Curated OER
Exploring New Frontiers
Learners gather information about the contributions of various explorers. Using the internet, they discover the many viewpoints of those who conquered new frontiers. They examine and compare life 200 years ago to their life today.
Curated OER
Meet You at the Midden: Map Game
Fourth graders use a sketch map to interpret map symbols in order to participate in a game. Using the game cards, they identify reasons why people modify their environment to meet their needs. They compare and contrast how people lived...
Curated OER
VH1 Driven: Shakira, Lesson 2
Pupils watch a video about the life of Latin singer/pop star, Shakira. They research various foreign music styles and discuss how they influence American pop music today.
Curated OER
Interdependence: A Colonial Example
Students complete a variety of activities related to Colonial America and how people lived at that time. They conduct research on a selected colonial trade and present an oral report as role-playing that craftsman, and participate in a...
Curated OER
Indigenous People
Learners examine what foods are indigenous to America and how Western European expansion impacted indigenous communities. They identify indigenous foods that they themselves eat, and label maps and identify ethnic groups in the Americas.
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark
Students investigate Lewis and Clark. In this Lewis and Clark lesson, students search the Internet for information about Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery. Students use maps to understand the explorations and decide which...
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Narrative Prompt
Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...
Curated OER
Taste the Learning
Lesson and activity ideas to Incorporate National Blueberry Month into all content areas.
Curated OER
Saving Sturgeon
Marine biology apprentices interpret data of sturgeon interaction with gill nets. They use the data to calculate the percentage of fish entangled in each twine size to discover if there is any correlation. This is a valuable exercise in...
ESL Library
Beginner Level Thanksgiving ESL Lesson Plan
Thanksgiving is a cherished tradition in the United States and Canada. Introduce the beginnings of the Thanksgiving celebration with a resource that features reading comprehension activities, vocabulary exercises, and a short...
Curated OER
Talking Rocks
Artists imitate the symbols used by tribes of the Southwest or use their own word pictures that communicate something about themselves. This lesson is a perfect blend of visual art and social studies. Students create a beautiful piece of...
Forest Foundation
Exploring Heat & Energy
How does fire keep itself going? Explore the ways that heat uses fuel and energy with a instructional activity about the fire triangle and combustion. Several activities demonstrate how heat moves from warmer objects to cooler objects,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 1: The First Great Awakening
High schoolers examine the First Great Awakening and how it affected religious belief in colonial America. They read and analyze primary source documents, explore various websites, and write a five-paragraph essay examining the beliefs...
Curated OER
Encouraging Answers
What is the celebration of Columbus Day really about? Older learners use inquiry-based methods to find out who Columbus really was and what motivated his journeys. They take on the roles of town officials who must consider whether or not...
California Historical Society
Understanding California
Here is a beautiful handout through which learners can explore the history of California, from the earliest Europeans to visit the Golden State up through its experiences during the Great Depression and position in the modern...
Curated OER
Mini Coil Pots: Ceramics Lesson
Art is a wonderful way to teach historical or cultural concepts. Here, learners view a series of coil pots that have been created throughout history by a variety of civilizations. They then create and decorate a pot of their own that...
Curated OER
Hunt the Fact Monster #20
In this search engine worksheet, 3rd graders will need to use factmonster.com to discover answers. Students will respond to 10 short answer and multiple choice questions using the given website.
Curated OER
Perceiving the Prairie
Twelfth graders explore the changing concept of "prairie" through written and artistic works. They write their own poem or essay describing the prairie after discussing how differently people perceive the prairie.
Wake Forest University
Authentic Activities for Connecting Mathematics to the Real World
Check out the handout from a presentation that contains a collection of high school algebra projects connecting a variety of mathematics to the real world. Activities range from simple probabilities to calculus. The activities...
Curated OER
People of the Plains:Music and Dance
Fourth graders are given a worksheet stating the goal of the day, different sections to visit, and time spent on each section. They are given the CDs, 4th graders are told to insert the CDs into the computer. Students go to The Plains...
Curated OER
Respect, Prejudice, and Race
Middle schoolers' examine their opinions about respect, race, and stereotypes and their beliefs as a group. They complete a short questionnaire and then write an essay on reducing prejudice and discrimination.
Teacher Created Resources
Thanksgiving Coupon Book
Students create a Thanksgiving coupon book. For this holiday lesson, students review the history of Thanksgiving and create coupon books to give to someone who they are thankful for.
Curated OER
Indigenous Cultures Change Over Time
Fourth graders research and take notes while viewing a video on the Navajo Indians. In this Indigenous people instructional activity, 4th graders use the notes they've taken to compare and contrast the Navaho tribe to other Indigenous...
Curated OER
Christopher Columbus Lesson Plans
Columbus Day lesson plans are great for teaching students about geography, history, and exploration.