Curated OER
Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...
Curated OER
George Washington and Slavery: The 1799 Census of Slaves
Learners discover details about the slave community at Mt. Vernon. For this George Washington lesson, students examine Washington's 1799 Slave Census in order to determine what life was like for slaves of the first president. An analysis...
Curated OER
Surveying our First President
Students act as surveyors. In this George Washington lesson plan, students read transcriptions from Washington's surveying journal and then try surveying skills on their own.
Curated OER
American Colonists Protest Song
Students explore the role of protest songs. For this early American history lesson, students research the acts passed by the British that angered colonists. Students then listen to protest songs from contemporary American history prior...
Curated OER
Desertification
Learners investigate the process of desertification in the Sahel region of Africa. They discuss photos from a National Geographic magazine, analyze the physical/political map of the Sahara, identify the causes and effects of...
Curated OER
Seeing Art in Historical Context: An Activity to Promote Visual Literacy
Students consider works of art in their historical context. In this art in historical context activity, students are encouraged to think about and record their prior knowledge of the historical period and to make inferences about the...
Facing History and Ourselves
What Does It Mean to Belong?
After reading and analyzing The 'In' Group by Eve Shalen, sixth graders consider how the categorization of people results in exclusion, discrimination, and injustice.
Curated OER
Establishing the Presidency
Young scholars consider how George Washington influenced the presidency. In this presidential history worksheet, students discuss the precedents Washington set and analyze a letter that Washington sent to James Madison.
Curated OER
The arly Suffragists
Students explore the suffragist movement through this futuristic instructional activity about the loss and creation of a commemorative stamp to honor a women's Suffrage Pioneer. The instructional activity takes us to 2080 and back to the...
Curated OER
Using Primary Source Documents in the Classroom
Students use primary documents to explore the past. They consider the source of the documents and identify and biases that the author may have held. They identify any questions about the historical event that may remain after reading the...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan on China
Seventh graders read and discuss the basic beliefs of Confucianism through words of Confucius himself, then find examples of how some Confucian beliefs are still at the center of society, while other beliefs have changed.
Curated OER
Comparison of hometown life with that of life in a Canadian city
Students research cultural characteristics of a Canadian city with that of their home town. They complete a map handout, providing the relative location on a large map and the absolute location on a provincial map. Students work together...
Curated OER
Small European Countries
Young scholars examine the advantages and disadvantages of being a very small European country in today's world. They locate each country on a map using the coordinates, discuss the governments of each country, and develop a list of...
Curated OER
Seven Up
Middle schoolers investigate the symbolism of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and evaluate modern "wonders of the world." In small groups, they complete a data chart on a selected Wonder, create a poster from the data, and...
Curated OER
Jacob Lawrence's Freedom Trail
Students read excerpts of autobiographies from Frederick Douglass and Harriet Tubman. After listening to excerpts of an oral reading of Frederick Douglass' book, they discuss the ways African Americans were treated on plantations. ...
Curated OER
Portraits of History
Eighth graders research the Post-Revolution to Pre-Civil War era by investigating the life and contributions of a notable person. They create silhouettes which are framed with timeline. Also, they add the research information to the...
Curated OER
Putting the World in Perspective
Students work in small groups to: make a mental map of the world by tearing paper shapes of the seven continents and locating them on a flat surface in their relative positions, compare their finished mental map to a reference world map,...
National First Ladies' Library
The Power of Images in Shaping Ideas
Learners examine the role of photography in recording and sharing history. They view online photos that Life magazine has identified as changing the world, then conduct research on one of the photos. Learners create and present an oral...
National First Ladies' Library
Blunders on All Sides: The Battle of Bunker Hill
High schoolers investigate the concepts surrounding the historical battle of Bunker Hill while conducting online research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create a newspaper article telling about the...
National First Ladies' Library
Mining Disasters
Learners examine the risks and sacrifices miners have made in order for all of us to have the use of precious metals. They explore the "Miners Museum" website and read the article on uses of coal. They brainstorm a list of what would be...
National First Ladies' Library
Eleanor Roosevelt: Economics, Discovery and Daily Life
Examine the causes and effects of the Great Depression and the role of Eleanor Roosevelt during the era. Pupils take an inventory of their home for wants and needs, and conduct online research on The Great Depression. They then convert...
National First Ladies' Library
History of Women in Sports
Learners examine online or hard copy timelines of athletics, discuss what they like and dislike about time tables they have reviewed, research in small groups history of basketball, baseball, gymnastics, or track and field, and create...
Curated OER
The Cold War: Solving the Mystery of History with Voices on Vinyl
Eighth graders explore the Cold War Era. In this world history lesson, 8th graders discover the positions taken by countries during the Cold War as they listen to lectures regarding the major events and turning points in the Cold War....
Curated OER
American Economics after WWII
Students analyze the American culture after WWII. Through a variety of activities, students gain an understanding of ecomonics and prosperity in the US following WWII.