Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin: Goods and Services in Colonial America
Fifth graders examine the impact of Benjamin Franklin's ideas on the goods and services available in Colonial America as well as analyze the importance of Franklin to modern society. While listening to "How Ben Franklin Stole the...
Curated OER
Life Stories
Fourth graders create a brief video presentation documenting their research of an impactful African American or woman from history. Students research and identify their accomplishments and create a 2-5 minute iMovie documenting their...
Curated OER
History Hall of Fame
Students create an American History Hall of Fame for various cultures that have been forgotten in American History.
Curated OER
Stories of the Wrights' Flight
Learners examine and compare primary and secondary source accounts of the Wright brothers' first flights on December 17, 1903.
Curated OER
Houghton Mifflin Social Studies/Chapter 11, Lesson 1: California in Wartime (pp. 250-253)
Fourth graders explore the crisis of Japanese Americans during World War II. The benefits of the California economy are explored. The lesson has a discussion portion that is culturally relevant for many types of students.
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark: The Language of Discovery
Young scholars replicate some of the trailblazing methods of Lewis and Clark on a fifteen-minute "writing journey" through the school or neighborhood.
Curated OER
The Myth of Voluntary Internment
Students review the Alien Enemies Act and Executive Order 9095. They explore both the financial and emotional ramifications of having a parent arrested or interned. They research what daily life was like in U.S. Internment camps during...
Curated OER
Puppet Show
Students explore politics by defining several jobs in the government. In this House of Representatives lesson, students identify several important roles men and women have in the House as well as the Senate. Students identify what it is...
Curated OER
You Gotta Know the Territory
Students examine the relationship between Native Americans and those who settled the Iowa territory. In this Iowa history lesson, students investigate the process for settling the territory and how intercultural relationships developed...
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
The Acadian Diaspora
Students study the Acadian Diaspora of 1755. They read the Acadian Diaspora and discuss the readability, characters, cultures, and psychology of the storyline. They write a reaction paper of journal entry and share and discuss them...
Curated OER
Chinese Immigration
Students identify artifacts from Chinese immigrants that are common to other immigrant groups, describe how American society discriminated against the Chinese, describe contribution of Chinese immigrants to American society, discuss two...
Curated OER
Could the Civil War Been Avoided Through Compromise?
Students determine whether the American Civil War could have been avoided. In this Civil War lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources to prepare to participate in a classroom debate that requires them to compromise to avoid...
Curated OER
Constitutional Change During the Progressive Era
Students analyze the passage of the 16th through 19th amendments during the Progressive Era around the turn of the century. Using research skills, they write papers and create portfolios supporting and opposing the adoption of each...
Curated OER
Montauk Historic Site
Learners study the contributions of the Larrabee family. In this Iowa history lesson plan, students listen to a lecture regarding William Larrabee's governorship and the building of Montauk home.
Curated OER
Gilbert Stuart and Presdidential Portraits
Students read passages about the context of paintings for artist Gilbert Stuart. In this art history lesson, students study paintings by artist Gilbert Stuart and learn about the context of his art. Students then complete a presidential...
Curated OER
The Roarding 20's
Tenth graders are introduced to the social, economic and political developments of the 1920s. Using historical developments that are part of the indicator, they create a three-dimensional graphic organizer.
Curated OER
Piercing the World of Silence
Students explore the sign language alphabet. They examine the difficulties faced by handicapped persons, and are introduced to Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan and The Miracle Worker.
Smithsonian Institution
Watching Crystals Grow
Amazing science can sometimes happen right before your eyes! The class gets cozy as they watch crystals grow. They use Epsom salts, rocks, and food coloring to create crystals. They'll observe the entire process, documenting every step...
Curated OER
Louisa May Alcott: The Candle and the Mirror
Students discuss the life of Louisa May Alcott and create an outline of a biography of her life and times. In this Louisa May Alcott lesson, students explore the Transcendentalist involvement in the abolitionist movement, relating...
Curated OER
Researching Equality and Justice
Choosing from a list, researchers investigate topics that range from the women in the American Civil Rights movement to the quest for equal rights in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although the plan is not detailed, a link to a PBS site that...
Curated OER
The Birth Control Movement
Students examine the resistance to the birth control movement. They compare and contrast the reasons for and against birth control and examine the social agendas of the supporters of birth control.
Curated OER
Words and Pictures Connect Nature and People: The American Conservation Movement
Students research some of the men and women who help to raise the environmental consciousness of the American people through their writings and drawings. They write a persuasive piece about an outdoor place which will connect their...
Curated OER
Madeleine Albright: First Lady of State
Young scholars explore how Madeleine Albright made history by becoming the first female American secretary of state. This tough, talented and determined woman has had an unusual life that has well prepared her for her job.