Curated OER
Social Studies: Aztec Calendars and Culture
Sixth graders analyze the Aztec calendar and create their own examples of them. They determine the meaning of the symbols used in the calendars and record their ideas in journals. Students host a parent breakfast for them to observe...
Curated OER
Maths with the Mob - Aboriginal Culture
Students read and discuss books about aboriginal family life. Working individually and in groups, they complete a series of activities in various subject areas, including art, language, math, and social studies. Among the activities ...
Curated OER
Being an Insider/Outsider to Judaism
Students explore and analyze the history of Judaism with all its ups and downs throughout history as well as its traditions and cultures that have survived a lifetime of ridicule and controversy. They relate the feeling that the majority...
Curated OER
Teaching the Hindu-Buddhist Tradition in East Asian Culture Through Asian Literature and Film
Students explore various intellectual traditions which dominate human history through a variety of contemporary pieces of literature which exemplify the traditions. Biblical monotheism, Greek rationalism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism...
Curated OER
Oral History: Interviewing Elders
Sixth graders examine oral history traditions. They interview family members about their childhoods and compare them to their own. Students use the collected information to make posters, letters, essays, or poems about their research.
Curated OER
Myth-try Cards Activity
Students read creation myths to learn various cultural explanations for natural phenomena. They select sharks and write myths to explain physical structures, behaviors or roles in ecosystems. They research the animals to provide...
Curated OER
Grown-ups at Play
Students realize that adults entertain themselves at work and in their private lives and that much of adult play, like children's play, is part of adults' folklife and that they play in various folk groups. They consider the elite,...
Vanderbilt University
Dia de Los Muertos
To honor El Dia de los Muertos, scholars work together to create Day of the Dead displays—paper sugar skulls and banners—that bring a festive and memorable flare to the classroom.
Channel Islands Film
Once Upon A Time (Saxipak’a): Lesson Plan 1
As part of a study of the history of the Chumash on California's Channel Island chain, class members view the documentary Once Upon a Time, respond to discussion questions, and create a timeline for the different waves of migration.
Curated OER
African Masks And Their Impact On Western Art
Explore the influence of African-style masks on Western art. Learners create individual masks using construction paper. They discuss and explore the techniques used to create these types of masks. The resource includes links to...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Kennewick Man: Science and Sacred Rights
"Have respect for the dead!" Scholars investigate how science and religion often clash. As they look into the laws of science and the laws of religion, the legal ramifications at the federal level of both play into an argument they...
Museum of Tolerance
Disenfranchised People of the New Nation
Why are some immigrant groups in the United States embraced while others become disenfranchised? To answer this question, teams investigate why groups emigrated to the US, why some of these these peoples were...
Curated OER
Celebrate Kwanzaa in the United States
Explore the components of the African American celebration of Kwanzaa in the United States. Complete with learning objectives, a materials and preparation list, and eight days of lesson plans, the resource incorporates the principles of...
Curated OER
Musical Traditions of Southern Louisiana
This units gives high schoolers opportunities to * Research the history and patterns of French settlement in Louisiana * Discover three types of music (New Orleans jazz, Cajun, Zydeco) which are representative of the Francophone presence...
Curated OER
British Christmas Crackers
Students, after researching the history and tradition of the British Christmas Crackers, other cultural traditions and Tom Smith, create a replica of the cracker. They also write a holiday message to include inside and share it with...
Curated OER
Diversity Tiles
Students examine various cultures and create a classroom quilt. They discuss family traditions and their heritage. Using Crayola Model Magic, students create a tile and decorate it with their favorite family traditions. Class tiles are...
Curated OER
Dance Around the World
Students gather information about traditional dances. In this folk dance lesson, students work in small groups to research a type of folk dance, then present information and perform the dance for the class.
Curated OER
Celebrate With Henna Hands Lesson Plan
Students study the historic and contemporary uses of henna body art in different cultures. They determine what henna is and how it is use as a temporary tattoo. As an art project, they trace their own hands and draw an appropriate woman...
Curated OER
Crackled Batik Book Covers
Students measure a cover for a book and design a beautiful and practical book cover. They follow the directions to design a book cover, coloring one side of the paper with Crayola products using traditional batik patterns from various...
Curated OER
Everyone Needs Shelter
Students research and design traditional and contemporary shelters from around the world. They build replicas of structures resembling the chosen cultures and time periods. They then connect with classmates to find similarities and...
Curated OER
Fancy Foil Easter Card
Students research the traditions of Easter and the symbolism of eggs in the celebration of Easter and spring. They discover egg decoating in various cultures around the world and then create an egg-shaped greeting card with cutouts over...
Curated OER
Glitzy Garland
Students recognize that Christmas is celebrated with different customs and traditions in various cultures. They gather information about Christmas garlands and other holiday symbols and decorations. Afterward, they create an original...
Curated OER
Mongolian Herders' Homes Lesson Plan
Students investigate the lives and homes of Mongolian nomadic herders. They determine how the climate, available building supplies, and cultural traditions influence how the homes are built. Using art supplies, they make a replica of a...
Curated OER
Out of the Box
Students think creatively. For this out of the box lesson, students explore the Frederic C. Hamilton Building at the Denver Art Museum, examining the work of architect Daniel Libeskind and his team. Students discover...