Curated OER
Colonial New York Slave Codes: Law and Order
Build a historical perspective from four different points of view. Young historians take on the role of a slave-owning white person, non-slave owning white person, slave, or free African-American person and imagine what life would be...
Curated OER
Shari'ah: An Islamic Law Simulation
Consider the role that shari'ah played in the development of Muslim civilization during the Abbasid caliphate. Learners become acquainted with both the religious and scholarly basis of Islamic law to help them understand the differences...
Stanford University
What Is History?
Five important tenets of any social studies class are available for young historians with a poster that defines history as an account of the past. It encourages learners to question reliability of an author's perspective, as well as to...
Library of Congress
Investigating the Building Blocks of Our Community’s Past, Present, and Future
As Ken Jennings said, "There's just something hypnotic about maps." Certainly, the longer you look at them the more you can learn. In this project-based learning instructional activity, individuals study both historic and present-day...
Curated OER
Underground Railroad: Henry "Box" Brown
Students build Henry's box. For this historical perspective lesson students listen to the story Henry's Freedom Box by Ellen Levine about an escape using the Underground Railroad. Students also read and discuss The Deliverer of Box Brown...
Global Oneness Project
Resurrecting a Home
Davina Pardo's documentary Minka asks viewers to consider that value of preserving traditional dwellings and traditional building techniques by examining how American journalist John Roderick and Japanese architect Yoshihiro Takishita...
Curated OER
Cane River Civil Rights: A Native American Perspective
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this civil rights lesson, students examine the civil rights struggle from a Native American perspective. Students analyze documents and write journal entries that...
Curated OER
Building a Documentary Library
Documentary films allow your class to visit new places and gain a deeper understanding of complex issues.
Curated OER
Positive Perspectives Posters
Sixth graders create a poster using one-point visual perspective. After exploring several examples of one-point perspective, 6th graders create a drawing around the theme of school community. Posters are illustrated and installed...
Curated OER
Child Labor and the Building of America
Students analyze the growth of America from the 1880's-1920's. In this Industrialization era instructional activity, students use primary resources from the time period to investigate child labor, and determine the contribution of...
Curated OER
Structured Academic Controversy (SAC) in the History Classroom
SAC is a specific approach to discussing history and controversial issues. Rather than adhering to an either/or debate-style paradigm, it fosters speaking and constructivist listening to enable learners to build consensus through...
Curated OER
Cold War Conflict in Vietnam: The Vietnam-Era Presidency
Comparing and evaluating various media types is a great way to build critical analysis skills. Learners read about the Vietnam era presidency, specifically the foreign policy established by Johnson and Nixon. Then they compare several...
Curated OER
Stop Action and Assess Alternatives
High schoolers stop action and determine how history may have been altered. In this historical perspectives lesson, students consider how the Cherokee Removal, the Transcontinental Railroad, the Immigration Act of 1924, and the dropping...
![Well-behaved Women [and Men] Seldom Make History Lesson Plan](http://content.lessonplanet.com/resources/thumbnails/268494/large/odqwmdy4lmpwzw.jpg?1414466400 "Well-behaved Women [and Men] Seldom Make History Lesson Plan")
Curated OER
Well-behaved Women [and Men] Seldom Make History
Students examine historical context. In this historical perspectives lesson, students read and discuss instructor-selected picture book biographies. Students then complete graphic organizers based on the challenges the main characters...
Center for History and New Media
Slavery and Free Negroes, 1800 to 1860
What was life like for enslaved and free black people before the American Civil War? Explore the building tension between states and the freedom of individuals with a thorough social studies instructional activity. Learners of all ages...
West Virginia Department of Education
Editorials: The Guiding Voice of Authority?
How much can opinion influence a news story? A standalone resource discusses the importance of John Brown's Raid through the lens of journalism. Learners analyze two different texts, one from the perspective of the North and the other of...
Spreading Gratitude Rocks
Live and Learn and Pass It On
What are some of life's most tried-and-true lessons? Pupils listen to examples from the book Live and Learn and Pass It On by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. They write down their own life lessons to later compile in a class booklet. As a bonus...
Curated OER
Build-A-Bird
High schoolers create an imaginary bird. In this anatomy lesson plan, students analyze how artists represent birds historically, then determine the anatomical aspects that suit a bird to its habitat. Using this information, high...
Curated OER
A Kids Guide to...
Students look into their community's historical changes. In this community lesson, students see what draws people to their community and research important buildings or national historic sites. They look at local architecture and the...
Curated OER
Perspective on the Slave Narrative
High schoolers examine narratives of two slaves: iam W. Brown and Frederick Douglas. They produce an essay explaining how Brown's narrative challenged the prejudices of readers in his own time and how it challenges prejudices today.
Smithsonian Institution
Students’ Response to 9/11—A Documentary Report
Young historians research the devastating attacks of 9/11 and use that information to script their own documentaries. The follow-up activity includes recording the documentary and conducting classmate interviews,
Curated OER
Historic Earth Science Innovations
Students research the demands or limitations on Earth scientists. In groups, they design and build a model that would be useful to them in the lab or field. They share their model and their ideas behind it to the class and answer any...
Curated OER
Landfills: Building Them Better
Students investigate the three methods of waste disposal. They listen to a teacher-led lecture, answer discussion questions, and write a letter to the E.P.A. from the viewpoint of an environmental engineer.
Annenberg Foundation
America's History in the Making: Classroom Applications One
Someone finds a time capsule 100 years from now, and it includes your family photo album. What would the photos tell that person about you and your place in history? Scholars investigate how artifacts tell stories. Using photos, maps,...