Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Corn: An A-maizing Plant

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the corn crop. In this farming instructional activity, students identify which states are in the corn belt and read about the history of corn, its uses and its development and growth. Students dissect a corn kernel....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

GANDHI'S INDIA

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students describe key events in the life of Gandhi. They determine why knowledge of geography is necessary to understand the history of the people in a place or region. They write a summary of how the events in Gandhi's life,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Chicago Fire: The O'Leary Hearing

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students dramatized the O'Leary hearing regarding the Chicago fire using the transcript from the original hearings as a script.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Using Literature to Introduce the Five Themes of Geography

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students listen to a read aloud of "If You Grew Up With Abraham Lincoln". Using the text, they identify examples of the five themes of geography and write them down. Using a map, they plot the places mentioned in the book and sort facts...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symbols from History: Mesopotamia Today

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify the various symbols different nations use to represent themselves. As a class, they discuss the recent events in Iraq and identify the needs of its people. They use print resources to research various Mesopotamian...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Connecting Past and Present...Virtues of Military Veterans

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore personalities of those who served as medical personnel in American Civil War, compare qualities those troops possessed to qualities shown by troops currently serving in Armed Forces, and express appreciation to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Doubles: Japan and America's Intercultural Children

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students experience issues of intercultural children born as a result of the Occupation of Japan by American soldiers. They reflect on how these experiences and issues might be relevant to our own lives. Task cars are available to print...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Odyssey of a Coin

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a fictitious newspaper article to document the travels of an ancient Greek coin. They evaluate the economic conditions that existed in ancient Greece and analyze the impact Alexander the Great had on the ancient world.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Show Me a Flowerpot

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students compare and contrast handmade and machine-made products in a study about the evolution of production processes in American history. In this production history lesson, students explore a flowerpot in depth. Students make their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Time in a Teakettle

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students compare and contrast the development of teakettles. In this artifacts lesson, students divide into groups and examine different teakettles. Students complete an artifact analysis worksheet, draw a picture of their kettle and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Animals in Myths and Real Life

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the role of lions, elephants, and bears in ancient Roman life and mythology. They develop a strong understanding of the role animals played in important ancient Roman historical events and myths.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Traveler's Trunk

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students analyze and interpret artifacts from the 1920s and explore the Great Migration. In this 1920s history instructional activity, students review background information about the Great Migration and use artifacts to study history of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Home Sweet Home

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Young scholars complete activities with the books Color Me Dark, The Diary of Nellie Lee Love, and The Great Migration North.  In this literature/History lesson, student read the story and discuss the plot. They analyze photographs...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Native American Research

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students investigate an Native American tribal group. They conduct research using a variety of resources. The subject areas to focus on are religious life, history, social structures, economics, geography, and environment. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

World Wide Web Historical Timeline

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use newspapers and magazines to identify six recent political and social events from around the world. In groups, they use a timeline template to place the events on the timeline in chronological order. They share with the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Toast To The Past

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students analyze, and research the identity of the non electric toaster as a historical artifact. In this toaster lesson plan, students then create a visual timeline of toaster history.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Smiley Face Circle Stories

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine different artifacts from the 1970's. In this history lesson, students discover what each artifact is by seeing the artifact and reading a card defining what the artifact represents. On the second day, students create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Famous Women in the Military

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Learners identify and research various women and their roles in military history. They describe how modern political positions are affected by differences in ideologies and viewpoints that have developed over time. Finally, students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Malcolm X and Race Relations

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners read sections of Malcolm X's autobiography. In groups, they create a poster which highlights the events in his life and explains his philosophy on race relations. They present their poster to the class and answer any questions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Odyssey of a CoinC

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create a fictitious newspaper article to document the travels of an ancient Greek coin. They evaluate the economic conditions that existed in ancient Greece and analyze the impact Alexander the Great had on the ancient world.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858: Interactive Map Activity

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders utilize an interactive map to explore the 1858 Senate campaign in Illinois and how factors such as population, transportation, and party strongholds can affect campaign strategies.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Lincoln-Douglas Debates of 1858: Interactive Map Activity

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students utilize an interactive map to explore the 1858 Senate campaign in Illinois. They examine how factors such as population, transportation, and party strongholds can affect campaign strategies. Students write an essay discussing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Urban Treasure Hunt

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders use clues, and a photo, to find the location of a building in Illinois. They then take a present picture and create a powerpoint presentation to compare past and present features
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inventions Multimedia Time Line

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders research the impact of particular inventions on various times throughout history. They compile information from the Internet and a database to create a multimedia timeline of important inventions. The program Timeliner is...