Oklahoma State Department of Education
Narrative Prompt
Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...
US Institute of Peace
Effectiveness of Nonviolent Civic Action Simulation on Colombia
With new leadership comes new hope! After years of violence, the people of Colombia elect a new president ... could this mean an end to conflict? Civics scholars take part in a large group role-playing exercise designed to illustrate the...
American Museum of Natural History
What's This? Gold
Cell phones are likely made of gold—at least part of them! An interesting lesson explains the conventional and not-so-conventional uses of the popular element gold. From the Inca empire to modern-day technology, learners discover gold...
Curated OER
March 2, 1877: Hayes Declared Winner in Disputed Presidential Election
After reading an interesting article comparing the disputed presidential election of 1877 to a similar event in the year 2000, kids blog a response. They read the article, check out the embedded links, then respond to four related...
Poetry Out Loud
Creating "Golden Shovel" Poems
Get even your most reluctant pupils reading, writing, reciting, and maybe even enjoying poetry! A four day lesson, young writers learn about Golden Shovel poems: a poem format that uses borrowed words from other poems as the last words...
Read Works
The United States Constitution
The US Constitution is the beginning of Americans' rights. Use a five-paragraph passage to give a brief history of the US Constitution. A great last minute addition to a lesson on Constitution Day.
Curated OER
Clothe Batik and Color Blending
Fabric dyeing and textile art has been around for hundreds of years. Budding fabric artists explore the Batik dyeing technique and color blending as they create unique and personal designs. The full step-by-step procedure and materials...
Curated OER
Origin of The Species
After viewing information about different types of isolation, students will see that reproduction among a group will cause the frequency of a specific trait to increase. The history of prominent scientists such as Charles Darwin are and...
Curated OER
The Five Major Religions
Your 7th graders will have no problem understanding the similarities and difference in the tenets of the world's 5 major religions. This PowerPoint covers the history, major players, and philosophy of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism,...
Freedom Archives
Special St. Augustine Issue
The articles and images in the June 1964 edition of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Newsletter detail the events in St. Augustine that were instrumental in the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The stirring images and...
Jazz Academy
Let Freedom Swing
Three lessons in the Let Freedom Swing concert tour resource guide packed with information, materials, and activities that provide the context for any study of American history.
American Museum of Natural History
Create Your Own Time Capsule
The corona virus pandemic is indeed a historic event. A time capsule activity permits young historians to document these days of social distancing, remote learning, and quarantine by collecting artifacts that capture what their lives are...
Scholastic
Connecting with Ruby Bridges
When Ruby Bridges entered an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960, she also entered history. Scholars consider what the experience must have been like for the young girl using two books that document her experience as well as a double...
Teach Engineering
The Amazing Red Planet
Introduce your class to Mars with a resource that provides information about its size, location, length of day, length of year, number of moons, and average temperature. Also includes is information about the lans for past and future...
Curated OER
Idioms
Use this podcast lesson plan to familiarize scholars with the characteristics, history, and cultural implications of idioms. As part of the Walking Classroom curriculum, kids listen to a 12-minute podcast as they walk around campus. If...
Student Handouts
Examining Primary Sources: Rudyard Kipling, “The White Man’s Burden” (1899)
Combine literature and history with the poem "The White Man's Burden" by Rudyard Kipling. Pupils read the poem and answer four questions about the text.
Annenberg Foundation
Industrializing America
Imagine an eight year old spindle boy working barefoot in a factory in the late 1800s. Scholars research the industrial period in American history in the 14th lesson of a 22-part series that explores the country's background. Groups...
Curated OER
Back to the Farm
Read up on farming and ranching and connect this information to your learners' lives. After reading, send class members home to fill out a family tree and trace their family history, focusing on farming and ranching backgrounds. Once...
Curated OER
The Empire State Building
In this US history worksheet, students read a selection about the Empire State Building and answer 10 true and false questions.
Curated OER
Cataloguing the Past
Learners reflect on the Holocaust. In this Holocaust Memorial Day lesson, students visit selected Web sites to research the Holocaust and the establishment of a day of reflection regarding it.
Curated OER
Play House
Students explore U.S. government by participating in a role playing activity. In this House of Representatives lesson plan, students discuss the first day of congress and the role the House plays in running the United States. Students...
Curated OER
The State of Mormonism
Students investigate the history of Mormonism and how this religion has shaped Utah's identity. They explore various websites, answer discussion questions, take a virtual tour of the Mormon Trail, and read newspaper articles about...
Curated OER
Victorian Celebrations
Fifth graders investigate the Victorian era by participating in Victorian style activities. In this World History lesson, 5th graders read about the traditions and customs of men and woman from the Victorian era and how the industrial...
Curated OER
Brush Lake State Park Indian Education For All Lesson Plan
Learners, after exploring several secondary historical sources, compare/contrast their local history of the Brush Lake area, by viewing their own individual local histories. They assess contemporary cultures of the white homesteaders and...