Curated OER
A Photo Essay
Learners create a photo essay and present it to the class. The students bring photos to use for their essay and develop a story using the photos. The learners write captions including characters, setting, and plot for each photo. They...
Curated OER
A Photo Essay
Young scholars explain the purpose of a photo essay, sequence a series of events, and explain the format in creating a photo essay, which includes a caption for each picture. They complete a photo essay as a creative activity.
Curated OER
To Censor or Not? The Power Of War Photos
Students view video clips from the "American Photography" series. They write an essay about the regulation and censorship of photographs. They share their opinions with the class.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Kate Chopin's The Awakening: Searching for Women and Identity in Chopin's "The Awakening"
The final lesson plan of a three-part series on Kate Chopin's The Awakening has scholars investigate life as a woman in late nineteenth-century America. They research the role of women in society through the eyes of the characters in the...
The New York Times
Making Do: Learning and Growing Through Adversity
What is it that makes people keep going when they face challenges in life? Ask your class to consider this question in relation to their own experiences and as they read material from The New York Times. Using personal experiences and...
National History Day
Challenging the Status Quo: Women in the World War I Military
Why are some so resistant to change? The status quo is often to blame for a lack of forward movement in society. Following the events of World War I, women in America suddenly had a voice—and were going to use it. Scholars use the second...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 Native Americans and Settlers
Did Western settlers receiving free land from the Homestead Act realize it wasn't really free at all? Scholars investigate the impact Western expansion had on Native American culture in the mid-1800s. They use documents, timelines, and...
Curated OER
The Candid Camera
Students examine the influence of photographer Jerome Liebling on documentary films. They read and discuss an article, take photographs, and create an original photo essay and artist statement.
Curated OER
Lorraine Hansberry's "A Raisin in the Sun"
Students translate the print based content of the play by utilizing mixed media skills to communicate an argument. For this play translation lesson, students analyze and translate the play A Raisin in the Sun and explore themes from the...
Curated OER
George Orwell's Essay on his Life in Burma: "Shooting an Elephant"
Learners read George Orwell's essay "Shooting an Elephant" as an analysis for the historical context. In this historical analysis lesson, students analyze the main points in the essay to identify its cultural and historical context....
Curated OER
The World Around Me
Combining visual and language arts, here is a resource that prompts middle schoolers to write stories based on pictures of their surroundings. They use digital cameras to take pictures of favorite areas in the school. Next, they choose...
Curated OER
Civil Rights Video Essay
Students research an event or a person from a decade in American history when the civil rights movement was an important focus. They create a multimedia project based on the research.
K12 Reader
Using Inference in Writing
What could have happened to a plane buried in snow? Have kids practice making inferences with a writing prompt for which they describe a photo without using specific key words.
Channel Islands Film
Cache: Lesson Plan 3 - Grades 4-5
Should the excavation of what is believed to be the cave of the Lone Woman of San Nicholas Island be allowed to continue? As a practice exercise designed to prepare pupils for a timed writing exam, individuals read two Los Angeles Times...
National History Day
Leland Linman’s War: A Look at Soldiers’ Daily Lives in World War I
Hunkering down in the trenches of World War I, Leland Linman decided to write a journal about his experiences. By reading Linman's entries in the fourth installment of an eight-part lesson plan series, scholars get a firsthand look at...
University of California
The Vietnam War (1945 – 1975)
Have you ever wanted to do something so perfectly you wound up not doing it well at all? Young historians use primary and secondary documents to analyze the United States involvement in the Vietnam War. The issues surrounding the...
New York State Education Department
Global History and Geography Examination: January 2012
Familiarize future test takers with the format of standardized tests. The assessment covers world history topics, such as the French Revolution and South American civilizations. It also covers world geography. The test, designed for high...
DocsTeach
From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875: Eighteen Years of Change
What do a photo of Abraham Lincoln, a map for the Battle of Antietam, and the Dred Scott decision all have in common? Learners consider the broader question as they examine documents related to civil rights during the Civil War and...
Curated OER
Prized Photos
Students study World Press Photo prize-winning photos in small groups and compare them with memorable personal photos.
Curated OER
Outline a Travel Narrative
Fourth graders are taught how to outline a fictional narrative essay. They review the definition and structure of narrative essays. Students use the activity to brainstorm specific ideas for narrative essays. They are given a...
Curated OER
Digital Portfolios
Learners determine how to use a digital camera, edit the photos using PhotoShop Elements, and how to make a PowerPoint presentation. They use the PowerPoint as a digital portfolio which is an archive of their work. Finally, they write a...
Global Oneness Project
The Value of Ancient Traditions
Imagine having to give up cell phones, computers, and TV? What would be lost? What gained? An examination of the Drokpa, a nomadic people who live in the grasslands of Tibet, provides class members an opportunity to consider how access...
Curated OER
Four Foot Feat
Students examine cultural customs and practices in family histories. In this family history instructional activity, students read the poetry in 'All the Colors of the Race' to analyze the family history. Students complete guided reading...
Curated OER
Photography: Beyond the Snapshot
Learners explore news photography skills. In this photojournalism instructional activity, students examine photographs from newspapers and magazines and discuss the attributes of quality photographs. Learners complete a webquest at the...