Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tolerance Quilt

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read stories about giving and poverty and discuss why it is important to give to others. In this giving lesson plan, 5th graders make quilts to give to those in need.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Race & White Privilege

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read and analyze the Tomas Rivera novel "...And the Earth Did Not Devour Him." In small groups they select three paragraphs from the text that are relevant to the issues of racism or white privelege, conduct Internet research,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paying With Their Health

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students consider the plight of immigrant workers. In this undocumented immigrant lesson, students compare the worker of the Industrialization era to the undocumented immigrant workers of today. Students read and discuss literature about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Archeological Pow-Wow

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students, in groups, examine the use of artifacts and fossils to study people, plants and animals from the past.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

School Reform, Again!

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Learners discuss their perceptions and experiences with changes in schooling. They work in small groups to prepare a PowerPoint presentation to explain the efforts toward reforming schools since 1983. Students speculate on the next...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

War on Drugs, "RIP"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students watch the episode of Investigative Reports examines the losing battle countries worldwide are conducting against the drug trade. Because of the lucrative profits of the drug trade, authorities cannot end the illegal trafficking...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Should Hate Be Outlawed?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate hate crime legislation. In this hate crime lesson, students examine the St. Paul city ordinance that outlawed hate crimes. Students explore the fine between hate crime legislation and First Amendment rights.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension: Louisiana

For Students 4th - 6th
For this reading comprehension worksheet, students read a 2-page article regarding Louisiana and respond to 10 true or false questions regarding the selection about the state.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Census Statistics and Graphing

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students graphically represent data from the Census.  In this middle school mathematics lesson, students investigate the housing characteristics of different tribes of Native Americans and compare them to the average American...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Depression Era Art

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students choose Depression era art to print out from the Internet. They write paragraphs about how the artists interpreted facts about the Depression in their art. The paragraphs and prints can become a student art critic book.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Federal Programs And Reform

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the current welfare system in Utah. They research and discuss the different type of programs that are offered. They conduct an analysis of the reports that are provided. The standard of living is also investigated...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Much is There to Eat?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars research population and food consumption rates for different areas of the world.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Deadly Disease among Us

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars recognize that infectious diseases are a continuing problem among all human populations. They define and give examples of emerging infectious diseases. Students define and give examples of re-emerging infectious diseases.
Website
University of Wisconsin

Institute for Research on Poverty: How Is Poverty Measured in the United States?

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes how the United States measures poverty. Includes graphs comparing poverty rates over time, in different states, in different ethnic or age groups, etc.
Website
Other

Childstats.gov

For Students 9th - 10th
Extensive data, including an annual report that looks at the state of children's well-being in the United States. It examines such issues as family environment, health care, poverty, welfare and how the government is reacting overall to...
Article
BBC

Bbc News: Week of 3 11 13: The Children Going Hungry in America

For Students 9th - 10th
This article about child hunger in the United States features the story of two young children in Iowa who often do not have enough to eat. The article includes a link to charity that helps those in need of food and a brief video. [1:59]
Handout
US Census Bureau

United States Census Bureau: Poverty in the Us [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
The US census report on poverty published in 2001.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry

For Students 9th - 10th
This collection uses primary sources to explore Lorraine Hansberry's play, A Raisin in the Sun.
Unit Plan
C-SPAN

C Span Classroom: Teaching About Poverty

For Students 9th - 10th
Learning module in which students use current and relevant information to take a close look at poverty in America, past and present, and examine how the government should address it. Comprehensive multi-media learning materials include...
Article
Library of Congress

Loc: Prosperity and Thrift: Poverty in the 1920s

For Students 9th - 10th
Describes the groups of people in the United States that did not prosper in the consumer economy of the 1920s. These included farmers and recent immigrants.
Activity
Other

Almanac of Policy Issues: Poverty

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Alamanac of Policy Issues provides a general look at poverty in the U.S. based on 1998 figures (the latest available). A good reference for federal poverty threshold figures.
Website
Other

Bread for the World: About Hunger

For Students 9th - 10th
Evaluation of how hunger and poverty are linked. Also included are the many facts and figures about poverty and hunger, and different problems leading to poverty throughout the world.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Teachers: Child Labor in America

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Historical photographs provide learners with a firsthand look at the issue of child labor during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. In this lesson, students will use photographs to further understanding of the politics,...
Website
Other

Feeding America

For Students 9th - 10th
At the online home of one of the largest hunger-relief agencies in America, find extensive reporting and analysis of the problem of hunger in the United States, along with information about its network of food banks, a quiz to test...