Peace Corps
Family
Family traditions are the focus of a instructional activity that explores the lives of children in India and those in your classroom. Scholars examine their own family roles and traditions, then respond to an informative text detailing a...
Curated OER
A Practical Experiment In Colonization
Role-play and simulation exercises are fantastic ways to help learners understand the reality behind many social and historical events. Pretending they are colonists, upper graders choose a location, create a history, establish laws, and...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 African American Settlers
Go West, young man! Scholars investigate the impact of African American settlers moving to the Nebraska territory, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the mid 1800s. Using primary sources, timelines, maps, and...
Stanford University
Mexican American Rights
What's the best way to date a primary source? A thought-provoking assessment uses written responses to test learners' knowledge of primary source analysis. High school scholars compare text excerpts to determine which documents were...
Curated OER
Discovering American Symbols
Help youngsters get to know their states and capitals, explore their own country, and study American symbolism. They take a "trip" across America collecting symbols, images, and information about each state as they go (through text and...
Environmental Education in Wisconsin
Biome Travel Guide
In a perfect marriage of social studies and science, groups work together to research and create a travel guide presentation to share with the class. Not only do kids learn about the climate and geography of a biome, but also the...
Curated OER
Life in Old Babylonia: The Importance of Trade
Students read maps and artifacts for information indicating the existence of a trade network in Old Babylonia and beyond. They list goods imported to and exported from Babylonia. They indicate trading centers on a map of ancient...
Curated OER
Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor
How do a person's musical preferences influence the way they compose music of their own? Learners analyze the sound and lyrics of Alicia Keys in relation to musicians that came before. Jazz, blues, and soul music from the past are shown...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Need a model for character education? Benjamin Franklin presents himself as in a constant state of striving to become the man he hoped to be, making his autobiography is far more accessible to learners than those of people who consider...
Curated OER
What's In A Name? Non-British Surnames
Students investigate the origins of Non-British surnames that exist in modern America. They examine the meanings of these surnames.
Curated OER
Key Ingredients: America By Food
In this set of five lessons, students analyze the important of food traditions, identity, and history. Students analyze how food traditions contribute to family identity, investigate family food traditions through interviews, and compare...
Deliberating in a Democracy
Minorities in a Democracy
Students consider diversity in democracies. For this democratic values lesson, students read an article titled, "Minorities in a Democracy." Students respond to discussion questions about the article.
University of the Desert
Tackling Extremism
Given examples of modern terrorist attacks, learners discuss the characteristics of violent extremists and what measures are currently being taken to prevent attacks by such groups.
Quaver
World Percussion — Latin America Project Book
What's the most popular music style in Brazil? What about Cuba? Or the Dominican Republic? An immersive project teaches young learners about the salsa, the samba, and the merengue with research assignments and dance performances.
Describing Egypt
Horemheb - (18th Dynasty)
Who was Horemheb and why is his tomb so famous? An fascinating resource uses virtual reality tools and even comes equipped with the ability to use a VR headset. Learners view information panels to the side of the location to understand...
Scholastic
The First Thanksgiving Feast for Grades 3-5
Scholars examine the first Thanksgiving through books and interviews while they complete a KWL chart. Pretending they are part of the feast, learners craft a scrapbook page that features images related to their experience. Pupils reflect...
Curated OER
Life in Ancient Ghana, Mali, and Songhai
Students study the ancient African kingdoms of Ghana, Mali, and Songhai. They brainstorm what they know about ancient African kingdoms before investigating the trade and barter situations, and researching one of the kingdoms for an oral...
Penn Museum
Egypt
From pharaohs and pyramids to the mummification process, this packet is a fantastic resource for studying ancient Egypt! Worksheets not only review key terms and practices that are foundational to ancient Egyptian culture, such as...
Curated OER
Tobacco in North Carolina
Fourth graders examine the depiction of North Carolina tobacco farms in several photographs. They work in small groups to prepare an argument for a class debate and create promotional signs to advertise their point of view about tobacco...
Curated OER
Art in Nazi Germany When Art and Politics Didn't Agree
Five lessons display the art created by Germans under the Weimar Republic. The focus of these lessons is to help learners understand the role of art in politics, government censorship, and Nazi tactics. Web links are included.
Curated OER
Nature and Place Names in Arkansas
Middle schoolers examine the way that many place names in Arkansas came to be. By looking at Arkansas highway maps, they find names that come from the characteristics of each of the state's six geographical divisions. This interesting...
Curated OER
The Emergence and Evolution of the Cuneiform Writing System in Ancient Mesopotamia
Middle schoolers explore the parallel development and increasing complexity of writing and the growth of civilization in the Tigris and Euphrates valleys in ancient Mesopotamia.
Curated OER
On the Road with Marco Polo: Marco Polo in China
Students investigate who the Mongols were and where their empire was located. They research Kublai Khan and the region he ruled. They study the major products of 13th Century China.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 3: What Happens in the White House? A Timeline
Working in groups or individually, learners study images of important events that occurred at, or directly affected, the White House, and share their findings of a specific event. They then post the image of their event on a timeline of...