Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin Franklin: Master Diplomat for One Last Time
At 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where he exercised significant influence in shaping key elements of how the United States operates. The class examines his role, using “The Scene at...
American Battle Monuments Commission
The Meuse-Argonne Offensive
America's entrance into World War I drastically changed the scope of the conflict. An interactive map and timeline takes learners through the Meuse-Argonne Campaign, which lasted from September 26, 1918, to the eventual German armistice...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Presidential Mock Interviews
Students, working in pairs, conduct mock interviews of American presidents, highlighting personal and political details. They research their chosen president on the Internet prior to their role-playing presentation. Students publish...
Curated OER
social studies: Life in Colonial America
Learners explore the trials and tribulations early colonial life and note its successes. Through literature, Internet research, and interactive software, they engage in various activities to evaluate early social and cultural development.
Curated OER
Project Based Learing: Social Responsibility
Students explore social responsibility. In this service learning activity, students participate in 4 weekly activities that require them to research "communitarians", write poems about their contributions, and create works of art...
Curated OER
Action/Reaction: Art and Politics
Students examine three images that were responses to social and political turmoil World War I and II. In this political art lesson, students analyze and discuss the example art. Students create a word poem, a collage, and their own...
Curated OER
Social Studies: People and Their Contributions
Students, working in groups, research people who have made significant contributions in history. They compile biographies about their chosen individual, including what they think might have happened if this person had not made the...
Curated OER
Cave Paintings: Leaving a Message
Fourth graders create cave paintings to leave behind a message for the future civilizations about how they live today.
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Opening Doors to Social Studies with Children's Literature
Third graders use the Decision Tree strategy to brainstorm ideas about two decisions that must be made. They predict what will happen in the rest of the story. Students discuss the time period the story takes place in. They study the...
Curated OER
Art and War
Students analyze the war art of Pablo Picasso. In this art analysis activity, students define political art and explore Picasso's response to war in his art. Students complete image based discussion and two related activities.
Curated OER
Truth Or Consequences
Students examine historical works of art and analyze how these paintings could be used for personal, cultural, and/or political purposes. This exploratory lesson on art ideology includes two handouts/worksheets for student use and...
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Exploring the Art of Leonardo da Vinci
Ninth graders use a web worksheet to gather information about the Italian Renaissance artist, Leonardo da Vinci. They look at the front and back of the Mona Lisa, Leonardo's most famous painting. Students learn about the painting...
Gobal Oneness Project
Passionate Pursuits
Not all technology is digital. Teach learners about the low-tech maker movement with a photo essay about six artisans from California and two articles about the local creator movement. After tackling the photo essay in small...
Smithsonian Institution
A Ticket to Philly—In 1769: Thinking about Cities, Then and Now
While cities had only a small fraction of the population in colonial America, they played a significant role in pre-revolutionary years, and this was certainly true for the largest city in the North American colonies: Philadelphia. Your...
Curated OER
You Are Smarter Than The Ads
Fourth graders examine advertising techniques and create original designs for advertisements in this three day, 4th grade art/social studies instructional activity. The instructional activity includes assessment ideas, resource...
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Putting a Spin on Current Events
Students discover propaganda. In this Greek mythology lesson, students discuss meanings of ancient art work with their class. Students investigate the dishonesty behind propaganda.
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New and Different Civilizations-a Claymation Dreamer's World
Students create a movie about a new civilization using claymation. In this social studies lesson, students design a storyboard that includes various features of a new civilization, then use video and digital cameras to create a...
Curated OER
Many Ways of Seeing
Investigate themes and issues in art such as the concept of originality, interpretation of visual language, symbolism, and examination of the categories of fine art and folk art.
Curated OER
English Settlements in North America, A Royal Charter from the King
Fifth graders develop a colony to be evaluated by the teacher in the role of a "Royal Inspector". In this social studies lesson plan, 5th graders design aspects of a successful society by planning forms of government, politics, and an...
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The History of Art
Teachers can use these art history lesson plans as a way to get students to look at art in a new light.
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Social Studies Strategies: Attribute Graph
In this exploring an attribute graph worksheet, students read information and observe an attribute graph about Cinderella, and complete a bar graph about the attributes of a historical figure or climax of events. Students complete one...
Curated OER
What Makes the Writer Write
Your 11th and 12th graders are ready to critique society! Channel that inclination by studying a novel that offers social criticism of other eras (book recommendations included). This resource presents a well-thought-out overview of such...
Curated OER
Lesson: After Nature: Dystopia and Detournement
Werner Herzog's film, Lessons of Darkness is the topic of this lesson plan on art, politics, and culture. Learners discuss the concepts of utopia, dystopia, detournment, and Scorched Earth then compose a paper which describes dystopian...
Global Oneness Project
Exploring the Creative Process
Launch a discussion of the creative process with a short video that features the daily ritual of Slobodan Dan Paich, a San Francisco artist. Slobodan models his approach to tea painting and shares his reflections on the...