Curated OER
America in Film and Fiction
High schoolers begin the instructional activity by reading a book on film study. After watching the movie "Citizen Kane", they work together to identify the issues concerning the United States before World War II. As a class, they...
Curated OER
The National Pastime
Students examine the impact baseball had politically and culturally upon the nation and the world from 1940-1950. Students study about, discuss, and take notes about historically significant events and baseball players' contributions...
Curated OER
Exploring the Life of a Slave
Eleventh graders explore importance of abolitionists who worked to advance freedoms of black Americans prior to/during Reconstruction era, read and identify key concepts in Frederick Douglass's narrative, recognize how Douglass's slave...
Curated OER
Creating Hope: Making Butterfly Stamps
Students create foam ink stamps. In this Holocaust lesson, students discover the history of the Holocaust and why butterflies represented a symbol of hope during those times. Students use BalsaFoam to carve out a butterfly stamp.
Curated OER
Has the Wall Truly Tumbled Down?
Students examine the events behind the destruction of the Berlin Wall and the continued struggles to truly unify the former East Germany and West Germany.
Curated OER
THE POLITICAL DR. SEUSS
Pupils identify literature that conveys themes and lessons as they apply to various life situations and experiences. They discover some of the themes of Dr. Seuss's major books by viewing excerpts from and examining a selected film's...
Curated OER
Scribe of Self
Seventh graders read "Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank. In groups, they discuss the reasons why people would write an autobiography and identify their own identity crisis. After reading excerpts of other autobiographies, they...
Curated OER
Requiem The Song of the Murdered Jewish People
Learners read poem The Song of the Murdered Jewish People, listen to Requiem based on poem, work on reading poem as music plays, discuss reasons for composer's musical choices, and investigate possibilities of performing a reading for an...
Curated OER
Environmental Destruction in Vietnam
Students watch video clip on Environmental Destruction of Vietnam, select and discuss passages from essay, Resuscitation of the Dead Earth, that emphasize destruction to the land, and write essay on whether United States should have been...
Curated OER
A Peaceful World
Young scholars investigate children's' rights. They examine what the rights mean, how they are violate and what actions students can take to protect those rights. They read and discuss a poem before investigating the United Nations and...
Curated OER
The Big Lie
Fifth graders create poems and other forms of writing.Then working in groups they share writing with each other. The opinions would be gathered and students would revise writing according to the comments.
Curated OER
The Birth of an American Hero: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow???s ???Paul Revere???s Ride???
Students examine the heroic archetype and apply it to the history of Paul Revere's Ride and to Longfellow's poem, "Paul Revere's Ride." They identify heroic qualities, discuss archetypes, read and discuss Joseph Campbell's "Stages of the...
Curated OER
Ideas and Commodities Cross Cultural Regions
Students compare and contrast how commodities native to certain countries have impacted the economies of other nations. After gathering information regarding how commodities are grown and traded, students use their information to...
Curated OER
Urban Concentration and Racial Violence
Students research one of the many urban race riots in U.S. history, from the New York City riots during the Civil War to the "Red Summer of 1919" or the hate-strikes of 1943. They present their findings in the form of a newspaper's front...
Curated OER
Book Week
Students discuss favorite books. They listen to the teacher tell how Book Week started. Students participate in a variety of activities designed to help them focus on books and reading. Some may create covers for the older books,...
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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.
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Jacob Have I Loved
Eighth graders, while being introduced to Katherine Paterson's novel, Jacob Have I Loved, bring to class three facts about Pearl Harbor. They place the facts they brought to class on a display board. At the conclusion of the teachers...
Curated OER
Letters From Rifka
Small groups read assigned chapters from the book, Letters to Rifka, then work together to fill out comprehension worksheets associated with their chapters. This fine, 13-page lesson culminates with each group getting together to meet...
PBS
Primary Source Set: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
What did Jo write her stories with? How did the March sisters dress? A primary source set designed for Louisa May Alcott's Little Women prompts learners to look over images of household items and clothes from the 1860s before engaging in...
Curated OER
Dr. Seuss and Universal Themes
Discover some of the themes of Dr. Seuss's major books. They see that despite being written for young people, Dr. Seuss' books contain powerful messages and important themes.
Curated OER
Outstanding African Americans Activity
Challenge historians to investigate influential African-Americans through this online research activity. Learners undertake this task using online links, some of which require investigative searching. Print the worksheet out first, so...
Lesson Planet
New Books for Black History Month
Suggested books to help students better understand African American history.
Curated OER
Jazz in America
Students explore Bebop in America by listening to music and answering questions.
Curated OER
Jazz in America
Students learn where Jazz came from and why it is an important part of America's history.