Curated OER
Artists' Stamps
During an introduction to philately, the study/collection of stamps, your class can make their own commemorative stamp collections. This collection will honor various fine artists with their own stamp. What a great way to celebrate art!
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Celebrating and Remembering
Help scholars understand the history, geography, traditions, and art of Dia de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. Find background information for your reference as well as a detailed cross-curricular lesson plan. Learners compare...
Museum of Tolerance
Music Evokes Memories and Emotions
Dim the lights, take a deep breath, and press play to explore the emotions and memories that music elicits. Class members begin using relaxation techniques designed to create a positive listening experience. As music plays, learners...
Library of Congress
Industrial Revolution
Could you live without your phone? What about cars, steel, or clothing? Class groups collaborate to produce presentations that argue that either the telephone, the gramophone, the automobile, the textile industry, or the steel...
American Constitution Society
Constitution in the Classroom: The Right to Vote
The system of checks and balances is integral to the functionality of the United States government. Learn more about the ways the three branches of the government work together—and about the limitations of their power—with an informative...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Freedom of Movement
Class members examine human migration. For this population lesson plan, they read an article entitled, "Freedom of Movement" and respond to discussion questions about the article related to guest worker programs.
Curated OER
Follow the Light
Here is another in the interesting series of lessons that use the special State Quarters as a learning tool. During this lesson plan, pupils learn about lighthouses, maps, the cardinal directions on a compass, and U.S. geography. There...
National Constitution Center
Creating Your Own Town Hall Poster
Middle and high schoolers are walking into a world rife with strong political viewpoints and vocal opinions. Help to prepare them for controversial discussions with a instructional activity in which they choose, research, and learn more...
Library of Congress
Understanding Immigration Through Popular Culture
Class members are introduced to a project-based learning unit on US immigration with an activity that asks them to analyze sheet music and other primary source materials to uncover issues raised by immigration.
Curated OER
Mola Mural
Learners, after researching the traditional mola art of the Kuna Indians, explore and experiment with colorful fiber arts associated with the Kuna Indians. They work as a class to create a vibrant Mola Mural to showcase contemporary and...
Curated OER
Middle-East Reflections
Practice symmetry and patterns with this Mid-Eastern art project. Your class will create beautiful, reflective mosaics that will brighten up the classroom! A list of necessary materials is included.
Curated OER
Lesson: The Gift of Giving
Giving gifts has been a part of the human experience since modern man walked the earth. Upper graders explore the culture of gift giving in Mayan times through an artistic analysis. They analyze gift giving and palace life as seen on an...
Curated OER
Lesson: Creating a Superhero Sculpture
Indian art depicts an amazing pantheon of gods and goddesses, each having interesting powers and purposes. Young art historians use the provided images to analyze a carved sculpture of a monkey-god. They then brainstorm the attributes...
Curated OER
Organizing Info into Short Reports
The class brainstorms a list of prominent people from their knowledge of social studies. Groups of two pupils get together and select one of these people to research. They create five questions to research on their person and record them...
Curated OER
Chinese Kites
Students identify Chinese culture and find that New Year is the most important of many Chinese holidays. Then they research many facets of the Chinese New Year celebration, and identify the symbols of the animal zodiac. Students also...
Curated OER
Magnificent Mosaic
Students examine the ancient art form of mosaics. They compare and contrast mosaics from different cultures and time periods then create and design their own mosaics using Crayola Model Magic. They blend primary colors, or add white to...
Curated OER
Celebration Scene
Art often captures an event or emotion from a specific time and place in history. Explore Painting of Bear and Sun Dances with your class to study how dance and celebrations were important aspects of Native American life. After...
Encyclopedia Britannica
Campaign Photo Analysis
It's the art of the image! As part of a study of the 2020 Presidential race, groups analyze an image of a candidate, first from an objective point of view and then subjectively. They then prepare a presentation detailing what they...
EngageNY
Summarizing Complex Ideas: Comparing the Original UDHR and the "Plain Language" Version
The eighth lesson plan in this series continues the focus on vocabulary and increasing young readers' awareness of academic language. Pairs of learners participate in a short vocabulary review activity called Interactive Words in which...
Denver Art Museum
Lesson: High Prestige and Status
Prestige and status have been symbolized in many different ways throughout human history. Young art historians analyze an ancient Panamanian medallion for symbols of prestige and status, and then generate a list of other symbols of...
Curated OER
If…Then…Ideas for History
Have your class examine a very old piece of art as they consider history, chronology, geography, culture, and tradition. They discuss the concept of ritual as it is associated with religious practices and research the spread of...
Curated OER
Education, Design & Empowerment: Part One
Students consider the connection between poverty and education. In this language arts and social studies lesson plan, students research primary and secondary sources in order to explore the relationship between education and poverty.
Curated OER
Celebrate Hanukkah in Israel
Explore Hanukkah and its origins with a social studies lesson. Learners discover the history of Hanukkah and its traditions. They locate Israel on a map, hear the story of the menorah and create their own...
Friends of Fort McHenry
Sensory “Star Spangled Banner”
Music can help us to access memories and events in a meaningful way, and Francis Scott Key used specific words to convey what he had seen and felt when writing what would become America's national anthem. Help your class connect to...