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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alexander Hamilton and the Roots of Federalism

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Explore the origin of political parties in the United States. Learners work in groups to read and analyze copies of the "Report on Manufactures" written by Alexander Hamilton. Then, they complete a worksheet comparing the Federalists to...
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Lesson Plan
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Middle Tennessee State University

John Brown: Hero or Villain?

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
"Love it or leave it." "You're either for us or against us." Rhetoric and it's polarizing effects are the focus of a lesson that uses John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry as an exemplar. Groups examine primary source documents,...
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Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

New York Times Co. v Sullivan: The Alabama Case that Changed Libel Law

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Malice aforethought? Can the New York Times be held libel for false claims appearing in its ads? The Supreme Court case New York Times v Sullivan changed the interpretation of the First Amendment. Class members examine these changes and...
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Lesson Plan
New York Public Library

What's for Lunch?: New York City Restaurant Menus

For Teachers 1st - 2nd Standards
Do you remember the days when a cup of coffee cost five cents? At A.W. Dennett restaurant in 1894, you could buy a five-cent cup of coffee and as well as a five-cent slice of pie to accompany it. The menu from that year is a primary...
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Lesson Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Mr. Lincoln Through the Eyes of Aaron Copland

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Use Aaron Copland's symphonic piece, "Lincoln Portrait" to engage learners in a cross-curricular experience. They'll listen to the piece, watch a video, read the Gettysburg Address, and write a series of fact or opinion sentences. An...
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Lesson Plan
Denver Art Museum

Tea Gathering Quick-Write

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Japanese tea gatherings are the inspiration for a great lesson. Learners are provided with an image of a tea caddy made for thick tea and asked to describe what they notice and what that might mean. This leads into a larger lesson about...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Kind of Vessel Are You?

For Teachers K - 5th
This is a strange question; but what kind of vessel would you be and why? After examining images of a large Inca jug, the class sets to writing a creative narrative that answers that very interesting question. They start by researching...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Finding Meaning in the Badge

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Children who are three to five years old study two rank badges from the Qing dynasty to develop an understanding of social rank, language skills, and symbolism. The activity is discussion-based and requires learners to compare and...
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Activity
Candlewick Press

The Odyssey: A Graphic Novel by Gareth Hinds

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Using the graphic novel version of The Odyssey? Here' s just the thing. A teacher's guide complete with background information, discussion questions, and activities.
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Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Civil War Literature Circle

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Historical fiction can be a valuable asset when learning about the past. Integrate several novels written about the Civil War into your social studies unit, with groups of four working collaboratively to comprehend the novel from...
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Lesson Plan
Newspaper in Education

The Iliad: A Young Reader Adventure

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Is The Iliad part of your curriculum? Check out a resource that offers something for those new to teaching the classic and those with lots of experience using Homer's epic. Plot summaries, discussion questions, activities abound in this...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is an Atlatl?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Let's go an an archaeological dig! Prepare your kids with a list of vocabulary terms relating to archaeology, including different types of items that one might find. They study pictures of each item and play a memory game based on the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bombardier's Mission Statement

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students review a mision statement and misison essentials for the CBC . They study the Bonbardier Corppration and develop a mission statement for the company.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Aboriginal Legends

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Students listen to and read legends and see that these legends helped the Aboriginals explain their everyday life. Through their stories and legends we find that Aboriginal values, attitudes and cultural identities are shared.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Life of a Veteran

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students interview a veteran or he/her family to gather information about the person's life. They produce an iMovie that describes the veteran's military experience.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The American War for Independence

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students complete a unit of lessons that examine the goals of the Americans during the Revolutionary War. They explore an online interactive map of major campaigns, read and analyze primary source documents, and analyze diplomatic and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

If You Were a Pioneer on the Oregon Trail

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners examine what it was like to travel west on the Oregon Trail. They develop a list of questions about the trip, explore various websites, and create a story about the experiences of a 19th century family travelling on the Oregon...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Layers of the Rainforest

For Teachers 2nd
What a great way to discuss the rainforest! Learners discuss the importance of adaptation in the environment and how it is linked to survival. They use critical thinking and inference skills to place animals and insects in the different...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cold War Roots and Events

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine the causes and major events of the Cold War. They listen to a lecture and fill in the blanks on a handout, and in two groups develop a proposal to deal with the Cuban Missile Crisis.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Benjamin Franklin: Goods and Services in Colonial America

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine the impact of Benjamin Franklin's ideas on the goods and services available in Colonial America as well as analyze the importance of Franklin to modern society. While listening to "How Ben Franklin Stole the...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Simile and Metaphor

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Middle schoolers use context clues to find the figurative meaning of similes and metaphors in writing. They practice using figurative language to help their writing come alive. Use this activity in a instructional activity about poetry,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hyperbole and Idiom

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Seventh graders use context clues to determine the figurative meaning of idioms and hyperboles. They practice writing idioms and hyperboles in sentences about real life situations around them. This lesson is a good way to improve variety...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cheerful Hearts and Willing Feet

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore characterization in Little Women. In this literature lesson, students participate in written analysis and research in order to explore Alcott's characterization in the novel.