National First Ladies' Library
Terrorism and Tolerance
Students define the concepts of terrorism and tolerance using various resources. They examine the concept of stereotype, consider stereotypes often applied to Arabs, Middle Easterners, and Muslims, and attempt to discredit these...
Curated OER
Design of Our Own
Middle schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students recognize family, school, and local community leaders who have contributed to the common good. Middle schoolers also study community...
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The Lifecycle of a Butterfly
Students study the life cycle of the butterfly. In this butterfly life cycle instructional activity, students examine and discuss a large diagram of the four stages of the butterfly life cycle. They read books and access web sites that...
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Honoring Property Rights
Students examine the issue of cheating. In this property rights lesson, students define honor and discuss intellectual property rights as they explore a case study.
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Economics
Fourth graders study the effects of economics in their daily life. In this economics lesson, 4th graders construct a list of wants and needs if they had an unlimited supply of money. Students discuss how economics help people make...
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Making History Relevant
Students maintain a weekly news journal in which they summarize current news articles and then relate them to topics previously studied in history class.
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People for Successful Corean Reunification (PSCORE)
Students explore the concept of human rights. In this social justice lesson, students explore vocabulary regarding human rights and human rights violations in North Korea.
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How Do Conflicts Escalate?
Students examine, evaluate and understand the concept of conflict, conflict escalation and colflict resolution through a variety of creative interactions.
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Early Industrialization
Eighth graders analyze primary source documents emphasizing young people in factory labor (mill workers during 1840-1860). They study hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. They write a poem or song.
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Oedipus The King: An Introduction To Greek Drama
Students gain insight into Greek tragedy and such concepts such as fate, hubris, and (dramatic) irony. They recognize the Greeks concern with fate, self-determination and the role of gods and oracles in everyday life and compare and...
National First Ladies' Library
The Gilded Age
Young scholars investigate the economic events that caused such a separation between social classes in the United States during this time period. Then they design financial and social models with the goal of closing the gap between the...
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Justice and Kindness Play a Part: King Day
Middle schoolers recognize injustice in the world. For this social justice lesson, students discuss the responsibility they have to be advocates for justice and kindness and identify a time when they felt they were treated unfairly.
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The United States and the Soviet Union were Engaged in a Cold War
Students work together at figuring out the definition for what cold war means. For this social science lesson, students listen to "The Butter Battle Book" by Dr. Seuss and recognize how this story relates to the cold war between the...
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The Great Migration: Pushed By The South, Pulled By The North
Students identify key features of the Great Migration. They explain the concepts of push and pull factors for migration. They create an art project which shows an understanding of the push and pull factors.
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Family Interviews: The Grandparent/Elder Project
Young scholars explore key concepts/facts in 20th Century history, develop interview questions, and produce master list of questions that can be used in project. Students then interview grandparent, great-grandparent, or other elder...
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The Stock Market Game
Young scholars participate in a variety of stock market games within their classmates. They study the concepts of stocks and investments as well as the criteria for selecting of stocks. Each student is shown how to keep track of the...
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Freedom Summer
Students brainstorm and discuss what the concept of "fairness" is and how to identify examples of "fairness." They pull from historical fiction and the Civil Rights Movement to explain how individual are affected by, cope with, and...
National First Ladies' Library
The History of Jim Crow: Legal Racism in America
Students study the history and culture of Jim Crow, as well as the scope of Jim Crow laws across the United States. They consider the concepts of terror and triumph with respect to the history of Jim Crow, the recognition of evidence of...
Facing History and Ourselves
Eyes on the Prize Lesson 1: The Philosophy of Nonviolence
Students explore the concept of nonviolent demonstration. In this Civil Rights Movement activity, students investigate examples of injustice and discuss the philosophy of nonviolence fueled by leaders of the movement. Students apply...
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Under Construction
Students examine the concept of 'nation building,' focusing on outcomes of U.S. involvement in nation building efforts in Afghanistan, past and present attempts at nation building and how the U.S. should proceed in the war against...
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Ancient Hebrews
Sixth graders analyze the geographic, political, economic, religious, and social structures of the early civilizations of the Ancient Hebrews, and write an essay.
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Fair is Fair
Students participate in two unfair activities to explain the concept of fairness. Then they role-play different scenarios demonstrating the idea of fairness. They discuss reasons to make rules and complete a web chart on fairness.
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25 Greatest Protest Songs - Lesson 3
Students analyze the lyrics of protest songs as a catalyst for social change. They discuss the influence of music on behavior and explain the use of music as a means of self-expression.
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The Interstate Commerce Act of 1887
Students examine the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. They discuss the concepts of value-of-service pricing and cost-of-service pricing, read and discuss text, and debate the reasons for and legitimacy of price differences in service.