Curated OER
Introduction to the Holocaust (Preparation for a Trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
Eighth graders consider the Holocaust. In this Holocaust lesson, 8th graders prepare for a trip to the National Holocaust Museum by reading and analyzing testimonies of 2 former Nazis.
PBS
Going Back In Time
History detectives eschew that time machine and follow the paper trail to go back in time to investigate an unfamiliar object. The goal is for class members to develop their skills as historical detectives.
Annenberg Foundation
Analyzing Artifacts
If only a mask could talk! Using the interactive tool along with historical thinking skills, pupils uncover the meaning behind the various materials the resource presents. History becomes more relevant as the artifacts tell their stories...
Curated OER
ISM: Bertha Stenge Quilt Collection Activity: Design a Local Quilting Pattern
Students research quilt designs by Bertha Stenge. They make a list of things that they could stylize as a design motif. They create a quilt design based on local history and landmarks and sew it onto a pre-made quilt block or quilt.
Curated OER
My Museum
In this creative scenario instructional activity, students pretend they are in charge of a local museum. Students view four objects from Viking times and justify which two they plan on putting on display.
Chicago History Museum
Reading Artifacts
History detectives put their keen observation skills to the test as they closely examine artifacts. Drawing on visual and tactile clues, they formulate a theory about who done it, or in this case who made it, why, and for what purpose...
Curated OER
Oral History and Interview Skills
Students develop interview skills and learn about US history at the same time. Students research an event from local history. Students prepare a list of questions based on the research. They create a list of interview questions and...
Curated OER
Then, Now, and Tomorrow
Students will use this unit to investigate the past, present, and future of the architecture and plan of New York's Lower East Side. Students will research the history of the Lower East Side neighborhood in photographs used from the...
Curated OER
Out & About: The Egyptians
Students discover the accomplishments of the Egyptians. In this ancient Egypt lesson, students take a closer look at Egyptian contributions to modern society as they visit the suggested museums and their websites.
Curated OER
Elders as Resources
Students participate in an oral history project where they interview a person's valuable insights to their life stories. They gain personal experience in an interactive process that brings history alive all over again. Students conduct...
Curated OER
The Anasazi
Sixth graders investigate and determine the origins of the ancient Anasazi who inhabited present-day Utah and the Four-Corners-Region, after receiving direct instruction and carrying out activities in cooperative group settings. They...
Curated OER
The Anasazi
Students investigate and determine the origins of the ancient Anasazi who inhabited present-day Utah and the Four-Corners-Region.
Curated OER
Introduction to Native Americans Thematic Unit
Students consider different cultural viewpoints. In this Native American history lesson, students examine artifacts and then conduct research on selected Native American tribes.
Curated OER
Urbanization
Learners examine the impact of urban change. In this Indiana history activity, students read excerpts of The World Does Move by Booth Tarkington and then research the noted Web sites about the urbanization of Indianapolis. Learners then...
Curated OER
Local Government
Fourth graders research services and responsibilities of local government. They use cameras to take pictures of local government in action and create posters with them.
Curated OER
Primary History: Children of World War II
In this World War II worksheet, students discuss the war with older people, and visit local libraries and museums to learn how the war changed the place where they live. They use resources to find out which countries were occupied and...
Curated OER
Airborne & Special Operations Museum OSS Crossword Puzzle
In this history activity, students answer key questions and/or descriptions to complete the puzzle related to Special Operations. There are 21 words/names needed to complete the puzzle.
Lesson Planet
Celebrate Native American Heritage Month with Earnest Research
Incorporating research and project-based learning while celebrating Native American Heritage Month.
Curated OER
Recreating Chinese Bronze Vessels
Students are shown how to make Chinese Bronze Vessels using coil or slab-built clay ceramic techniques. They are given an overview of the history of Chinese Bronze Vessels and given examples. Students are shown photographs, and they take...
Curated OER
How We Vote
Students fill in a graphic organizer and discuss the struggles in groups about the history of voting in Louisiana. Students also explore a voting timeline to see who could and could not vote before and after 1850.
PBS
1000 Words
A picture really can speak a thousand words—no matter how old! Scholars become history detectives as they learn how to analyze historical photos and evidence to uncover the past. The fun hands-on activity makes history come alive through...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Picturing a Story: Photo Essay about a Community, Event or Issue
Picture this. Class members follow in the footsteps of W. Eugene Smith, Dorothea Lange, James Nachtwey, and Lewis Hine by creating their own photo essay about a local event or issue.
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Native Foods and Livelihoods
Introduce young scholars to the ways in which land and people have a relationship. They examine the types of food local tribes have traditionally consumed and ways in which the people and the land both benefited from the act of...
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin: Goods and Services in Colonial America
Fifth graders examine the impact of Benjamin Franklin's ideas on the goods and services available in Colonial America as well as analyze the importance of Franklin to modern society. While listening to "How Ben Franklin Stole the...