Syracuse University
Ancient World Writing System
Most twenty-first century pupils don't know how to interpret cuneiform. Examining images of cuneiform and papyrus writing and using a chart and Venn diagram, young historians extrapolate what life may have been like for people who lived...
PBS
Women's History: Glass Windows; Glass Ceilings
Discover stories about women's history in beautiful stained glass windows. The second in a three-part series teaches scholars about a famous artistic style of stained glass windows and the influential women that used art to impact...
Curated OER
Portrait of a Year
Students design a montage of digital images about a specific year. In this digital image research lesson, students choose a specific year in history that they would like to investigate. They search the Internet for images of things such...
Curated OER
Digital Time Capsule
Students discover ways to pass on stories to future generations by creating a time capsule. In this history preservation instructional activity, students utilize a digital camera/camcorder to record their daily lives which is turned...
Curated OER
Create a Walking Tour of San Francisco's Chinatown
Take a tour of Chinatown as it was in the 1800's. Analyzing primary source images and documents, learners will gain a better understanding of the myths and misconceptions of Chinese immigrants during the 1800's. They create a pamphlet to...
Curated OER
What would Monet do with a digital Camera?
Students take ditigal pictures of any subject. Using Photoshop Elements, students organize and save their pictures. They edit the pictures using a Paint Dabs filter. Students discuss their photographs and how photography influenced the...
Curated OER
The Affect of Music on Visual Images
Eighth graders consider cross-curricular connections between social studies, singing, and current events. They listen to the song, "I Can't Cry Hard Enough." view scenes from September 11, then create presentations using images, a...
Curated OER
Oral Histories
Young scholars investigate the theme of what it means to be American in a pluralistic society. They conduct oral histories with a family member and create a presentation of the interview. Students develop a better comprehension of...
Curated OER
Television Goes Digital
Middle schoolers explore the difference between analog and digital televisions. They examine how the technology works and the impact of television through history. They also compare older television sets to ones found today.
TPS Journal
Sourcing a Document: The First Thanksgiving
How reliable is a painting of the first Thanksgiving if it was created 300 years after the fact? Learners assess the validity of a primary source image to determine what it can actually reveal about this event.
Curated OER
NOVA scienceNOW-Profile: Brothers Chudnovsky: Moving Images
Young scholars examine digital images of the Unicorn tapestry. They discover why the Chodnovsky brothers had a difficult time piecing together digital scans of three-by-three-foot sections of ancient tapestry.
Curated OER
Digital Storytelling
Students write a personal narrative and convert the story into digital format. In this digital storytelling lesson, students write a personal narrative, record the story, create images for the story, add animations or transitions, and...
Curated OER
Dramatizing Your Story
Students write a script, planning and recording improvisations based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature and history.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Birmingham: The Magic City
Why is Birmingham known as the magic city? A comprehensive lesson plan provides hands-on activities, group discussion, and writing exercises to teach young historians about the importance of the city of Birmingham. Scholars learn the...
Digital Public Library of America
Teaching Guide: Exploring To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, considered by many to be a seminal piece of American literature, contains many complex literary themes that carry through United States history. Use a series of discussion questions and classroom...
K20 LEARN
Native American Education - Past, Present, and Future: Assimilation
To understand the history of Native American education, high schoolers examine the record of young scholars who attended the Carlisle Indian School from 1879-1918. They also examine sources that contain information about indigenous...
Curated OER
A Time Period in American History
Researchers combine music, narration, photos, and text to form a presentation for their classmates about a time period in American History. Proper research and documentation techniques are emphasized. The lesson, created by Apple...
Curated OER
Why War? Causes of the American Revolution and South Carolina's Role
Eighth graders investigate the role of South Carolina in the American Revolution. In this colonial American lesson plan, 8th graders analyze primary documents and images to determine how the state was involved in the outbreak of the war...
Curated OER
Digitizing History: Exploring moments in time through Web design
Students create a website based on a history unit they have just completed. In this web design lesson, student analyze qualities of an effective website and create an architectural design for the home page and connecting pages. Students...
Incredible Art
Micrography Self-Portraits
Words. Words. Words. Class members create micrography self-portraits combining a high contrast portrait photo with words that express themselves. Complete directions for the project, student samples, along with links to professional...
Curated OER
Painting with and Learning From Art History - Extend the Composition
Students create a painting based on an artist from a chosen period in history. They research a modern artist and write a critique.
Curated OER
Family Interviews: The Grandparent/Elder Project
Students explore key concepts/facts in 20th Century history, develop interview questions, and produce master list of questions that can be used in project. Students then interview grandparent, great-grandparent, or other elder about...
Curated OER
Native to Maryland
Students explore Native American tribes in Maryland. In this Maryland history lesson, students investigate Native American tribes in a webquest. After completing the webquest students create a triarama.
University of Pennsylvania
Mock Trial of Alfred Dreyfus
What if scholars based mock trials on history? The fourth installment of a five-part series on the Dreyfus Affair asks learners to read various pieces of evidence before conducting a mock trial for a French officer. Teams answer...