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Photojournalism
High schoolers choose a historical or present-day event to portray through photographs. They narrate this event with photographs and text to communicate its significance in history or our current daily lives.
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Bearing the Torch: A Study of Ancient Greece
Second graders research Ancient Greece. In this Ancient Greece lesson, 2nd graders survey the geographical, historical, and cultural aspects of Greece. Students discover stories of Greek mythology and explore the beginning of the Olympic...
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The Daytime D-Day Hour: Producing a D-Day Talkshow
Students analyze the key players and events of D-Day during World War II. They conduct research on an assigned character's role in D-Day, complete worksheets, and plan and participate in a D-Day talk show, presenting information in a...
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Connecting Literature, Writing and Music
High schoolers assess the impact of music to portray emotions and tell stories. Examples are taken from the life of Rosa Parks and a piece of band music called "A Movement for Rosa". Evaluation is accomplished through in-class...
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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.
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Birth of a Nation
Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.
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Westward Movement
Students explore the concept of philanthropy in historical context. In this Westward Movement lesson plan, students read Our Journey West and explain examples of settlers working together for the common good.
Walters Art Museum
The Symbolism of Allegorical Art
Introduce learners to allegorical art with four bronze sculptures by Francesco Bertos. After modeling how to recognize bias and allegory in Bertos' Africa, class groups examine the other three sculptures in the series before creating...
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Negro Leagues Baseball and the Law
Students examine historical law and its impact on Negro Leagues Baseball and Black Americans. Students identify and research laws contributing to segregation or integration, and choose one law to reenact in a historically accurate manner.
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Crossing the Deleware: A Visual Myth or Reality
Learners analyze the painting Washington Crossing the Delaware.In this analyzing lesson plan, students analyze this painting that has a lot of historical inaccuracies, and then come up with a persuasive argument supporting or opposing...
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"We'd Like to Thank You, Herbert Hoover"
Students examine video clips and Web sites related to relevant productions, study song lyrics, and compare and contrast actual history with Broadway history. They create lyrics for a new song based on a contemporary or historical figure...
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Night of the Notables
Students read several biographies of famous Americans and discuss the characteristics of a biography. Students collect biographical information on another person in the class and write a biography. Students research and create a...
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Historic Takes
Middle schoolers examine photographs of memorials for veterans. They identify who is being honored and why. They research one hero they find interesting and create a memorial for them. They share their hero with the class.
National First Ladies' Library
Mark Twain's America
Students read Huckleberry Finn, analyze text for historical contexts, and write book report emphasizing historical elements, type report comparing and contrasting events in book to events of today, create Powerpoint presentation...
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Small Group Acting: Enlivening Canadian History
Tenth graders role-play events in Canadian history. In small groups they develop a script, practice their skit, and perform a skit for the class depicting various events in Canadian history.
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Early European Explorers
Fifth graders complete a variety of activities surrounding European exploration of the New World. They research one explorer and write and present an essay or script in which they portray that explorer as he makes his final report to his...
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James Whitcomb Riley
Students describe James Whitcomb Riley's poems and identify the themes they portray. In this poetry lesson plan, students read the history of James Whitcomb Riley and read some of his poems.
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Causes of the Revolution Newspaper
Students examine the events that led to the Revolutionary War. Using the internet, they discover the advantages and disadvantages of each side. They use the information to produce a special edition newspaper on the war. They must include...
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What Makes Good Literary Writing?
Students conduct a literature study of John Steinbeck's classic "Of Mice And Men". They write in reflection of the author's influence upon 20th century literature. Students take apart the story to focus class discussion upon major themes...
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Massachusetts Oral History Project on the Great Depression
Eleventh graders conduct interviews with a relative or a family friend who lived in Massachusetts during the Depression. They write an essay based on the interview that shows an intimate portrayal of how the lives of the individuals who...
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Native American Boarding School Choice Board
Students investigate the boarding school movement that was imposed on the American Indians from the late 1880's to the early 1900's. The assignment requires the use of primary and secondary resources to find historical information. Then...
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Book Review
Students write a five paragraph theme that explains how the novel which they read in this unit effectively utilized various literary elements to portray the impact of a disease on a population. They then decide which three literary...
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Words and Music - Lesson 2
Students analyze the relationships among cultural values, freedom of artistic expression, ethics, and artistic choices in various cultures and historical periods.
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Small Group Acting: Enlivening Canadian History
Tenth graders research the elements of Canadian identity and history. They analyze and organize the information. They investigate the concept of Small Group Acting, storyboarding, and writing a good script.