Curated OER
Becoming a Member of an 1830s Family
Students compare and constrast life in an 1830s family verses a modern family. They role play the position of a family member in 1830 while wearing traditional clothing for the time period. They write journal entries to show their daily...
Curated OER
A Second Visit To Old Sturbridge Village-The Story Tour
Students conduct research on 1830s families and early New England culture. They conduct research on the Old Sturbridge Village website, participate in an online chat with a costumed interpreter, and continue to develop possible plots to...
Curated OER
African Ceramic Portrait Vessel
Middle schoolers create a piece of art inspired by traditional African pieces.
Curated OER
Renaissance: Rebirth to Revolution
Sixth graders use a variety of resources to research the Middle Ages and Renaissance over a nine-week period. Working in cooperative teams, they become experts on specific topics. Students hold a Renaissance Faire and role-play as...
Curated OER
Dancing with Dionysus
Sixth graders research Ancient Greek culture by acting in a play for the festival of Dionysus. In this Greek culture lesson, 6th graders study an ancient Greek map and the Sarcophagus Dionysus from the Walters Art Museum website....
Curated OER
Making Plans
Students gain an understanding of the U.S. Census. In this civic lesson plan, students use real-life problem-solving skills and census data to choose a site for new school.
National First Ladies' Library
Terrorism and Tolerance
Students define the concepts of terrorism and tolerance using various resources. They examine the concept of stereotype, consider stereotypes often applied to Arabs, Middle Easterners, and Muslims, and attempt to discredit these...
Curated OER
You Are What You Eat: Lessons from Alice Waters
Students view the AMERICAN MASTERS episode titled ALICE WATERS AND HER DELICIOUS REVOLUTION. They examine their own eating habits and determine how they can eat food that is both healthier and tastier. Through Guided Reading strategies,...
National First Ladies' Library
Secretary of Commerce
Middle schoolers gain understanding of economic history of United States in twentieth century by examining role of Department of Commerce. Student groups each analyze one quarter of twentieth century by researching role of Department of...
National First Ladies' Library
Latin: The Language of Ancient Rome
Middle schoolers gain understanding about where some of today's words originated by reviewing a list of Latin words and their meanings. They work in small groups to create dictionary pages which will then be compiled into a large...
National First Ladies' Library
Fire! The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Trial and It's Aftermath
Middle schoolers research, examine and are provided the opportunity to re-enact one of the most exciting trials of the 20th century, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Trial. They research the history of the trial and then divide into...
National First Ladies' Library
Digging up the Past: Sir Arthur Evans and the Palace at Knossos
Middle schoolers explore the excavations of the Palace of Knossos on the Island of Crete. They create a simulated news broadcasting on the work of Sir Arthur Evans and his colleges. In their news investigation, learners cover such topics...
National First Ladies' Library
Fashion Trends in the 1960s: Hippies, Flower Children, and Design
Middle schoolers use the Internet to research and examine clothing styles of 1960s, draw pictures of various clothing and accessories popular in that decade, trace images on top of foil tray or pan to design a stamp, and make...
Curated OER
Religion, Culture, and Diversity
Learners study world religions. In this diversity lesson, students interview their grandparents and other older adults about their religious beliefs and traditions. Learners research world religions and discuss the diversity of cultural...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Differences Among Colonial Regions
Classes look at and analyze primary source images to explore the differences between the colonial regions during the Revolutionary era. They break into groups to tackle each region and then present their findings to the class. A final...
Curated OER
Navajo Sand Paintings
Research the use of sand paintings in the Navajo tribe. Your students work together to design their own sand painting. They share their creation with the class describing what the symbols mean.
Smithsonian Institution
Changing Gender Roles on the Home Front
Many historians discuss how gender roles changed because of World War II, but how did this come to be? An informative resource challenges scholars to do some digging and research the information for themselves. They research how...
Smithsonian Institution
POWs
Why did Vietnam POWs and their families receive more media attention than POWs in previous wars? To answer this question, class members view artifacts, read articles, and engage in class discussion. Individuals then assume the...
Curated OER
The Sands of Arabia
Sixth graders apply geographic information to the study of World History. In this Geography lesson, 6th graders create a political/physical map of the Middle East, develop questions and answers about the culture of the Middle East,...
Curated OER
Michigan Court System (Part 1) (Middle School)
Pupils identify the courts that make up the Michigan judicial system. They explore the responsibility of each court and diagram how cases move to the Supreme Court. They compare and contrast the different types of courts.
Curated OER
Medieval Celebration
Students celebrate the completion of a unit of study about Medieval times. In this Medieval celebration lesson, students showcase their work from a unit of study by creating a wax museum. They complete KWL charts and read over their...
Curated OER
Harry Potter: Middle Grades Activity
Middle schoolers identify inferred and recurring literary, cultural and social themes such as bravery, loyalty, friendship and the notion of good vs. evil.
Curated OER
Hope vs. History
Learners explore the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. In this World History lesson, students research a key person that was involved in the Arab-Israeli conflict over the past several years, then create a timeline of main...
Curated OER
Feudalism: A Social and Political System
In this Feudalsim worksheet, students read a 1-page selection about the topic, examine the listed Web sites about the topic, and then respond to 14 short answer questions about the information presented.