Curated OER
Coming to America
Through this set of three lessons about Ellis Island, class members will learn about why immigrants came to the United States, find out about the difficulties that went along with coming to America, become familiar with the immigration...
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...
Curated OER
Information Overload: Looking at News
How do events reported in mainstream newspapers, on television news, blog posts, and social network sites differ? Ask your class to investigate the way the same news item is presented in the many information sources available. Groups...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Women's Suffrage: 140 Years of Struggle
Students create PowerPoint presentations about women's suffrage. In this women's rights instructional activity, students use primary documents to study the women's suffrage movement. In pairs, students create a PowerPoint presentation...
San Francisco Symphony
Adding Music to Oklahoma History
To better understand Oklahoma state history, learners will use a website to find a song that supports or represents aspects of Oklahoma's history. They'll write three sentences defending their choice, and then they will create...
Curated OER
What is Meant by Returning to Fundamental Principles?
What did the Founding Fathers mean by the importance of continually returning to fundamental principles? Your young historians will analyze a series of quotations illustrating the fundamental ideals and principles of the...
Curated OER
Salt of the Earth: A Caddo Industry in Arkansas
Middle schoolers explore the history of the Caddo Salt Industry found in Arkansas. Along with learning about how salt deposits formed in Arkansas, learners study the process of salt production and how valuable salt is as a natural...
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin: Goods and Services in Colonial America
Fifth graders examine the impact of Benjamin Franklin's ideas on the goods and services available in Colonial America as well as analyze the importance of Franklin to modern society. While listening to "How Ben Franklin Stole the...
Curated OER
36 Public Policy Questions to Energize Your Government/History Classroom Debates
Need topics that are sure to engage your debaters? This list of public policy questions includes such topics as school mascots, regulation of major league baseball, physician-assisted suicide, and violence in video games. A great...
Center for Civic Education
Orb and Effy Learn About Authority
Simplify the teaching of the US Constitution with this primary grade social studies lesson. While reading a fun story about an imaginary place called Bubble Land, children learn about the concept of authority and the importance of...
Curated OER
Properties of Soil
Students use history to create knowledge of how soil has changed in the state of Ohio. The instructional activity is cross curricular in nature and uses Along the Ohio Trail as a source of literature for reflection.
Curated OER
Impact of Exploration on Americas
In this exploration of the America's study guide worksheet, students respond to 13 short answer questions. The questions correlate to assigned readings in a textbook.
Curated OER
The "Write Sport"
Fifth graders discuss the history of sports in Iowa. In this sports lesson plan, 5th graders write a friendly sports letter and a how to directional writing. They write five entries in their journal from the point of view of a piece of...
Curated OER
The Witch of Goingsnake
Students interpret a proverb and read examples of oral histories. In this The Witch of Goingsnake lesson, students read two samples of oral history and discuss quotations from each. Students read "Calf Roper's Bandit Car" and...
Curated OER
Facial Tattoos or Face Painting
Students use a grid-like method to create a life-size self-portrait from a 3X5 black and white photo. They explore the different customs and rituals surrounding face painting from ancient through modern civilizations. Students create a...
Curated OER
Time Line of the Land
Students use the internet to discover how agriculture has changed over time. In groups, they research any terms they are unfamiliar with and present their findings to the class. They are assigned one section of the timeline and...
Curated OER
Mission Nuestra Señora de la Concepción and the Spanish Mission in the New World
Young scholars explore Spanish missions. In this research skills lesson, students research Internet and print sources regarding the architecture, purposes, and functionality of Spanish missions.
Curated OER
Friday and Friends: A Prospectus of the Mexican Family through Children's Literature
Students use literature to examine how the structure of families in Mexico has changed over time. In groups, they examine how their life now relates to their ancestors and the Spanish conquest of the area. As a class, they are read...
Curated OER
AN INTERNATIONAL MENU
Studentsl expand vocabulary through word study, literature and class discussion (e.g. word origins, roots and affixes, meaning in context, levels of usage, etc.). They recognize food-related words that have entered the English language...
Curated OER
Low-country Rice Planting and Cooking
Eighth graders compare the use of rice in the 1700s to the modern use of rice. In this lesson examining the importance of rice in US history, 8th graders learn about the role of rice in the early 1700s and compare the use of rice in...
Curated OER
Black Hawk Island Hike
Students explore Wisconsin's natural and cultural history through hands-on exploration of Upham Woods. They are shown the basic paddling skills and they work in teams to paddle across the river on barge. Students describe cultural...
Curated OER
Cabeza de Vaca Meets the Coahuiltecans
Seventh graders examine Cabeza de Vaca's journal and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. They, in groups, design posters that portray the culture of the Coahuiltecan Indians in Texas during the 16th century.
Curated OER
Russia's Colony: Examining the Effects of Russian Colonization
Students respond to the question: How did Russian colonization effect Alaska's history? students examine environmental, cultural, economic, social and political impacts.
Curated OER
WHAT DID COLOMBUS SAY?
Students read and analyze two primary source documents written by Christopher Columbus.