EngageNY
Summarizing Complex Ideas: Comparing the Original UDHR and the "Plain Language" Version
The eighth lesson plan in this series continues the focus on vocabulary and increasing young readers' awareness of academic language. Pairs of learners participate in a short vocabulary review activity called Interactive Words in which...
Curated OER
If…Then…Ideas for History
Have your class examine a very old piece of art as they consider history, chronology, geography, culture, and tradition. They discuss the concept of ritual as it is associated with religious practices and research the spread of...
Curated OER
Education, Design & Empowerment: Part One
Young scholars consider the connection between poverty and education. In this language arts and social studies lesson plan, students research primary and secondary sources in order to explore the relationship between education and poverty.
Curated OER
Celebrate Hanukkah in Israel
Explore Hanukkah and its origins with a social studies lesson. Learners discover the history of Hanukkah and its traditions. They locate Israel on a map, hear the story of the menorah and create their own dreidel. Afterwards, they sing...
Friends of Fort McHenry
Sensory “Star Spangled Banner”
Music can help us to access memories and events in a meaningful way, and Francis Scott Key used specific words to convey what he had seen and felt when writing what would become America's national anthem. Help your class connect to the...
American Documentary
The Benefits and Drawbacks of Plea Bargains
The outcome of 90 percent of criminal cases in the US is determined by plea bargains. Clips from the documentary Better This World create the backdrop for an investigation of the benefits and drawbacks of the plea bargaining process....
Military Kids Connect
Military Life 101
Here's a very powerful video that deserves a place in a Veterans Day lesson. Four young girls talk about what it's like to have a parent deployed and how they support one another during the deployment.
Curated OER
Exploration of Utopias and Dystopias
If you are considering adding or expanding a unit on utopian and dystopian literature you simply must check out this fabulous resource. Packed with plans, activities, project-based and 21st century learning opportunities, the unit uses a...
Curated OER
Asking Questions
Students examine a painting that depicts a scene from the Underground Railroad. They discuss the painting and write journal entries and poems in response to the painting's themes and their impressions.
Smithsonian Institution
The Birth of an Icon: Learning and Performing the Origins of the Drum Set and Early Jazz Drumming in New Orleans, Louisiana
Bass drum, snare drum, tom-toms, cymbals. Perched behind their drum sets, wielding their drum sticks and wire brushes, drummers lay the grove and are the heartbeat of a band's performance. A dynamic lesson introduces young musicians to...
Curated OER
A Multicultural Study: Chinese New Year
Learners study the customs and beliefs of the Chinese people as they experience Chinese New Year; students become aware that they live on one planet but their festivals and holidays vary.
Curated OER
Teaching with Poster Art: World War I Posters
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this World War I lesson plan, students examine World War I posters. Students investigate the use of propaganda strategies in the posters and discuss the visual...
Curated OER
The Spread of Enlightenment Ideas
Looking for a simple and straightforward reference on the Enlightenment for your young historians? Check out this list of key terms and important figures from the period, followed by a traditional assessment where your learners will be...
Channel Islands Film
Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island: Lesson Plan 1
As a practice writing test, fourth graders use the West of the West's documentary Lone Woman of San Nicolas Island and two print resources as source materials for an informative article that identifies information that is historically...
Curated OER
Visual Art: Independence Days Around the World
Students research patriotic holidays from around the world. After reading about their own country's independence day, they choose another country and examine the traditions and symbols associated with it. Using cardboard, ribbon, and...
Curated OER
Art: African Collar Necklace
Students investigate the significance of African collar necklaces. To make replicas of the jewelry, they cut out the centers of paper plates leaving only the ribbed edges. To complete the necklaces, students apply tempera paints and...
Curated OER
Pop Art Lesson Plans
Pop art lesson plans help students understand the meaning of art and how it relates to society.
Curated OER
Who’s on First? Cultural Heritage
Students explore their own heritage as they learn more about Roger Clemente. In this social studies and music lesson plan, students study cultural heritage through a study of Puerto Rican music and instruments.
Curated OER
My Family - Bookmaking for Social Studies
Young scholars create family histories. In this book making lesson, students take digital cameras home for the night and take family members' photographs. Young scholars use the photographs and text they write about their families to...
Curated OER
Abigail Adams: Integrating Social Studies and Language Arts
Third graders increase reading strategies while learning about Abigail Adams and her role in history. For this Abigail Adams lesson, 3rd graders read about the American Revolution and Abigail Adams using all the balanced literacy...
Curated OER
Governance
Third graders participate in decision-making situations. In this social studies instructional activity students make connections between rules and laws and the purposes for those rules and laws. Students use critical and creative...
Curated OER
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Students examine the work of Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad. In this Social Studies lesson plan, students use a true/false handout and worksheet to explore an Internet site about the Underground Railroad and its heroes....
Curated OER
Social Studies: Exploring Boston's Big Dig
Young scholars, in a high school class for autistic children, take a virtual tour of Boston's "Big Dig" and the artifacts discovered there. During weekly lab sessions, they discover the processes involved in artifact preservation. ...
Curated OER
Fall Around the World
What is autumn like in Shanghai? How much rain falls during September in Sydney? Is Moscow cold in October? Take a virtual trip around the world with a research assignment on autumn in different countries. After learners answer questions...