NPR
This Isn't Right: A History of Women in Industry
Women were in the workplace long before Rosie the Riveter pushed up her sleeve. Learn about the working options available to women during the Industrial Revolution, the Progressive Era, and the Great Depression with a lesson that prompts...
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast
Following an online activity, scholars listen to a read-aloud of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma. Pupils discuss their family traditions and complete a T-chart comparing the holiday then and now. Collages are made to...
Curated OER
Hooray For Heroes
Students identify and interpret what heroes are by researching various American heroes of the past. Students select several school heroes and interview them, as well as their own personal hero and write a story about them. Students...
Curated OER
Dia de la Raza - What is El Dia de la Raza?
Students research and write about Christopher Columbus, his voyages, and his impact on the Native Americans. In this Christopher Columbus lesson, students work at stations where they learn vocabulary, perform Reader's Theatre, work with...
Curated OER
Freedom, Rights, and Responsibilities
Students look at the primary sources that emerged from the Exodus (the Ten Commandments) and the War of Independence (the Declaration of Independence) and examine how each attempts to construct a free society and a definition of freedom....
Curated OER
To Infinity and Beyond
Students examine NASA's next flight commander, Colonel Eileen M. Collins. They explore other extraordinary American women in various fields and create biographies celebrating their achievements.
Scholastic
Teaching About the First Thanksgiving
Learners research information about the Mayflower, Pilgrims, the Plymouth Colony, the Wampanoags, and the first Thanksgiving. They take an online tour of the Mayflower, interpret timelines, create a postcard, and compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
The 50 States and its Holidays
Though the format of this ELL lesson plan is confusing (the standards listed are for plate tectonics, yet the objectives are for American geography and holidays), a teacher could glean some ideas from the main idea. Here, pupils complete...
Curated OER
Holiday Celebrations
Fourth graders explore three cultural holidays and compare and contrast the ways varied cultural groups celebrate their heritage. They participate in activities that promote cultural understanding and good citizenship.
Curated OER
Hindu Festival - Let's Celebrate Diwali
Students explore characteristics, roles and cultural expressions of Indian community in New Zealand. They describe traditional practices of Diwali Festival, collect and record information, design open-ended questionnaire, create Diwali...
Curated OER
POWWOW
Students investigate the significance of the Powwow to the Native Americans. They write a story about a special tradition or custom from their own family, play Native American children's games, prepare Indian fry bread, and participate...
Curated OER
Freedom Fighters Throughout American History
Students use the internet to research people who have contributed to the cause of freedom. They identify examples of freedom which are important to them and categorize them. In groups, they create a timeline of the Freedom Fighters and...
Yale University
The Harlem Renaissance: Black American Traditions
Aaron Douglas, Meta Warrick Fuller, Palmer Hayden, William Johnson, and James Lesesne Wells, the painters and sculptors of the Harlem Renaissance, are featured in a unit study of artists of the Harlem Renaissance.
Curated OER
American Women Who Shaped the Civil Rights Movement Explored Through the Literature of Eloise Greenfield
Examine the women who contributed to the Civil Rights movement. In groups, children read excerpts of writings from Eloise Greenfield and research the women she mentions using the internet. To end the lesson, they create a timeline of...
Curated OER
Celebrate Your Culture
Third graders share some special occasions/events observed by their families/neighborhoods, and special activities/traditions connected with the event. They identify their own culture's customs and those of others.
Classroom Jr.
Running for President Story Starter
Most American children have, at one point or another, imagined what it would be like to run for president. Offer this creative writing prompt to young writers and discover how the world would change if kids were charge.
Curated OER
Thanksgiving in America
A rhetorical look at Thanksgiving celebrations from all sides of the American dinner table.
Curated OER
Developing Dialogue
Why do people argue? Use the article "A Holiday Medley, Off Key" to discuss the struggles that interfaith couples face when choosing to celebrate certain holidays. Then, in small groups, encourage learners to write dialogues that...
Curated OER
Jews and Blues
Students examine how American Jews affect music and entertainment. They identify problems between immigrants and their children. They relate the Jewish American issue to those of African Americans.
Curated OER
The Lure of The West
Here is a fabulous series of lesson plans on four of the most celebrated artists of the Old Western period in American history. Learners study the works of Charles King, George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran. The pack is...
Curated OER
Walter Reed's Yellow Fever Studies
Middle schoolers and high schoolers examine the ethics of using human test subjects in scientific research. They do a simulation which focuses on yellow fever and how human subjects were used to develop a treatment/cure for the disease...
Curated OER
Exploring Animals in Literature
Celebrate Be Kind to Animals Week while teaching empathy and allegory with creature-related texts
Curated OER
December Holidays:Create A Comparison Chart
How are Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Las Posadas, and Ramadan similar? How are they different? Learners research the different December holiday celebrations around the world and compare the dates, symbols, countries, foods, and stories...
Curated OER
Creating a Three sisters Garden
Students understand that a three sisters garden is comprised of corn, beans and squash. In this three sisters garden lesson, students understand that Native Americans planted three sisters gardens and grow a three sisters garden....