Smithsonian Institution
General George Washington, Military Leader
Teach pupils the characteristics that make George Washington such an effective leader, especially in context of his time period. Scholars view artifacts, participate in group work, create lists, compare and contrast, and discuss as a...
Curated OER
I Have a Metaphor
Learners locate the literary devices used in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In this figurative language lesson plan, students first distinguish between similes, metaphors, analogies, personification, etc. Learners...
PBS
Scavenger Hunt
Learners conduct field research of a historical site in order to discover a more complete understanding of a time period. They visit a site of historical significance and complete a scavenger hunt about the area.
Japan Society
Popular Culture and Japan’s Gross National Cool
From Manga to Godzilla and Pokemon, Japanese pop culture has been taking the globe by storm. This phenomenon is called "soft power." Learners will examine the differences between hard and soft power, as well as learn the historical...
Smithsonian Institution
A Ticket to Philly—In 1769: Thinking about Cities, Then and Now
While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...
East Lyme Public Schools
To Declare or Not to Declare Independence?
Class members adopt the persona of real figures in American history, Patriots and Loyalists, research these individuals to determine their stance, and then debate the question of whether or not to declare independence from...
Curated OER
"I am determined to prove a villain" Richard III, Shakespeare, and the Creation of Villains
Pupils create a list of historical and fictional figures to identify their villainous behaviors and qualities. In this Shakespeare lesson, students discuss historical and fictional villains and their common characteristics. Pupils read...
Curated OER
Civil War Images: It's in the Cards!
Eighth graders review important figures of the Civil War. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders create flash cards of historical figures of the war and use them to review the war.
Curated OER
Biography
Students choose a historical figure in which they research their life. They are to write their biography. They should take the written version and transform it into a video which tells the person's life. They share their presentations...
Learning to Give
Heroes with Heart
This resource provides a lesson that will have learners explain how women and minority figures worked for the common good of their community.
Curated OER
That's the Spirit
Is, as Walt Whitman contends, America’s “almost maniacal appetite for wealth,” the heart of the American dream? Class members grapple with this question as they read David Brooks’ article “The Commercial Republic,” and quotes that...
National Park Service
A Tale of Two Men
Theodore Roosevelt and the Marquis de Mores were both born in 1858, and both came to the Dakota territory in 1883, but they influenced the developing country of America in different ways. Elementary and middle schoolers apply written and...
Museum of Disability
A Picture Book of Louis Braille
Teach kids about the beginnings of the Braille writing system with a lesson about Louis Braille. A series of discussion questions guide young readers though A Picture Book of Louis Braille by David A. Adler, and once they finish the...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Writing Prompts for Middle School
Scratching your head when it comes to engaging writing prompts? Check out a list of prompts designed for middle school classes, which includes topics for persuasive writing, expository writing, how-to essays, personal narratives, and...
The Alamo
The Alamo Crossword Puzzle
Sort out who's who from the Battle of the Alamo with a helpful crossword puzzle. Complete with 20 clues and names, the resource helps history learners identify the major players in a pivotal moment in American history.
Curated OER
What is a Memorial
Students explore how we remember and honor people in special ways. In this memorial lesson plan, students read poems and discuss their emotions. Students view pictures taken at memorial services and discuss what...
Curated OER
Pictures Are Worth A Thousand Words
First graders write simple sentences based on historical figures they find in pictures. In this simple sentences lesson plan, 1st graders search for pictures in Microsoft Word and write simple sentences about them. These pictures and...
Curated OER
History: Fact of Fiction?
Students find a historial novel online and distinguish between fiction and nonfiction books. They research three historical events related to their novel and write a letter to a figure from their novel's time period.
Curated OER
WHERE ARE THE FAMOUS WOMEN IN HISTORY?
Students list/compare the number of men in history they can think of to the number of famous women. They discuss why there are more men than women on the list. They examine their textbooks for the same comparison and discuss the results.
Curated OER
Celebrating African Americans and Coins
Students examine the Booker T. Washington commemorative coin and listen to a biography of Washington's life. They develop a list of reasons why his life was commemorated with a coin. They examine other coins and the lives and work of...
Curated OER
Arkansas Photographs as Research Tools
Middle and high schoolers look at historical photos and written materials, and they develop questions which they use to interview an elder in their community. Learners are divided into groups and given sets of historical family photos...
Curriculum Corner
7th Grade ELA Common Core Checklists
Track your class's progress on all of the ELA Common Core standards with these handy charts. Along the left side, each seventh grade identifier is listed along with the full text of the standard. As you teach, reteach, assess,...
Curated OER
The Betsy Ross Story: Truth or Legend?
Students discover that some historians question the story of Betsy Ross's involvement in the creation of the first U.S. flag, study why historians question the story and list reasons the story of Betsy Ross might not be true.
Channel Islands Film
Cache: Lesson Plan 4 - Grades 4-5
After viewing the West of the West's documentary Cache, individuals craft either a newspaper article chronicling the discovery of the cache on San Nicolas Island, a historical narrative of the placement of the cache in the cliff side, or...