Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Louisiana's Land Down Under - The World of Kate Chopin's The Awakening.

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Visit 19th century Grand Isle, Cheniere Caminada, and New Orleans! Meet the inhabitants, learn about their history and culture, and view landmarks and industries! After reading Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, class groups research the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paleoclimate of the Hudson Valley

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Young scholars recognize how the climate of the Hudson Valley has changed since the last glaciation and be able to explain these changes. They reconstruct the paleoclimate of the Hudson Valley.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wild Horses of the Outer Banks

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students explore animal habitats.  In this cross curriculum animal survival and writing lesson, students view a website about wild horses on Shackelford Island and discuss ways in which the horses have changed to this...
Lesson Plan
University of Chicago

What IS the Difference Between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslims?

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
The distinction between Shiite and Sunni Muslims is an often misunderstood concept, yet very important for its implications in global affairs and for a more comprehensive understanding of the religion of Islam.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Milestones of Flight

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Discover seven of the most historic aircraft and spacecraft in the collections of the National Air and Space Museum. By research into the major milestones of aviation history your students will recognize features that enable flight,...
Lesson Plan
Friends of Fort McHenry

Cannons During the War of 1812

For Teachers 6th - 8th
During the Battle of Baltimore in the War of 1812, only 25% of the bombs and rockets fired at Fort McHenry actually reached their target. Using an interactive online simulation, combine your historical study with physics and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voice of History

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
Way before the digital age radio was the medium of popular culture. After listening to excerpts from radio programs (easily available on the Internet), participants return to the radio age by creating a two-minute sketch based on a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The World's Fair of 1893: A Tribute to Agriculture and Advertising

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students identify connections between agriculture, advertising, and mail order catalogues during 1890s as expressed at World's Fair of 1893. Students interpret photographic exhibit and discuss how reactions of rural fair visitors...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebrating Modernism at the A Century of Progress World's Fair

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine aesthetic movement known as modernism, discover why organizers chose modernism as World Fair's design pattern, interpret photographs of modernist fair buildings and identify artifacts that reflect modernist ideas, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Art of Protesting

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students view various images to examine different types of protest Americans have used throughout history, and explore ways in which protest can produce change for better or worse.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mystery of History-Original Sources

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students research the events surrounding the Alamo in 1863, and explore the differences between primary and secondary sources of information. They brainstorm lists of items used to research a subject and categorize them as primary or...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 2: What Has Happened in the White House?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Working in small groups, or individually, learners are given images of events that took place at the White House. They study the image and research that time in history to better understand how the White House has been affected by...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaking the Chains, Rising Out of Circumstances

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Discuss the history of slavery by analyzing historic photography depicting slavery. Learners write fictional stories based on these photographs. This is a creative and motivating way to launch a discussion of these topics. 
Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Mr. Lincoln Through the Eyes of Aaron Copland

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Use Aaron Copland's symphonic piece, "Lincoln Portrait" to engage learners in a cross-curricular experience. They'll listen to the piece, watch a video, read the Gettysburg Address, and write a series of fact or opinion sentences. An...
Lesson Plan
Space Awareness

Greenhouse Effect

For Teachers 5th - 11th Standards
A greenhouse provides additional warmth and protection to the plants inside, but what if the greenhouse gets too hot? Pupils discuss and experiment with the difference between natural and anthropogenic greenhouse effect. They measure the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America Established Because of Protest

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore events and causes that led to American Revolution and examine popular pro-Patriot renderings and texts of these issues created both at that time and in later years. Students then prepare and deliver oral presentations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nellie Bly's Newspaper Club: Introducing the Art of Writing

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students use video and the Internet to research the life of Nellie Bly, a famous female reporter from the 19th century. They research a writer and present their information to the class in the style of a news reporter.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Do Artists Effectively Relate Historic Events?

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Learners explore African American migration. In this black culture and history lesson, students use a map to identify northern and southern states in which African Americans lived in the 1900s. Learners observe and describe objects and...
Lesson Plan
Indiana Historical Society

Lesson One – Vietnam War Time Line

For Teachers 9th - 12th
To prepare for an in-depth study of the Vietnam Era, class members research and create a timeline that tracks the United States' involvement in Southeast Asia and especially Vietnam.
Lesson Plan
Michael Hunter and Fiona Kisby

Robert Boyle and Medical Reform in the 17th Century

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
Introduce pupils to the work of Robert Boyle and his influence on medical practice through a series of informational texts and discussion questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring the History of Oil

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate oil's changing role in human history. They view a PBS documentary, conduct Internet research, complete a research matrix, and write an essay on whether they support an expansion of oil drilling in the Arctic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And Then One Night, The Making of Dead Man Walking: Classroom Content

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine how art and music help to define and unify a social movement and also how they can function as symbols of protest. They watch KQED program And Then One Night: The Making of Dead Man Walking and discuss what happens...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Moment in Time

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research a year in history. In this research lesson, 5th graders choose a year between 1801 and 1999 and write three research questions to answer about their year. Students must include three major events and investigate...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Learning to Be Consumers: The Emergence of Catalogs and Advertising

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Learners study the historical context of marketing and how it came to be so important in the 19th century. They analyze advertising in the 19th century, 20th century, and today to understand how much or how little has changed.