Curated OER
Inventions in Everyday Life
Students identify and solve problems as they modify the design of an everyday household item. They gather and analyze information and work in collaborative teams to create a design plan for a new product.
Curated OER
The Introduction and Diffusion of Household Technology
Students conduct research and develop a matrix demonstrating the introduction and spread of common household items from 1900 to 2000 in the U.S. They conduct Internet research, watch and discuss a video, and develop the matrix.
BBC
Global Community: T-Shirt Activity
Examine fair trade and the impacts it has on the global community. Kids consider how t-shirts are made, where they come from, and how fair trade works. They design t-shirts that describe the affects of fair trade on various populations...
Curated OER
History In the House
Learners analyze primary sources. In this historical analysis lesson, students will closely examine the household objects that most impact their lives. Learners will use research, analysis, and class discussion to draw parallels between...
California Academy of Science
Guess That Spice
From medical treatments to cooking, people have been using herbs and spices for thousands of years. Perform a blind smell test of household herbs and spices to engage learners in learning about ancient spice trading. Research the history...
PBS
Predicting/Making a Hypothesis
As an introduction to the hypothesis and testing method of investigation, young history detectives engage in a special investigation of a family artifact. After watching a short video that demonstrates the method, they develop a...
Curated OER
Home Sweet Home
In this Pilgrims worksheet, students analyze 12 pictures of common household items. Students circle all the pictures that show something that would have been found in a Pilgrim home.
Curated OER
The New York City Draft Riots: A Role Play
This is a fun, thought-provoking instructional activity. Learners use census data from 1855, primary source documents, their historical knowledge, and information regarding the New York City Draft Riots of 1863 to construct and engage in...
Curated OER
Energy Transfer in Musical Instruments
Students create unique sounds using different instruments. In this energy lesson, students read and define several vocabulary terms such as heat, energy transfer and thermal equilibrium. Students utilize several household...
Institute for Humane Education
I've Been Branded!
How many pairs of Nikes® or Apple® products are in the average American home? What makes someone buy one particular type of laundry detergent over another? Scholars grapple with these questions as they develop a list of brands they use...
Digital Public Library of America
The American Whaling Industry
When thinking about the American whaling industry most imagine Moby Dick and Nantucket sleigh rides, harpoons and scrimshaw, whale-oil lamps and baleen in women's corsets. But it may come as a surprise that the industry was also...
Curated OER
What's a Swamp Good For?
Students identify the function and value of wetlands. For this lesson on appreciating wetlands, students explain how different household items can represent different aspects of the wetlands.
Curated OER
Those Who Have Come Before Me
Class members are transformed into explorers as they work in groups to locate hidden items and map their journey along the way. They then leave clues for other groups of learners to follow, and ultimately discover how past explorations...
Curated OER
Then and Now: Life in Early America, 1740 - 1840
Learners complete a unit of lessons that examine life in early America from 1740-1840. They compare items with similar objects we use today, explore various websites, create a paper doll, try and guess the function of various objects,...
Curated OER
Consumer Economics: Building a Budget
I think most of us adults could use a tip or two on how to budget our personal finances. Pass on some valuable knowledge to your pupils as they move into the real world. The presentation provides three easy steps to creating a personal...
Curated OER
At Home on the French Frontier: 1700-1800
Students role play bartering for goods and services as the French settlers did in colonial Illinois. They start with eight household items to acquire through bartering. They have to calculate values for each object and determine the...
Curated OER
Probes to Other Planets
Sixth graders use a list of robot components and common household items to design and construct a robot spacecraft model suitable for exploring the Saturn System. They present the robots to the class.
Curated OER
Artifacts We Don't Dig Up
Young scholars play a game of artifact show and tell using household items.
Curated OER
Life with Energy
Students identify forms of energy and the advantages/disadvantages of different forms of energy. They describe ways in which technology affects the environment both good and bad. Finally, benefits are determines as well as the...
Curated OER
BEGINNER LEVEL LESSON PLAN ANTICIPATORY SET
Learners are be able to analyze primary sources for evidence of American entrepreneurship during the early 20th century. They identify the attributes that helped George Eastman succeed as an entrepreneur and consider the role advertising...
Curated OER
I Got a Lava Livin' to Do in Pompeii
Scholars imagine themselves as citizens of Pompeii in 79 AD. First they are assigned a job (or place in society like a child or slave). Then they record their daily activities for the weeks leading up to the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in...
Curated OER
Everyday Objects As Artwork
Students examine everyday Chinese objects and analyze why they are
considered artwork today in this multi-subject lesson for Middle School. Small group colaboration is emphasized.
Curated OER
The Role of a Plantation Mistress
Students investigate the role of a plantation mistress. In this American history lesson, students examine the household accounts kept by Thomas Jefferson's wife. Students decide what Martha Wayles Jefferson's...
Curated OER
Weeds-Wild and Wonderful
Students compare and contrast weeds and desirable plants. They explore the ways which their ancestors used weeds and depended on them for food and other household necessities.