Curated OER
Threatened Species and Public Policy
Students discuss the Endangered Species Act and its impact on people and the environment. They read the act and watch video footage. They examine why sea turtles are endangered and efforts to protect them. They analyze numerical results...
National First Ladies' Library
Recovery! Coping with the Effects of a Natural Disaster
Students explore natural disasters and the devastation caused by them. Using specified websites, learners examine how people rebuild after a disaster. In groups, they design and rebuild a community and conclude by writing an essay...
Curated OER
A Turning Point in the Space Shuttle Program
Pupils study about the Columbia crew and their mission, how space shuttles work, and explore the history of the shuttle program. By accessing many websites imbedded in this plan, students gain a deep understanding of the Space Shuttle...
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark Expedition
Ninth graders examine the goals of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and identify the present day cities, towns, rivers, and regions that are on the route of the expedition. They complete an online WebQuest, recreating the route of the...
Curated OER
Fort Clatsop: The Corps of Discovery's Winter at Fort Clatsop
High schoolers investigate the Lewis and Clark expedition and how it helped to shape American expansion during its early history. Students reflect upon the period of history and its implications for America.
Curated OER
Battle of New Orleans
Students use the Internet, encyclopedias, and other library resources to discover basic facts about the Battle of New Orleans and the 1768 revolt by French colonists in Spanish Louisiana. They examine two websites that give information...
Curated OER
What is an Explorer
Students become explorers. They examine a picture of an explorer and create props to explore within the classroom. Students are studying the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. They explore how to read a map and create a map of the classroom...
Curated OER
Last Moments of John Brown
Students read the history of John Brown. Using the internet, they research commentaries on the raid at Harper's Ferry. After observing a painting, "The Last Moments of John Brown," students analyze and write about what they see, think...
Curated OER
Becoming A Local Historian
Students practice the art of being a historian. They compare primary and secondary resources to conduct a critical thinking assignment. Students compare the map of the Baton Rouge area to a modern one in order to make inferences about...
Curated OER
Corps of Discovery
Middle schoolers assess their knowledge of the Corps of Discovery through a written pretest, follow the journey of Lewis and Clark on the internet, record data on events, dates, places, people, animals, distance traveled, and geographic...
Curated OER
In the Courts
Students explore desegregation in the courts. In this civil rights lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Supreme Court cases Brown v. Board of Education and Plessy v. Ferguson. Students examine the cases and...
Curated OER
Chimpanzees: We're Not Entertained
Students explore multiple perspectives to create a talk show that examines the issues facing chimpanzees. They analyze the gray areas of controversial issues to realize that there can be a wide range of possible positions on a given issue.
Curated OER
Huey Long-"Every Man a King"
Students examine the governorship of Huey Long. They view and discuss Ken Burn's documentary, "Huey Long," read and discuss a speech, conduct Internet research, and create a visual display of their research information.
Curated OER
Family Foodways
Discover, document and share the knowledge of family food and ways special occasions are treated. Your class will explore the context in which food traditions are created and adapted in their families and communities. Each student also...
Vermilionville
Mardi Gras Elementary
You don't have to visit Vermilionville to experience the Cajun traditions of Mardi Gras. After examining pictures and hearing stories about these colorful traditions, learners create their own Courir de Mardi Gras masks.
Curated OER
Fieldwork Basics Overview
Put your feet up and grab a cup of coffee before going through this extensive field work unit plan! Based on folklorist studies of traditional culture and ethnography, several activities focus on topics such as cultural sensitivity;...
Hildegard Center for the Arts
Mardi Gras Masks
Laissez les bons temps rouler! Create your own festive Mardi Gras masks with a lesson that provides background information on the celebration and instructions about constructing the masks.
Curated OER
Look Out My Window. What Do You See?
Students explore William D. Huff's experience during Civil War as portrayed in his drawings, express empathy and demonstrate historical knowledge through creating their own artwork, and craft drawings and captions from perspectives of...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama BEFORE the American Revolution
Did you know that prior to the American Revolution, Alabama was a part of the British empire and called New West Florida? Class members research the economic, political, and social realities of this territory and compare them to those of...
HISTORY Channel
Westward Expansion of the United States
How did early American pioneers decide what to take with them on their journeys, and what was their traveling experience like? Here you'll find a collection of activities to help you explore Westward Expansion with your young learners.
San Francisco Public Utilities Commission
What is Drought? No Rain, No Water
How can climate change affect our water supply? Have kids read a passage about the water cycle and water conservation, which includes six questions that challenge them to use context clues.
Curated OER
Civil War Diaries
Fifth graders examine excerpts from a diary of a Confederate soldier and his experiences in a Union prison camp. After receiving character cards, they write diary entries from the perspectives of their Civil War identity. As an...
Curated OER
Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers
Learn about the events that helped shape the United States of America. Elementary schoolers explore the Civil War with six different activities. Each activity has a different focus: literature connections, primary sources, vocabulary,...
Curated OER
Introduction to Traditional Oral Narratives
Students are introduced to the idea of traditional oral narratives and divide them into genres. They explore the genres of context, motifs and variants. Each student finds oral narratives in their own lives and practice retelling them in...