Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Examining the African American Family through the Eyes of Women Authors

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Pupils read stories by women authors on the characteristics of the African-American family. Using the internet, they research the history of issues that have affected African-American families from the Civil War to the Civil Rights...
Lesson Plan
PBS

President Theodore Roosevelt: Foreign Policy Statesman or Bully?

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Can a negative perception of a president's foreign policy harm his or her historical legacy? A project that winds the clock back to the date of Theodore Roosevelt's death puts students at the editorial desk of a fictional newspaper....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Criticism of Modernity: Gandhi's Association with the American Transcendentalists

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore Gandhi's philosophy links to the works of American Transcendentalists Emerson and Thoreau. In this transcendentalism lesson, 11th graders discuss essential questions about civilization and modernity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Farewell to Manzanar

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students investigate themes of justice and rights while reading the novel Farewell to Manzanar. They research contemporary civil rights issues and write reports. They also research the background of internment camps during World War II.
Lesson Plan
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation

How Did Relations between Britain and the Colonies Change after the French and Indian War?

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
What does the French and Indian War have to do with the American Revolution? Following the war, Britain issued the Proclamation of 1763 in an attempt to limit the colonists' western expansion. To understand how the proclamation, the...
Lesson Plan
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Teaching Tolerance

The War on Drugs—Mechanisms and Effects

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The war on drugs doesn't have definite results. An interesting lesson examines the social, political, and economic effect of the war on drugs. Academics learn how the war on drugs has led to mass incarcerations and negatively affected...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art: Faith Ringgold Story Quilts

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders examine the impact of African American culture on the United States by inspecting Faith Ringgold's story quilts. Working in groups, they create a collective story quilt about current cultural issues. They research their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First (and Last) Words

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What does "freedom of speech" mean to your class, especially in the context of Internet communications? In round-table discussion format, middle and high schoolers address the issues discussed in "State Legislatures Across U.S. Plan to...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Modernist Portraits

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How did literature reflect people's attitudes in post-World War I America? A lesson explores the topic using a variety of activities. Individuals watch and respond to a video; read author biographies and engage in discussion; write...
Activity
Fairfax Public Schools

Walter Dean Myers

For Teachers 6th - 8th
If you are reading works by Walter Dean Myers in your class, this resource might be worth a look. Included here are activities and discussion questions for Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary, Somewhere in the Darkness, Scorpions, Fallen...
Handout
Curated OER

The Martian Chronicles: Concept Analysis

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
If you're planning on including Ray Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles in your science fiction unit, use a concept analysis guide to frame your instruction. It covers literary elements such as setting, narrative voice, and theme, as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Governance

For Teachers K
Students explore government by researching Native American history. In this First Nations culture lesson, students define the Aboriginal action of speaking in a circle as a group. Students discuss their likes and dislikes with the class...
Activity
Japan Society

National Identity and Literature from Okinawa

For Teachers 4th - 9th
A lesson plan originally designed around the short story "Mr. Saito of Heaven Building" by Yamanokuchi Baku, this resource provides historical background, discussion questions, and brief writing assignments that help your class explore...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The House on Mango Street

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read The House on Mango Street and analyze why the author chose to tell this story and how the characters are affected by immigration, poverty, and discrimination. Students compare this story to others about immigration to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is the Internet Igniting Violence?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Learners explain how various issues regarding restrictions on the Internet are impacted by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, particularly in light of the recent school shooting and bombing in Littleton, Colorado.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Freedom, Power and the People

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze how social change has affected artistic expression and popular culture. the explain the influence of media on contemporary American culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Declaration of Independence

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify and interpret the Declaration of Independence and the rights and privileges demanded in the document. They also identify how those rights and privileges have affected our history. Students then research about the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Patriot or Loyalist? A Revolutionary Decision

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers research as a reporter would and present the loyalist and patriot point of view on the American Revolution.  For this patriots versus loyalist lesson, students produce a project such as a video debate or webpage...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Getting Caught In The Web

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders brainstorm the ways a person's actions can affect a community. As a class, one classmate is given a ball of yarn and pass it along to another student creating a web. Next, some classmates are asked to drop their part and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Heard the Owl Call My Name

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders write a two to three page paper addressing one of the following topics: Analyze the values and beliefs of the two conflicting cultures. Explain which values seem to dominate within the conflict and why. They brainstorm...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Homeless in America

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study the plight of the American homeless. In this homelessness lesson, students define homelessness and watch video segments pertaining to the the American homeless. Students list three reasons people become homeless and five...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating a Colonial Newspaper

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students identify people, events and issues of importance during the French and Indian War and compare them with issues that only affected New Hampshire. They discover how newspapers gave people a sense of identity.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Town Meeting with Class

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students discover civic responsibility and the purpose of town meetings.  In this U.S. Government lesson, students investigate how the government is involved with almost every decision made in a city, no matter how big or small....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Schools of Thought on Segregation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read a New York Times article in order to explain how American courts and communities are dealing with the unanimous Supreme Court decision to end "separate but equal" education. They analyze how this affects the nation's youth.