Curated OER
The Rest Cure: Gender in Medicine and Literature
Read and discuss "The Yellow Wall-Paper" and the gender issues that the story brings up. Use articles from the time period to analyze, complete with specific discussion questions. After two days, scholars write an essay based on topics...
Personal Genetics Education Project
Direct-to-consumer Genetic Testing
If you knew that you were likely to develop Alzheimer's disease in your future, how would it affect your life in the meantime? This and other similar thought-provoking questions are discussed in a lesson plan about the availability of...
Curated OER
A Presidential Portrait: Andrew Jackson
Eighth graders examine the role of intended meaning in Ralph Earl's portrait of Andrew Jackson. They, in groups, research periods in Jackson's life and use gathered information to create their own portraits of Jackson.
Curated OER
Inside the Mind of the Unreliable Narrator
Create interdisciplinary connections and promote high-level inferences by studying unreliable narrators.
Curated OER
History Fair
Students create a History Fair. They examine the National History Day Competition and are encouraged to participate.
Curated OER
Cold War Era Film Censorship: High Noon- a Slice of Americana Or Communist
Students study of the effects of the Cold War on the home front. They analyze the film High Noon according to an abbreviated version of the standards that films were judged by in the early 1950s and determine whether or not High Noon is...
Personal Genetics Education Project
Genetics and Reproduction
Disease prevention or designer babies? Use a set of slides to introduce the growing practice of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD. Teens read related articles and then break into groups to address different scenarios. Afterward,...
English Enhanced Scope and Sequence
Research Project Embedded with Media Literacy
Here is a phenomenal language arts lesson plan on media literacy for your middle and high schoolers. In it, learners produce a research product in the form of a public service announcement (PSA). First, they view examples of these PSA's...
Curated OER
Shakespeare: Standing on the Bookshelves of Giant
A phenomenal lesson on Shakespeare! Middle and high school learners create WebQuests about the texts and authors that Shakespeare himself studied when he was in grammar school. They use a variety of media in order to create dramatic...
Curated OER
Captain John Smith's Shallop
Young explorers, all aboard the shallop to discover how early European explorers would navigate the American coastline to find resources, map terrain, and trade with Native American tribes.
Curated OER
Character in Leadership
Fifth graders inquire and research using secondary and primary resources. In this leadership traits unit, 5th graders investigate information about Harry S. Truman and present on his early life and leadership abilities....
Curated OER
Bird Flu: the Next Pandemic?
Students discuss what they know about bird flu and check the accuracy of their facts using primary sources related to the topics and classroom discussion activities. They create projects that illustrate what they have learned about...
Curated OER
Defining Moments: Analyzing Data
Young scholars create an annotated bibliography on writings related to Japanese internment and analyze the writings for possible bias. They view a video on the Korematsu Internment case and use the internet to find print and non-print...
Curated OER
Chinese communities, Federation and the early Commonwealth
Students search and use a database. They compare and analyze primary sources and develop an awareness of the nature and extent of the Chinese community's involvement in the Federation celebrations.
Curated OER
Social Studies: War and the Media
Students examine the impact of the media on various wars, especially the Iraq and Vietnam wars. By examining cartoons and popular music as primary sources, they suggest motivations for the conflicts and propose reasons for public...
Curated OER
Exploring Indiana: Tales, Timelines, and Trivia
Students record timelines of Indiana history and include events from their own personal history on it. After using various research sources, the record their timelines using the Timeliner software application. They share their timelines...
Curated OER
News
Students examine the four main media sources; radio, television, Internet and newspapers, while they determine the reasons that for knowing world news. They write articles to go with given newspaper headlines. They discuss the news and...
Curated OER
New Perspectives On Teaching Afro-American History
Students examine the Great Migration of African Americans to the North from the South. After reading a primary source document, they respond to the letter given a set of questions. In groups, they research the funding for white and...
Smithsonian Institution
Solomon G. Brown: Letter Writing
Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...
BrainPOP
World History Lesson Plan: Uncovering Essential Questions
Have you ever noticed a news story revolves around an essential question? Scholars research methods of reporting historical events. Working in groups, they use an interactive module to gather information on a historical topic, uncovering...
Curated OER
Comparing Visual Interpretations and Actual Events: War & Battle
A Venn Diagram is used to compare artistic and historical representations of a single event. Young analysts view the provided images, read textbook descriptions, and discuss the validity of each representation in terms of bias and...
Achievement Strategies
CCSS Unpacked Learning Targets for Reading and Writing History/Social Studies
How do all the lessons and activities you have planned for your class align to Common Core State Standards? This can feel like a very daunting question. Help ease the process by referencing a template that not only lists and...
What So Proudly We Hail
Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: A Lesson on the Declaration of Independence
What does it mean to say that a right is unalienable? How did the founding fathers convey this revolutionary concept in the Declaration of Independence? Engage in a close reading and analysis of the Declaration of Independence, and...
C-SPAN
Polling and Public Opinion
Most people are eager to offer their opinions about topics of interest, but what's the most effective way to collect and assess these opinions as a matter of fact? High schoolers learn about the history of polling, as well as the...