Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Egyptian Collars

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders create decorative Egyptian collars, adorned with sequins, glitter, and beads, which incorporate repetitive designs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Security and Savings for All?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students act as either Democrats or Republicans to debate plans to alter Social Security. For homework, they consider whether Social Security has become too politicized and propose their own solutions.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Hanukkah Art Activities

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Here are some fun art activities related to Hanukkah.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Gospel Music

For Students 5th - 12th
In this gospel music worksheet, students read a brief introduction to gospel music and respond to 10 short answer questions regarding it.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invent a Holiday

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students compare their own special holidays and traditions and then use their imaginations to create their own holiday.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Common Gemstones and Fossils

For Teachers 4th
In this science worksheet, 4th graders respond to questions pertaining to gems and fossils. Students answer ten questions which give clues and visual aids to assist in answering.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inter-City Jazz Songbook Project

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Students choose a city with famous musical highlights and create a tourist brochure.
Unit Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center: Blues Journey

For Students 9th - 10th
Trace the history of the blues in America through the play, Blues Journey, based on the book by Walter Dean Myers. You can see video clips of the stage play, listen to blues radio shows, and learn about different types of blues music.
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Neh: Edsit Ement: Learning the Blues

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This lesson plan introduces young scholars to the blues. The origin and development of the blues is explored as well as its distinctive structure.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Women and the Blues

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore the impact of women blues performers.
Unit Plan
PBS

Pbs: The Blues as Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Discover what the relationship is between poetry and the blues. This site features lesson plans and online resources.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs: The Blues Classroom

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Access the educational resources developed by a Seattle-based museum to supplement the PBS documentary series "The Blues." Includes background essays on the blues; biographies, video clips, and sound clips from the series; a blues...
Handout
National Women’s History Museum

National Women's History Museum: Gertrude "Ma" Rainey

For Students 9th - 10th
Often called the "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey was known for her deep-throated voice and mesmerizing stage presence that drew packed audiences and sold hit records in the early twentieth century.
Website
Other

Sunnex: The History of Light Therapy

For Students 9th - 10th
Contains a brief history of the use of light to treat Seasonal Affective Disorder. Includes information about case studies, time periods, and reliability.
Primary
University of Groningen

American History: Documents: Benjamin Drew: Testimony of the Canadian Fugitives

For Students 9th - 10th
From an academic website, these pages record the testimony of American slaves that fled north to Canada. In the United States these types of original documents are collected under the category of Slave Narratives and they represent an...
Primary
University of Florida

Baldwin Library: Blue Jackets of '76 by Frank Dobbins

For Students 3rd - 8th
This is an online photocopy of the original text of the children's nonfiction book Blue-Jackets of '76 by Frank Dobbins (1888). It is a history of the naval battles of the American revolution and a narrative of the war with Tripoli.
Lesson Plan
Yale University

Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues

For Teachers 9th - 10th
An extraordinary curriculum unit to teach blues and all its cultural implications.
Article
English Club

English Club: History of Soul Music

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn the history of soul music from its origins in gospel music, through Motown and Memphis Soul, to contemporary rhythm and blues. The site includes three videos: Sam Cooke singing "A Change is Gonna Come," from 1964, with images from...
Website
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs: History & Highlights

For Students 9th - 10th
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs provides a quick look at the history of Israel. Use the blue toolbar at the top to read about biblical times, foreign domination, and statehood. Clicking on the underlined words will take you to even...
Website
Other

David Holt: The Roots of Mountain Music

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a short history of the major influences that have combined to create mountain music, one of which is minstrel music. Provides a good decription of minstrel music in general. Includes names and descriptions of specific songs,...
Handout
Oregon Secretary of State

Oregon Blue Book: Oregon History: Land Based Fur Trade and Exploration

For Students 9th - 10th
A detailed overview of Oregon's early history, including the Lewis and Clark expedition and what it accomplished, and the development and decline of the fur trade industry.
Website
MLB Advanced Media

Toronto Blue Jays the Official Site

For Students 9th - 10th
This is the official site of the Toronto Blue Jays. Get up-to-date news, scores, statistics, player profiles, schedule, audio/video clips, a history of the team, plus much more!
Website
PBS

Pbs: The Notorious Hope Diamond

For Students 9th - 10th
A great site about the history, and alleged curses, behind The Hope Diamond. Pictures of its various owners throughout history, and even a timeline of the diamond's existence. Very interesting! Be sure to use the "Education," link on the...
Website
American Movie Classics Company

The Film Site: Film Noir

For Students 9th - 10th
Crime and gangster movies, detective mysteries and more -- all are of the film noir genre. Get to know the history behind this style of films.