Curated OER
Fires and Fire Suppression
Middle schoolers examine their assumptions about forest fires. They explore the conflicts involved with the forest service's new strategy. in addition, they will study one case where a prescribed natural burn had a significant impact on...
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
A Child's Journey Through Medicine
Fifth graders identify the symptoms of asthma. In this biology lesson, 5th graders draw and label models of heart and lungs. They conduct a survey on asthma and construct graphs based on result.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
European Explorers
To compare how the Spanish, French, and English approached the exploration of North America, class groups examine primary source documents and become experts on one of four explorers: Francisco Coronado, Robert LaSalle, Samuel de...
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Tribal Origin Stories
The teacher reads and retells Californian tribal origin or creation stories that come from the traditions of a variety of California Indian tribes. Then, pupils get together in groups and retell the stories they just heard; just as the...
Curated OER
Great North
Learners use maps to locate the Arctic Circle, the North Pole and Northern Europe. They draw and label countries within the Arctic Cirlce and identify the groups of people who live there. They also watch and answer questions about the...
Curated OER
Teaching With the Power of Objects
Students define value of an object. In this value lesson plan, students identify reasons for collecting objects, compile a personal inventory of items they find valuable, and then define why those items are valuable to them. In step two...
Curated OER
Minerals, Crystals, and Gems
Students discover the relationships between minerals, crystals and gems. They bring in rocks that they find at home, in the schoolyard, etc. and examine them and attempt to identify them. They set up a classroom exhibit that includes all...
Curated OER
The Roman Calendar: The Fabric of Our Time
Fourth graders explore the Roman origins and evolution of our calendar.
Curated OER
Habitats Past and Present
Students explore the changes in animal habitats. In this ecosystem lesson, students use the Internet to explore the changes in the environment since the 1700's. Students complete a Venn diagram to compare the differences in the animal...
Curated OER
The Heritage of Puerto Rico and Cuba
Middle schoolers examine the influences of the Hispanic culture in the United States. In groups, they read about the life of a slave in Cuba and identify the misconceptions are discussed. As a class, they define racism, read an essay...
Curated OER
Colonial Geography: To and From Canada
Students identify the major geographic features of colonial New England. They explain the essential parts to a map and interpret journals to plot a journey. They discover the connection between geography and life.
Curated OER
Anne Frank: Citizenship Laws
Students study early civilizations and the contributions they made to the foundations of human culture. They discuss why citizenship is valuable and the Constitutional Amendments that are associated with it.
Curated OER
An Introduction:
Students explore historical research with primary sources about Hydropower.
Curated OER
Cotton Production and Milling
Students examine cotton production and milling. They compete in a hand-ginning contest to realize how difficult it was to separate the seeds from the fibers of cotton. They discuss why Eli Whitney's cotton gin was an important invention.
Curated OER
The Myth of Voluntary Internment
Students review the Alien Enemies Act and Executive Order 9095. They explore both the financial and emotional ramifications of having a parent arrested or interned. They research what daily life was like in U.S. Internment camps during...
Curated OER
Inventions over Time
Sixth graders examine inventions, such as spear points and bows and arrows, and discuss their importance in human cultural development. They compare these early inventions with modern ones and determine the impact of science and...
Curated OER
Raising Cane: Building a Cane Flute From Scratch
Eighth graders create their own cane flute. They use a model flute to gain the correct measurements and use the scientific method to construct the flute to have sound quality and pitch accuracy.
Curated OER
Working Watermelon
You're going to wish you had a watermelon for this activity! Class members read about watermelons and make a salad in class to sample. They also perform estimates, measurements and calculations on a watermelon. They predict what...
Curated OER
The Vision Quest
Fourth graders explore lives of Chief Plenty Coups and Crow Indians, focusing specifically on tradition of Vision Quests. Students identify reasons for Vision Quests, and create presentation to share information found with classmates.
Curated OER
Taking a Stand - 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March
Students examine the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March. They view pictures reflecting their perceptions of their most important rights as citizens, write journal responses, create collages illustrating courage, and read...
Curated OER
Translating Traditions
Students analyze art reflective of traditions and cultural heritage. For this art analysis lesson, students complete image based discussion.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Native American Cultures Across the United States
Students explore different aspects of the cultures of the First Americans in this lesson plan. Stereotypes are often associated with Native Americans through movies and in the context of the Thanksgiving holiday. Specific information and...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Whose Land Is This? Conflict Between Native Americans & Settlers [Pdf]
A lesson plan from the producers of the 16-episode PBS series "Freedom: A History of US" designed to provide insights into the causes of the conflict between Native Americans and new settlers pushing west. Students will examine official...