Library of Congress
The Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment
How did the Emancipation Proclamation lead to the Thirteenth Amendment? Middle schoolers analyze primary source documents including the text of the Emancipation Proclamation, political cartoons, photographs, and prints to understand the...
Free Library of Philadelphia
Resources for Ghost Boys
Jewell Parker Rhodes, the author of Ghost Boys, wanted to bring the historical legacy of Emmett Till and the current topic of racial prejudice into today's young readers' mindsets. Use a reading guide and set of discussion questions to...
Curated OER
Understanding Cause and Effect
High schoolers experience and study cause and effect as they assess the consequences man faces when time travel is attempted. They determine, in their imaginations, what time period they would like to visit. Each student then listens to,...
American Institute of Architects
Architecture: It's Elementary!—First Grade
Build an interest and appreciation for architecture in your young learners with this fun 10-lesson art unit. Engaging children in using their five senses, the class first observes the environment around them, paying special attention to...
Sargent Art
Protect Our Marine Life
Encourage water conservation and boost art skills with a hands-on activity that challenges young painters to create a scene highlighting marine life. Using oil pastels, scholars draw an underwater scene and write a tip for viewers to...
Curated OER
Homework Contract
Establish strong study habits from the beginning of the year with a contract that details good practices for completing homework. Parents and kids decide how many minutes a night should be devoted to study, and for how many weeks the...
Curated OER
Inference
Making inferences about what you read is an important skill for both elementary, middle, and high school learners. Focusing on events which occurred during World War II, they answer a series of questions related to what we can infer as...
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs: What Do You See?
A study of an image from The Library of Congress collection Civil War Photographs 1861-1865 launches an investigation of the connection between the Civil War and American industrialization. After analyzing “Petersburg, Va. The...
Curated OER
1900 America: Primary Sources and Epic Poetry
Using Walt Whitman's Song of Myself and Hart Crane's The Bridge as models, class groups first craft their own epic poems for 1900 and, using primary sources, create a multi-media presentation that captures the sights and sounds of life...
Curated OER
Study of Animals
Third graders use the internet to research about an animal. After watching a demonstration, they follow the same steps to gain access to the internet as their teacher and find a picture of their animal to print. They complete a worksheet...
Curated OER
Appalachia: Physical Fitness
Students plan a family fitness outing. In this physical education lesson plan, students will research possible physical activities which might be completed by a family during a daily-long outing in the Appalachian area. Students will...
Curated OER
Online Public Access Catalog
Fourth graders learn how to find books in the library. In this library lesson plan, 4th graders observe how to use an online system to search for a book by title, author and subject. Students practice searching for books.
Curated OER
Sorting
Learners practice sorting books. For this sorting lesson, students play the Flood Game on the PBS web site. With knowledge of the sorting system used by libraries, learners sort small numbers of books using categories devised by their...
Curated OER
What is a Dictionary?
Second graders explore the purpose of a dictionary. In this library media activity, 2nd graders explore My First Dictionary and identify guidewords, entry words, and captions. Students list ways they can use the dictionary.
Curated OER
Literacy: Each One Teach One
Students read the book, Amber on the Mountain and discuss its philanthropic implications. They determine the literacy needs of their own communities. They ask family members to complete reading recollection forms about when and how they...
Curated OER
Balanced Literacy: Presidents
Pupils participate in a unit (all lessons on the same page) to explore the Presidents of the United States. They choose one President to write a mini-book about, create a puppet and an original puppet show to perform about their chosen...
Curated OER
How To Start Your Own Book Club: Artichoke's Heart
Students read the book Artichoke's Heart and complete discussion questions about it. In this Artichoke's Heart lesson plan, students discuss the book with the class in a book club format.
Curated OER
Common Good in Aztec Culture Lesson 2: Aztec Religion
Students examine human sacrifice and read about Aztec gods and religious practices. They study Aztec sacrifice while looking at opportunity costs of doing things for the common good.
Curated OER
African American Inventors Study
Students learn about African American inventors. In this inventing lesson, students are assigned an African American inventor to research. Students work in pairs to complete their research. Students write a compare and contrast paragraph...
Curated OER
Incan Artifacts - Clay Pottery Lesson
Students study Incan artifacts found at an online database and create samples using clay pottery and paint.
Curated OER
Business Lesson Describing Trends
Students practice their skills using business English. After a lecture/demo, students interpret economic graphs which are imbedded in this lesson. Then, they create their own graphs and describe them to the class.
Curated OER
Our Land Lesson 2: Song Mapping
Students study the meaning of philanthropy as giving of time. talent, and treasures. They sing This Land Is Your Land while locating five of the places on a map of the United States showing that relief office are everywhere. They decide...
Curated OER
Doing Our Share Lesson 1: Michigan History of Philanthropy
Students research the history of philanthropy in Michigan by looking at images and pictures while discussing the definition of philanthropy. They design a picture of the first time they saw a philanthropic act and write three sentences...
Curated OER
Thurgood Marshall
Students read about Thurgood Marshall and answer discussion questions about him. In this Thurgood Marshall lesson plan, students discuss the biography and history of him.