Annenberg Foundation
Utopian Promise
Scholars learn all about the Puritans in the third installment of a 16-part lesson series. After watching a video, they read and discuss biographies of Puritans and Quakers from American history, write journal entries and poetry, and...
National Humanities Center
Teaching Emily Dickinson: A Common Core Close Reading Seminar
Three of Emily Dickinson's poems, "I like to see it," "Because I could not stop for Death," and "We grow accustomed to the Dark," provide instructors with an opportunity to model for class members how to use close reading strategies to...
Curated OER
God's Weaving in Taylor's "Huswifery"
Eleventh graders trace Taylor's use of conceit or extended metaphor in his poem "Huswifery" where he compares the process of cloth making to God's salvation of man, and write a poem in which they compare a personal transformation with an...
Curated OER
Upon the Burning of Our House
Tenth graders read the poem "Upon the Burning of Our House" and complete analysis activities. In this poetry analysis instructional activity, 10th graders read the poem and create original scenes summarizing the stanza.
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Utopia/Dystopia: The American Dream
America was founded by dreamers, and the American dream still resonates in our country today. Track the American dream from its Puritan beginnings to its optimistic descendants with a instructional activity that focuses on speeches by...
Curated OER
Interactive Approach To "the Scarlet Letter"
Students study Puritan literature by studying daily life in a Puritan colony prior to beginning this unit of lessons. They read the Scarlett Letter and participate in literature activities while completing the unit.
Annenberg Foundation
Spirit of Nationalism
What were the virtues and values that helped form America? Pupils watch and discuss a video, read biographies of early Americans, chart the differences between early American religious movements, write journals and letters, draw, and...
University of Southern California
Coming to America After the War
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War II. To...
Curated OER
Anonymous Patriots: Songs of the Revolution
Give your class a deeper understanding of the context and meaning behind early American song lyrics. By reading the lyrics to "Yankee Doodle" and "Revolutionary Tea," high schoolers will practice analysis by examining the structure and...
Curated OER
Thoreau, Emerson, and Transcendentalism
In this online interactive reading comprehension learning exercise, students respond to 13 multiple choice questions based on the Transcendentalist literary movement. Students may submit their answers to be scored.
Curated OER
An Age of Exploration
Students investigate U.S. history by examining North American timelines. In this American exploration instructional activity, students research the events that led to Columbus finding America and participate in a jeopardy game regarding...