Center for History Education
The Founding Fathers and the Constitutional Struggle Over Centralized Power
Believe it or not, the Constitution was America's second attempt at a democratic government. Academics travel back to the past to explore the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation that would eventually lead to the Constitutional...
Berkshire Museum
The Three Life-Giving Sisters: Plant Cultivation and Mohican Innovation
Children gain first-hand experience with Native American agriculture while investigating the life cycle of plants with this engaging experiment. Focusing on what the natives called the Three Sisters - corn, beans, and squash - young...
DocsTeach
Extending Suffrage to Women
Votes for women! The activity highlights the push for the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote. High school scholars learn how the Fifteenth Amendment giving African American men the right to vote helped to spark the...
Smithsonian Institution
Us vs. Them: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882
Immigration issues are nothing new. An interesting lesson focuses on the racially motivated Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and its impact on the Chinese American community. Scholars read articles, analyze political cartoons, and...
Center for History Education
Understanding the Great Migration
What would make someone leave home and travel thousands of miles to find another one? Young historians look at letters, demographic data, and artwork to answer the question for the Great Migration, or the movement of thousands of African...
Penguin Books
Teacher’s Guide: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man tops the reading list for the AP Literature exam. A five-page guide offers instructors and book clubs discussion questions designed to get readers to think deeply and critically about the inspection of...
Curated OER
Changemakers Lesson Plans
An astronaut, a fashion designer, a Secretary of the Interior, an actor, and an Olympic Gold Medal winner! Teens and tweens have an opportunity to be changemakers as they research modern Native Americans and their many accomplishments...
Curated OER
Indigenous Peoples’ Day
A lesson looks closely at the history and importance of Indigenous Peoples' Day. Scholars view an engaging video, then create a book that celebrates Native Americans. Thoughtful discussion and research highlight their contributions.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Birmingham: The Magic City
Why is Birmingham known as the magic city? A comprehensive lesson plan provides hands-on activities, group discussion, and writing exercises to teach young historians about the importance of the city of Birmingham. Scholars learn the...
Curated OER
Jazz in America Lesson Plan 6
Students survey bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop. They explore how bebop, cool jazz, and hard bop reflected American culture and society in the 1940s and 1950s.
Annenberg Foundation
Social Realism
Many American writers in the late nineteenth century wanted their writing to reflect real life. Individuals watch and discuss a video, read and explore author biographies, write a journal entry and a poem, and complete a multimedia...
Curated OER
The Turn of the Nineteenth Century: Lifestyles and Cultures
Student reflect on the differences between the life of children in the early
nineteenth century and their lives in the present. They demonstrate these differences by creating a drawing of "then and now." In addition, they create a...
University of Southern California
Coming to America After the War
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War...
Curated OER
The Columbian Exchange
Students are introduced to the events of the Columbian Exchange. In groups, they identify and describe five main areas of cultural exchange between the Spanish and the Native Americans. They examine the economic impact of each area on...
Curated OER
Theatre: Oral Traditions
Students investigate cultural traditions. In this multi-cultural instructional activity, students discuss various cultures and research their traditions.
Curated OER
Maskmaking
Young scholars examine masks from various cultures focusing on the Native Americans. Using the internet, they research the purpose of the masks and various designs. They create their own mask showing their own culture and personality and...
Curated OER
On Being Seen as Different
Students discover that while other cultures may seem strange or odd in some ways, their own culture can seem similarly strange or odd to those in other cultures. They give examples of how people see the world, themselves, and others in...
Curated OER
Art to Zoo: Celebration
Students research and develop a report on birthday rituals around the world. In this research lesson plan, students compare birthday rituals from other cultures to their own. Images and resources are included.
Curated OER
JAPAN, IMAGES A PEOPLE
Students interpret Japanese and American paintings; evaluate paintings as sources of cultural and historical information
Curated OER
The Japanese Way
First graders complete a two-week introductory unit on Japan and Japanese culture. They compare/contrast Japanese and American lifestyles, watch videos, design an original kimono, eat Japanese food using chopsticks, fold Origami shapes,...
Curated OER
Exploring South America
Students research South American to prepare a PowerPoint presentation about its culture, traditions, and societies. In this South American research lesson, students research South American based on their export products to create a...
Curated OER
"Pass the Potatoes" (But, where did they come from?)
Eighth graders explore various cultures around the world. In this cultural lesson, 8th graders prepare foods that belong to different cultures. Students examine the climate in the places of origin of their foods using a...
Curated OER
America the Bountiful
Fifth graders explore the impact exploration and colonization of North America had on human history. In this American colonies lesson, 5th graders compare differences between colonial areas. Students investigate the global impact of...
Curated OER
Around the World, A Multicultural Unit
Students investigate Native American tribes through their stories. In this cultural activity, students read stories of the Inuit tribe and discuss the themes, people, and customs. Students illustrate a picture of the Inuit...