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Curated OER

Old Photographs: Windows to the Past

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Students examine several types of old photographs and compare them to photography today. Students search for historical photographs and draw conclusions about the time period from the subject matter. Students explain how a camera...
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Social Studies: The Lewis and Clark Trail Today

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students locate present-day towns along the Lewis and Clark Trail and compare them to towns in 1800, 1900, and 2,000. Working in groups, they conduct Intenet research to locate the wons along the trail and research their history and...
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's Christmas Bells

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read and analyze the anti-slavery poem, "Christmas Bells" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. They discuss the content and form of the poem, write an essay, write an original poem, examine how this anti-slavery poem was converted...
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To what extent should the Canadian Political and/or Electoral systems be reformed?

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders look critically at the government and then take a defend a position on the prospect of reform.
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Images of Maine: Poetry

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students read and evaluate several poems from various Maine authors such as Longfellow, Booth and Millay. They discuss the images of Maine and its people that are related in these poems and compare them to their own ideas of Maine...
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How to Write a Bill

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view video excerpts from, "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" and discuss them to brainstorm how to write a bill. They divide into two groups representing senate committees to participate in a mark-up session where they read and...
Lesson Plan
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Railroad Idioms Art Lesson Plan

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders research railroad idioms.  In this idiom lesson, 6th graders read through a glossary of different railroad idioms and their meanings. They illustrate a chosen idiom.
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Navigation

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explain that globes are the best way to show positions of places, but flat maps are portable and can show great detail. They make a mercator projection of the route Lewis and Clark took on their journey.
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Exploring Islamic Lands

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students explore the culture of the Middle East. In this Islamic culture lesson plan, students conduct research to create personal narratives that reveal what life is like in the Middle East for Islamic teens today.
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Not Just A Man's War

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students write 2 letters from a woman who may have lived during the Civil War and 2 letters from her relative which include factual information that they have research using the Internet and other resources, along with other activities.
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A Soldier's Letters

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the role letters play in a soldier's life and learn background information about Vietnam in the 1960s.
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Exploring Community Through Local History: Oral Stories, Landmarks and Traditions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the history of their local community. In this local history lesson, students analyze primary documents to develop an understanding of the local culture and traditions of their local community.
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MANY REASONS TO LEAVE

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research different economic, cultural, and social characteristics of slavery after 1800, how slavery hindered the emergence of capitalist institutions and values, and slavery both prior to and after the Civil War.
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Thomas Edison, electricity and America

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students will examine Edison's application of electricity and the concept of the American Consumer Culture and what thay means. Students will evaluate how these ideas and concepts led to change.
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Blessings of a Free Government: The Louisiana Purchase in 1803

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Young scholars may take part in a multitude of activities listed such as creating political cartoons, comparison papers, and creating a portfolio to reinforce concepts and ideas surrounding the Louisiana Purchase.
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Immigration and Migration Today and During the Great Depression

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct oral history interviews and research primary resources to explain changes in immigration and migration over time.
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Does Free Speech Exist in School?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine their own First Amendment rights as students. They read and discuss a news article, discuss the Supreme Court case Frederick v. Morse, take an online quiz and conduct Internet research, and create a brochure outlining...
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Using Primary Sources in the Classroom

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Suggestions for using primary sources.
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Underground Travelers

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars are introduced to new vocabulary associated with the Underground Railroad. Using primary sources, they evaluate the railroad's impact on society in the past and today. They also make a judgment about the morality of the...
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1900 America: Primary Sources and Epic Poetry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using Walt Whitman's Song of Myself and Hart Crane's The Bridge as models, class groups first craft their own epic poems for 1900 and, using primary sources, create a multi-media presentation that captures the sights and...
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Virtual) Poetry Slam

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create a "virtual poetry slam." This project can easily be implemented at any grade level where students have created short pieces of personal writing. They write, edit, and revise a short piece of poetry or personal writing.
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Bringing Tolerance to Our Beaches (Private-Religious)

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students role play. In this equality lesson, students read a passage in Leviticus and describe people that would be considered strangers and how they are to be treated. Students discuss the concept of discrimination. Students role play...
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From Smithson To Smithsonian

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students evaluate a series of primary source documents. They Identify the variety of opinions regarding the use of Smithson's bequest and define the legislative compromise embodied in the Smithsonian Institution Act. They examine the...
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Presidential Medal of freedom

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students discuss the Presidential Medal of Freedom and create pamphlets about recvipients, including artwork depicting reasons for receiving the medals. They write essays about someone they think should be awarded the medal.