Curated OER
Consumer Borrowing and Spending
Credit can be confusing for teens, some of whom are already using credit cards. Clear up misconceptions with this group research activity which has a solid outline with a lot of room to adjust to your needs and resources. Groups are...
Curated OER
Hong Kong: Law to Ban Criticism of China
Learners compare the governmental policies of Hong Kong before and after returning to the People's Republic of China. They describe and analyze the "Basic Law 23" of Hong Kong statutes and its effect on Hong Kong's political and economic...
Curated OER
Colonial North Carolina
Eighth graders are introduced to the conditions of North Carolina when it was still a colony. Using the internet, they research the political, religious and economic problems the colony faced and how they dealt with them. They also...
Curated OER
Rituals/traditions with Gullah religion
Sixth graders discuss some of the earliest people who lived in each region in order to comprehend how humans interacted with the environmental conditions at that time. They make connections to present-day regions including...
Curated OER
Entrepreneurship
Do your high schoolers every wonder how to become an entrepreneur? Have them examine real-life entrepreneurs to find out. They discuss the financial needs and responsibilities of entrepreneurs then explore the reality of...
Curated OER
New England Jeopardy
Jeopardy style games are fun ways to help learners review for tests or solidify concepts recently covered in class. This Jeopardy game focuses on the industrial economy of New England. Students will need to know general information on...
Curated OER
Corporate Governance
Examine the role of the Securities Exchange Commission. Upper graders watch a short Bill Moyers video, analyze a political cartoon, complete a graphic organizer on the SEC, and develop SEC reform strategies to rebuild investor confidence.
Harry S. Truman Library & Museum
Marshall Plan: Convince the American People
This is an excellent resource for US history classes, especially AP history. After learning some background on the Marshall Plan, the class, divided into two groups, researches opposing positions on this aid program. Groups read and...
Curated OER
Development of Federal Civil Rights Acts : 1950's - Present
Students use the Internet to research one of five cases associated with Brown v. Board of Education and then join a group with people who researched the other four.
Curated OER
Global Health Issues
Examine global health issues and the philanthropic efforts of Bill Gates. Working in groups, your class will research selected diseases focusing on symptoms, transmission, and prevention. They also conclude by writing grant proposals to...
Curated OER
Scouting Civil War Sites
Students evaluate websites after gathering information from various search engines. In this Civil War activity, students browse the web and find strategies for rating websites. Students choose the best sites in their opinion and defend...
National Park Service
Should America Have Gone to War in 1812?
Using an incredibly engaging activity and detailed lesson plan, your learners will serve as advisors to President Madison on whether to participate in what would become the War of 1812! Utilize a variety of effective instructional...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
History of Immigration Through the 1850s
Everyone living in the United States today is a descendant from an immigrant—even Native Americans. Learn about the tumultuous history of American immigration with a reading passage that discusses the ancient migration over the Bering...
Advocates for Human Rights
The Rights of the Child
Don't be fooled by the size of the resource: these few pages provide the blueprint for a substantial, thoughtful unit on children's rights and the different philosophies and approaches that the United States and other countries have...
National History Day
“Saving the Bear”: The Russian Expeditionary Force of World War One
How have Russian politics affected countries on a global stage? The discussion of the Russian Revolution and World War I begins with an analysis of primary resource letters. Learners finish with a project where they create a timeline of...
Curated OER
Rockefeller's Revenge: Exxon and Mobil Unite
Study the impact and possible outcomes of the Exxon-Mobil merger in your language arts, social studies, or economics class. Secondary learners evaluate a series of graphs, write a paragraph interpreting the data, and engage in class...
Education Outside
Divine Dumplings
In a lesson that combines cooking, language arts, and social studies, learners create a delicious plate of dumplings for everyone to enjoy. After an initial discussion in the opening circle, pupils go to the cooking station and work...
University of Wisconsin
Why Did the Triangle Fire Occur?
An investigation of the 1911 New York City Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire leads class members to examine primary and secondary source materials related to the event and apply what they learn about the working conditions at the time to...
Curated OER
Solar Energy in New York
Middle schoolers examine a variety of information for New York State including insolation data, and economic or political data, thus incorporating both science and social studies. Encouraging learners to become concerned citizens as they...
Shakespeare in American Life
Tom Hanks and Caliban: Survivor Superstars
Here’s a clever way to combine language arts and social studies. Shakespeare’s The Tempest is believed to have been inspired by the wreck of the Sea Venture on Bermuda in 1609. The class views a brief scene from Castaway in which Tom...
Smithsonian Institution
Borders with the World: Mexican-American War and U.S. Southern Borderlands
The Mexican-American War created social borders—not just physical ones. Scholars learn about the effects of the Mexican-American War on the people living in the borderlands using text excerpts, maps, and partnered activities. Academics...
Curated OER
Unplanned Pregnancy: Parenting
High schoolers consider and discuss characteristics of an ideal parent. In small groups, they work together to examine the stereotypical roles of the father and the mother. The issues dealt with in this resource are thought-provoking and...
Curated OER
From Bolls to Bolts
Fifth graders explore the economic effects of the colonization of North America. In this Social Studies lesson, 5th graders examine the economic and cultural results that occurred due to North America entering the market. Students...
Curated OER
THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP
Learners analyze how slavery shaped social and economic life in the South after 1800, the different economic, cultural, and social characteristics of slavery after 1800, and slavery both prior and after the Civil War.