Minnesota Literacy Council
Introduction to Historical Thinking
Christopher Columbus: hero or villain? Prepare class members for the debate with activities that asks them to think critically about how history is reported.
Curated OER
Lincoln Home National Historic Site: A Place of Growth and Memory
Eighth graders study the history of Lincoln's home. In this American History lesson, 8th graders examine artifacts from his home to learn about his beliefs. Students participate in a webquest on Lincoln's home.
National History Day
Helping Life and Aiding Death: Science, Technology, and Engineering at Work during World War I
Science, engineering, and United States history? Pupils research collections of artifacts from the Smithsonian to learn about historical scientific innovations. At the end of the lesson, they write an essay to discuss technology's...
Curated OER
Artifacts 2: Artifacts in Context
Students explore world history by completing artifact worksheets. For this archaeology lesson, students identify the importance of finding clues when researching historical information by utilizing artifacts. Students research the...
Curated OER
Cells: A First-Hand View
In the first of two activities, your charges prepare wet mount slides of cork and bean sprout cells in imitation of Robert Hooke's historical investigation. An excerpt from his notes is included. Then, investigators compare animal cells...
Curated OER
Engineering: Simple Machines
Fourth graders participate in activities to examine how simple machines help build things. They identify the six types of simple machines. They discover how simple machines where use historically to build pyramids and how they are still...
Curated OER
Minneapolis and St. Paul PowerPoint
Students examine the development of Minneapolis and St. Paul. As a class, they watch a PowerPoint presentation on the placement of cities in relationship to water. For each slide, they must answer the questions correctly to move on.
Curated OER
An Introduction:
Pupils explore historical research with primary sources about Hydropower.
National History Day
Heroes Who Made a Difference: Memorializing a Distinguished Service Cross Award Recipient
Ever wonder how to memorialize World War I heroes in the classroom? Activities in a high-quality social studies resource prompt middle schoolers to research Internet sources, complete a graphic organizer, and write an editorial feature...
American Battlefield Trust
Gettysburg Virtual Tour
Step into one of the most iconic battlefields of the American Civil War with an educational interactive resource. Young historians learn about key moments, locations, soldiers, and turning points in the battle with a clickable map and...
Curated OER
Black Hawk Island Hike
Students explore Wisconsin's natural and cultural history through hands-on exploration of Upham Woods. They are shown the basic paddling skills and they work in teams to paddle across the river on barge. Students describe cultural...
Curated OER
Life, Camera, Action
Students investigate the history, politics and culture of Somalia. They analyze media coverage and portrayal of the country. They focus on the role of media in reporting on Somalia and the current debate over the film Black Hawk Down.
Curated OER
Let's Go To Mexico
Students are able to use the Internet to conduct research. They research Mexican culture and traditions. Students compare and contrast Mexican and U.S. food and clothing. They convert United States currency to Mexican pesos. Students...