Classics for Kids
Listen to the Music
Different pieces of music can elicit different emotions from audience members. A quick tempo can make you feel happy, while a largo piece may bring out a melancholy temperament. Elementary musicians learn more about the instruments...
Skyscraper Museum
What is a Skyscraper?
Skyscrapers are amazing feats of architectural design that create the iconic skylines of the world's biggest cities. Young architects explore the defining characteristics of these monstrous towers with the first lesson plan in this...
Skyscraper Museum
Designing a Skyscraper
Besides serving as awe-inspiring monuments of human achievement, skyscrapers are built to perform a wide range of functions in urban communities. The second lesson in this series begins by exploring the history of the Empire State...
Curated OER
Developing a Relationship with Senior Citizens
Students examine how to value their elders and the senior citizens in society. They show empathy through literature to people who are generation or more older than themselves. They also study the importance of genealogy.
Curated OER
Mary Todd Tours the World
Pupils analyze how distinguishing another culture encourages us to respect each other. They research culture and all its avenues, recognizing and comprehending the relationship between people and geography. Ultimately, they can apply...
Curated OER
Working in Photographs
Students analyze illustrations of workers in the 19th and 20th centuries. In this social science instructional activity, students examine photographs of workers and identify the types of work that were available in the 19th century...
Curated OER
My Country 'Tis of Thee with American Symbols
Students study the various patriotic symbols which represent America. They choose one, research its history, and write a report about it. They make a drawing of the symbol and use the drawing in a PowerPoint presentation for the rest of...
Curated OER
A Box Of Crayons
Students draw self-portraits on die-cut crayon patterns after hearing the poem "A Box of Crayons" in this Art lesson for the elementary classroom. The lesson is ideal for celebrating Martin Luther King Day and includes extra resource...
Curated OER
Not Just for Gods and Goddesses:
Students use dictionaries, encyclopedias, art, computers, and books to study the Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Greece. In this Ancient Greece lesson plan, students research maps, stories, Olympic games, and more about Ancient Greece.
Curated OER
Designing Musical Instruments
Students examine musical instruments as main part of the study of sound energy. In this designing instruments lesson plan, students focus on the elements of an instrument that cause sound to be created and design a unique musical...
Curated OER
The Great Seal
Students study patriotic symbols of America. In this American history instructional activity, students construct a KWL chart on United States symbols and examine visuals of the Great Seal and bald eagle. Students create another symbol...
Curated OER
The United States Flag
Students study the United States flag. In this American history and government lesson, students define and give examples of familiar symbols. Students design a classroom flag. Students identify and describe the American flag.
Library of Congress
Stars, Stripes and Symbols of America: Comparing Our Flag, Past and Present
Your young historians will compare and contrast the details of the American flag today with an an image of the nation's flag from the post-Civil War era, and identify the flag's importance as a national symbol through analysis...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Changes in Transportation over Time
Planes, trains, and automobiles. How many ways to travel are there? Scholars learn about modes of transportation in the past and how they have changed over time. Budding historians view a timeline, participate in group discussion, and...
Curated OER
Talk is Cheap: Part 2
Second graders examine and discuss different goals that lead to learner success. They discuss the story of "The Tortoise and the Hare," and discuss different goals and scenarios on a handout. Students then write a personal learning goal...
Curated OER
The Finer Things in Life
Momoyama and Edo are periods in Japanese history that can be defined culturally and artistically. Learners explore and discuss how the samurai used sword guards and grip enhancers. Pupils read the story "The Inch-High Samurai," examine...
Curated OER
Geo-Class Mapping My Neighborhood
Students create a map of the school and surrounding neighborhood. In this mapping lesson, students discover their school's location and learn about its past. Students use math skills and the steps in the design process to...
Curated OER
Take a Walk in Their Shoes: Great Leaders of Our Time
Research the characteristics of leaders who have used nonviolence to change society. The class then applies this information to their own community to find leaders with these same characteristics, creating a wall collage of pictures and...
New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park
What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a...
Curated OER
Create your own Parfleche!
What is a parfleche? It is a box used by the Plains Indians to carry goods as they traveled. First, the class will discuss the uses of these highly ornate boxes and the nature of the Plains Indians' nomadic lifestyle. Then, the class...
Curated OER
Pack your Parfleche!
Imagine you are a Plains Indian, a nomad getting ready to follow a herd of buffalo. Now imagine what you would have to pack for your trip. Little ones examine images of a traditional parfleche (packing box), and then create packing lists...
Curated OER
Majestic Murals
Albert Bierstadt is a highly celebrated artist who was able to capture the beauty of the American landscape. The class will first learn how Bierstadt explored America during the 1800s and painted the majestic countryside. Then, they will...
Curated OER
What Kind of Vessel Are You?
This is a strange question; but what kind of vessel would you be and why? After examining images of a large Inca jug, the class sets to writing a creative narrative that answers that very interesting question. They start by researching...
Education World
Thinking About Thanksgiving: Lessons Across the Curriculum
Bring two integrated curriculum resources about Thanksgiving to an elementary social studies unit. The first activity focuses on Squanto's contributions to the early Pilgrims' survival with a gardening activity in which learners add...