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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Scripting The Great Train Robbery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Take writing prompts to another level in this activity, which allows pupils to create scenes of dialogue based on the 1903 silent film, The Great Train Robbery. Useful for a language arts/history cross-curricular activity, the...
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Lesson Plan
Agriculture in the Classroom

Growing a Nation: Into a New Millennium 1970-Present

For Teachers 10th - 12th
If you want to focus on critical thinking skills, this well-constructed series of activities will challenge your history or agriculture class to evaluate the effectiveness of administrative decisions related to agricultural and the...
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Lesson Plan
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Channel Islands Film

Arlington Springs Man: Lesson Plan 1

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Learning to craft quality questions is a skill that can be taught. Class members use the Question Formulation Technique to learn how to create and refine both closed-ended and open-ended questions. They then view West of the West's...
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Lesson Plan
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Facing History and Ourselves

Emmett Till: Confronting the Murder

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The 1955 murder of Emmett Till is often regarded as the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Learn more about the brutal crime—and, as many believe, the miscarriage of justice—that began a national conversation...
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Lesson Plan
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MENSA Education & Research Foundation

Utopia/Dystopia: The American Dream

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
America was founded by dreamers, and the American dream still resonates in our country today. Track the American dream from its Puritan beginnings to its optimistic descendants with a instructional activity that focuses on speeches by...
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Unit Plan
Small Planet Communications

Planet Book Club: Number the Stars

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Planning a novel study of Lois Lowry's Number the Stars? Then look no further. A 16-lesson unit guides students through a reading of this awarding-winning novel. Complete with a synopsis of the novel, analysis of its literary themes,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Witness: Social Messaging

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Young scholars complete activities to study the propaganda elements from various war times. In this war propaganda lesson, students compare and contrast works of art from various viewpoints about war from varying social periods. Young...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inquiry Lesson

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students explore the poetry of William Blake and the historical context that he presents. A story is analyzed and evaluated in order to solve a puzzle. The political commentary of the poetic piece is examined in this lesson.
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Activity
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Council for Economic Education

Paper Money of the Sung, Yuan, and Ming Dynasties

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Why did the Chinese develop paper money? They were the first society to use paper currency. Learners consider why paper money was more convenient than other mechanisms of trade using a helpful lesson plan, which includes a graphic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Artifacts 2: Artifacts in Context

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore world history by completing artifact worksheets. In this archaeology lesson, students identify the importance of finding clues when researching historical information by utilizing artifacts. Students research the...
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Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Lesson Plans on the Intersection of History and Literature

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Finding out about "the story behind the story" can provide a greater understanding of literature and its historical and social context.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Editorial Cartoon Lesson Plan

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students consider the role of editorial cartoons on American politics. In this editorial cartoons lesson plan, students discover the history of the cartoons in America, analyze some cartoons, and then draw their own cartoons that make...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Celebration!

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Use a five-lesson unit to investigate how different cultures use art for common purposes, such as the marking of special events, celebrations, and the validation of human experience.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Following Sean Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers view a film about two families living in San Francisco during the 1960s. They examine clips of the film and take notes on its historical context and discuss what historical information can be received from first-hand...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Beowulf Lesson Plan

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed
Students analyze the text of Beowulf. For this epic poetry lesson, students explore the themes and imagery in the text to evaluate their meaning. Students analyze the Old English language and examine the cultural and historical context...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Art in the Mail

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The "mail art" phenomena was started back in the 20's with the Dada and Fluxus art movements and revitalized in the 60's. The principle of mail art, is free exchange and artistic expression. Learners study these facts and then create...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Road with Marco Polo: From Hormuz to Venice

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students study the route from Hormuz to Constantinople that was traveled by the Polos. They explain the importance of Constantinople in medieval time and discuss its location, and outer wall structure.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Road with Marco Polo: Sea Voyage to India

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine Marco Polo's route from China to Sumatra. They investigate the geography and climate, the religions and architecture of modern Indonesia. They study the use of spices and why they were so important in medieval times.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Road with Marco Polo: Homecoming

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students role play as Marco Polo to detail his travels. They include the terrains, foods, religions, people and cultures that were encountered. They write a journal entry as if they were Marco Polo detailing one aspect of his travels.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 1: On the Road with Marco Polo: A Boy in 13th Century Venice

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners investigate Marco Polo's life as a young boy in 13th century Venice. They analyze maps, explore various websites, complete a chart and answer discussion questions, and create a travel brochure about visiting 13th century Venice.
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Lesson Plan
Civil War Trust

Transcribing Civil War History

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Primary sources are valuable for understanding the context of historical events, but the diction and dialect in these documents can be difficult to understand. Middle and high schoolers participation in a transcription process in which...
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Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Ask Not What Your Country Can Do for You

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Ask not what the lesson here can do for you, but what you can do with the lesson. The answer is quite a lot! Young scholars revisit JFK's famous inaugural address with a focus on his plea for civic engagement. There's a letter to JFK...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

On the Road with Marco Polo: Marco Polo in China

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
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.
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

The Victor's Virtue: A Cultural History of Sport

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed Standards
Pupils explore the meaning of the ancient Greek word aretê and the place of virtue in historical athletic competition and modern sports. They begin by reading an informational text on the goal of sports in education, and then evaluate...