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Utilizing Art, Literature and Film to Teach Black History
Fifth graders are introduced to different aspects of African-American history through literature, art, and films. As a class, they are read a story about the Underground Railroad, identify the main characters and put the events into...
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Caught Between Worlds: Frontier Life as Reflected in Captivity Narratives
Young scholars analyze captivity narratives written between the 1600's and 1800's. In this narrative lesson, students think critically about the interaction between Native peoples and the settlers to understand the cultural beliefs held...
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Natural Beauty: Looking Sharp
Students create covers for their "nature journals" using watercolor techniques and the artistic ideas of color, depth, and focal point. This lesson can be used in the Science or Art classroom and meets national standards for both.
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On This Day in History
Students research the Internet to learn historical events that share their birthday. In this birthday research lesson, students use the given websites to research important events that share their birthday date. Students create a poster...
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Art and National Identity: Analyzing Painting and Literature from the Era of Manifest Destiny
Students begin the lesson by discussing the causes and effects of the movement west. Using primary sources, they develop their own definition for manifest destiny. In groups, they view examples of paintings and read poems on the topic. ...
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Border Art: the Study of Artworks Responding To the Border Between the United States And Mexico
Students discuss the concepts of immigration and migration and explore their own family's history. They examine the media's presentation of the Border Art Project and then incorporate their own views into what they have studied through...
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Women's History
Students research famous women in history. In this Women's History month instructional activity, students choose one historical woman to research and use biographies and websites to gather information. Students complete an included...
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Ojibwa Arts
Students create a poem based on the Native American Ojibwa art that they read about. In this Ojibwa art lesson plan, students read captions and look at pictures of Ojibwa art and then make up a poem based on them.
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Art to Zoo: Kiting Up The Sky: The Vehicles of Understanding
Students gain perspective on the importance of kites by reading about and discussing how kites have been used throughout history. In this kite exploration lesson plan, students follow instructions to construct a kite to assist them in...
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Northwest Coast Indian Raven Mask Lesson Plan
Students create raven masks. In this Northwest Coast Native American lesson, students design and create Kwakiutl-style hats that feature the shapes, animals, and colors used by the Northwest Native Americans.
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Lesson on Ethnic Discrimination
Students study ethnic discrimination. For this discrimination lesson, students define ethnicity and ethnic discrimination in the global community as well as steps against it. Students examine their own ethnic backgrounds and examine the...
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Introduction to the Holocaust
Learners examine the events surrounding the Holocaust in World War II. After viewing a clip from "The War", they work together in groups to research the various responses from governments on the tradegy. To end the lesson, they write a...
Facing History and Ourselves
Identity and Belonging
High schoolers examine World War I war crimes. For this world history activity, students examine a painting by Ashile Gorky, a refugee from the Armenian genocide. High schoolers interpret the piece of art and discuss its historical...
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What Qualities Does a Hero Have?
Study the characteristics of real-life heroes in your history or language arts lesson. After reading about the soldiers of World War I, kids write autobiographies from their future elderly selves, and reflect on their acts of heroism yet...
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America at War
Sixth graders examine issues that faced Americans during World War I, discuss role that sinking of the Lusitania had in America's decision to enter the war, and analyze changing role of U.S. during the war and how it emerged as a world...
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High Profiles
Students research and write newspaper articles about current world leaders, using a New York Times International article as a model. They research a current world leader's personal background and political history.
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PUPPETRY
Students explore world cultures through their puppetry. Your students explore puppets that are used in various cultures and create their own. The Internet experiences in this instructional activity are designed to be teacher-directed...
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Immigration: Stories of Yesterday and Today
Students use Web technology to access immigration history and develop an understanding of the concept of immigration. Then they develop oral history writing skills, including note-taking and conducting an interview and read for detail....
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Baseball Memories
Students act as historians by, first, reading and analyzing oral histories of professional baseball players to become familiar with baseball figures. Then, they proceed to interview family members, relatives, or neighbors who have...
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Letters from the Japanese American Internment
Young scholars explore the concept of Japanese internment. In this Japanese internment lesson, students examine primary sources that enable them to discover what internment camp life was like and its implications, Young scholars write...
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West Indies and The Caribbean: Sugar & Slavery
Students study the state of the world before the slave trade. They explain the geography and economics of the slave trade. They explore primary sources and how historians use these sources to create historical interpretations.
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Clash of Civilizations?
Students identify common misconceptions people have about cultures different than their own. After reading an article, they discover how the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations was founded. They research the misconceptions of the...
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The Political Dr. Seuss
High schoolers discuss the role political cartoons have played in U.S. politics and public affairs since the 1700's. They analyze some of the political cartoons Dr. Seuss drew during World War II and discuss how these cartoons conveyed...
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Stars and Stripes Forever: Researching Veteran's Day and Historical Events
Sixth graders research Veteran's Day and wars that affected the United States. In this research lesson plan, 6th graders work in small groups to create an oral presentation based on Internet and conventional research. They complete...