Curated OER
Publisher Brochures
Students create brochures on subjects they are studying in Publisher. For this nonfiction writing lesson, students use Publisher to create a brochure telling all the main ideas of a topic they are studying. Students use text boxes, fonts...
Curated OER
Renaissance: Rebirth to Revolution
Sixth graders use a variety of resources to research the Middle Ages and Renaissance over a nine-week period. Working in cooperative teams, they become experts on specific topics. Students hold a Renaissance Faire and role-play as...
Curated OER
Dancing with Dionysus
Sixth graders research Ancient Greek culture by acting in a play for the festival of Dionysus. In this Greek culture lesson, 6th graders study an ancient Greek map and the Sarcophagus Dionysus from the Walters Art Museum website....
Curated OER
Making Plans
Students gain an understanding of the U.S. Census. In this civic lesson plan, students use real-life problem-solving skills and census data to choose a site for new school.
Curated OER
A Flip of Life in the 13 Colonies
Fourth graders create a flip book illustrating the 13 original colonies. They study the growth and development of each of the three groups of the original colonies. They use maps to observe and interpret geographic information and...
Curated OER
Religion and Peace
Students explore peacemaking efforts. In this religion and ethics lesson, students examine the religious, social, and political values that accompany peacemaking efforts on a global scale. Students create and implement their own...
Curated OER
Conflict Resolution in the World Today: Introduction to Current World conflicts, their Antecendents, the Progression, and their Potential Conclusions
Young scholars write a paragraph describing a conflict they had with a friend or a family member and a paragraph explaining how it was resolved. In this social science instructional activity, students share their paragraphs with a...
Curated OER
Protest Songs
Students analyze and perform an American social protest song. They describe its historical setting, consider the effectiveness of the music and recognize that popular music is a reflection of American culture.
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Interfaith Dialogue
Young scholars explore interfaith dialogue. For this religion and ethics lesson, students examine the relationships among communities of faith as they design an interfaith association in their school community.
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Religion and the Civil Rights Movement
Young scholars investigate the role of religion in the Civil Rights Movement. In this religion and ethics lesson, students explore the separation of church and state as they examine how religious faith has inspired social change in the...
National First Ladies' Library
Terrorism and Tolerance
Students define the concepts of terrorism and tolerance using various resources. They examine the concept of stereotype, consider stereotypes often applied to Arabs, Middle Easterners, and Muslims, and attempt to discredit these...
Curated OER
A Call to Jihad
Students view a video clip about Islam in the Middle East. They discuss quotes by Hussein calling for a jihad and what jihad means. They examine Hussein's leadership qualities as well.
Curated OER
Mapping the Library
Students compare their school library with another library such as: town library, for example, or a virtual library and identify the most important features. Students use their observations to create a map of the school library that can...
Curated OER
The Three Branches of Government (Legislative, Executive, Judicial)
Fifth graders compare the three branches of government to a three-legged chair. In this government lesson, 5th graders discuss the Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and checks and balances. Students study what each branch of government...
Curated OER
Italian-American Legacy
Students study the role of the Italian government in the migration, also their role in farm life and poverty. They discuss how the Italians supported their families and why they exited to other countries. They discuss how to begin a...
Curated OER
Social Studies" Turning Points
Students will understand how people are affected by places and events and will communicate their opinions in an essay including historical facts.
Curated OER
You Are What You Eat: Lessons from Alice Waters
Students view the AMERICAN MASTERS episode titled ALICE WATERS AND HER DELICIOUS REVOLUTION. They examine their own eating habits and determine how they can eat food that is both healthier and tastier. Through Guided Reading strategies,...
National First Ladies' Library
Secretary of Commerce
Middle schoolers gain understanding of economic history of United States in twentieth century by examining role of Department of Commerce. Student groups each analyze one quarter of twentieth century by researching role of Department of...
National First Ladies' Library
Latin: The Language of Ancient Rome
Middle schoolers gain understanding about where some of today's words originated by reviewing a list of Latin words and their meanings. They work in small groups to create dictionary pages which will then be compiled into a large...
National First Ladies' Library
Fire! The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Trial and It's Aftermath
Middle schoolers research, examine and are provided the opportunity to re-enact one of the most exciting trials of the 20th century, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Trial. They research the history of the trial and then divide into...
National First Ladies' Library
Digging up the Past: Sir Arthur Evans and the Palace at Knossos
Middle schoolers explore the excavations of the Palace of Knossos on the Island of Crete. They create a simulated news broadcasting on the work of Sir Arthur Evans and his colleges. In their news investigation, learners cover such topics...
National First Ladies' Library
Fashion Trends in the 1960s: Hippies, Flower Children, and Design
Middle schoolers use the Internet to research and examine clothing styles of 1960s, draw pictures of various clothing and accessories popular in that decade, trace images on top of foil tray or pan to design a stamp, and make a timeline...
Curated OER
Give and Take
Students analyze a scheduling dilemma. In this opportunity cost and trade-offs lesson, students must schedule the school gym for basketball games, but there are not enough hours for all the games. Groups determine how time will be...
Curated OER
Religion, Culture, and Diversity
Students study world religions. In this diversity lesson, students interview their grandparents and other older adults about their religious beliefs and traditions. Students research world religions and discuss the diversity of cultural...