National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 1: What Is the Purpose of the White House?
Pupils view images of presidents working and living at the White House. They list activities that take place at the White House and discuss the many purposes of the building.
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Computer Applications - 4
Students review their understanding of basic computer terminology. They demonstrate an understanding of the function of each major computer component. They identify some characteristics of the Windows operating system.
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How Bad Are They?
Learners consider a moral dilemma and state their response in English. They practice using a conditional phrase "if...then"
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Keith Haring and Graffiti
Students appreciate the art of the artist Keith Haring. They design and implement Keith Haring-like images for a wall mural and explain and experience a project containing many different compenents and processes from beginning to end.
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Nursery Rhyme Mania
Students become familiar with many different nursery rhymes. They use nursery rhymes for a variety of creative activities including writing, singing, poetry and acting.
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Preventing Childhood Diseases Project
Second graders become informed advocates in the prevention of childhood diseases. This takes place during the Preventing Childhood Diseases Project.
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Problems in Pollutia
Fifth graders, in groups, pretend as if they live in the imaginary kingdom called Pollutia. They make recommendations about environmental issues and give short speechs on how each problem should be solved.
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Vacation Destination
Students participate in a role play where they are travel agents and must sell their assigned state to the rest of the class. They collect and present information in persuasive speeches to make their fellow students want to take a...
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Cool Words to Share
Fifth graders use teacher-selected vocabulary to present a written story to a first grade student. The book include a glossary of terms and illustrations of the terms. This is a great instructional activity for big/little buddies to do...
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The Unfinished Lincoln Memorial
Students develop a list of images of President Abraham Lincoln: for example, self-taught youth, great debater, advocate of abolition of slavery and assassinated hero. They must determine if these images of Lincoln stand up under scrutiny.
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Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself
Students investigate the years during World War II in which Japanese Americans living on the West Coast were held in internment camps.
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The Myth and the Reality: Pioneering in the Midwest
Students examine the myth and reality of settlement in the Upper Midwest during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
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African Amercan Images in Harlem (1920-1950)
Eleventh graders compare and contrast different representations of African Americans in Harlem using visual sources. They detect point of views, themes, contradictions and ironies in sources using designed templates.
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Comparing Monkey Story with Curious George Stories
Students compare and contrast the main character in Monkey with the main character in Curious George.
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The Law: Your Rights and Responsibilities
Middle schoolers explore First Amendment rights and responsibilities.
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Forest Activity: The Forest as Inspiration for Literature
Students analyze the role of the forest in literature. They read various literature selections, analyze the role the forest played as a setting, character, or symbol, and complete a writing activity.
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Rivers of Change
Third graders examine rivers and how they affect the people living around them. They read a chapter in their science text, take a virtual river tour online, read a background information story, and in pairs describe the changes in the...
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Hand-scapes
Students draw hands from life. They combine realistic hand drawing in fantasy "scape". They utilize elements of design demonstrating composition and value shading.
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's "Haunted Houses"
Learners read and analyze Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem, "Haunted Houses." They define key vocabulary terms, discuss the poem's technical aspects, and create an original poem about a haunted house or a haunted place.
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Auschwitz Episode Guide: Corruption
Students examine life at the Auschwitz concentration camp. They watch and discuss a PBS documentary, analyze reasons for prosecuting perpetrators after the war, and develop criteria for recognizing Internet sites developed by Holocaust...
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Senses, Spaces And Structure
Students develop greater ease with their bodies and their personal environments.
They extend body space into its immediate architectural boundaries and draw a simple yet detailed floor plan of a physical space or structure (bedroom,...
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"EA" Beach
Students are introduced to their new spelling words for the week which have the sound "ea". In groups, they brainstorm a list of other words with the same sound, draw them and write them on a worksheet. They share their new words with...
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Poetry Creations
Young scholars produce iMovies to share their thoughts of friendship along with poetry creations in this technology-based lesson for the upper-elementary classroom. The lesson includes a link to a "create a poem" site and requires...
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Illusions of Depth
Third graders practice drawing a landscape to show an illusion of depth. In the drawing, they can put whatever objects they choose to but have to remember to show depth. They explain how overlapping and size differences show...