presentations on real-life and fictional heroes. Students interview veterans for an oral history project.
Curated OER
What Would They Have Said? A Role Playing and Interview Activity
Students study Canadian constitutional documents and historical figures. They play an historical figure in an interview. Students answer questions about the events and documents in which they played a role.
Curated OER
Cashton Community Quilters
Fourth graders create and construct a fabric quilt symbolizing the heritage of the Wisconsin community of Cashton. They research Wisconsin historical symbols and use math skills to calculate the number and sizes of the quilt squares. ...
Curated OER
The Golden Door: U.S. Immigration Through Ellis Island
Students complete a unit covering various aspects of immigration to the United States through Ellis Island. They plan a fictional trip to America, entering at Ellis Island. and actually visit Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty.
Curated OER
A Day During Colonial Times
Fifth graders participate in read aloud activities of three books about life in Colonial times. They compare their life to that of children of Colonial times using a Venn diagram. They draw a picture and write about what a day in the...
Louisiana Department of Education
The Scarlet Letter
Use Nathanial Hawthorne's immortal text on the influence of religion on the early American settlements, as well as its continued impact on American culture, with a unit that focuses on The Scarlet Letter. In addition to Hawthorne's...
Curated OER
Borrowing and Lending
Fourth graders investigate the advantages and disadvantages of borrowing money. In this financial awareness lesson plan, 4th graders read the book Ben and Me and create a table displaying the advantages and disadvantages of borrowing money.
Curated OER
Abigail Adams: Integrating Social Studies and Language Arts
Third graders increase reading strategies while learning about Abigail Adams and her role in history. In this Abigail Adams lesson plan, 3rd graders read about the American Revolution and Abigail Adams using all the balanced literacy...
Curated OER
Pictures from Korea: Shards of an Almost Forgotten Past
Students explore the Korean War through photography. In this Korean War lesson, students examine photographs taken by a soldier and respond to question about them.
Curated OER
You're Invited...To A Tea Party
Kids read the book Boston Tea Party by Steven Kroll and use maps to locate various landmarks. They identify the cause and effect of the events related to the Boston Tea Party, then write a descriptive composition.
Smithsonian Institution
Conflicting Voices of the Mexican War
Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...
Curated OER
Osage, Legend, and Arkansas History
Elementary schoolers evaluate the legend of Norristown Mountain by looking at facts about the Osage Indians and the legend itself. They do an exploration of Arkansas' Native American groups which includes a look at their legends,...
Curated OER
Molly Pitcher -- "Out of Many, One"
Students research, brainstorm and analyze the events that lead up to the Revolutionary War. They critique a piece of artwork depicting a scene from the Revolutionary War. Each major battle is plotted on a map to show a visual...
Curated OER
Constructing Narrative from the Migrant Experience in Literature
Excerpts from John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath and from John Fante's Ask the Dust, as well as a variety of primary source documents provide the background for an examination of the migrant experience from 1920-1945.
Curated OER
Immigration
Second graders read about immigration from their text. They select one culture and identify characteristics of the group. Students complete a graphic organizer (included with the lesson). They recall and list various aspects of their...
Curated OER
Panama Canal
Learners investigate a way to sail a boat around the world without touching land while learning about the Panama Canal. In this Panama Canal lesson plan, students learn about the relationship of socio-political continents and how the...
Curated OER
Tango Bingo
Students research tango music and dancing and research where it comes from. In this tango lesson plan, students research Argentina and South America while learning about the tango and making posters of it.
Curated OER
Tango Stories
Young scholars listen to tango music and research the country it came from. In this music lesson plan, students find that tango music comes from Argentina. They listen and dance to the music and then write stories.