Curated OER
Timeline - United States and Germany, Before, During, and After World War II
Students read novel Rosa's Miracle Mouse, research assigned years in small groups, and create timelines and Powerpoint presentations detailing interaction between Germany and the United States before, during, and after World War II.
Curated OER
Salvaged Pages: Writing as a Response to Literature
Students discuss the topic of the Holocaust. Before reading and discussing Elie Wiesel's "Night", they complete an activity giving them a different perspective on the event. They read diaries and journal entries of children and write a...
Curated OER
The Rural World Seen by Artists 1848-1914
Students prepare to visit the art museum and view the rural world as seen by artists of 1848 - 1914. In this Monet instructional activity, students examine the haystacks series of artworks by Monet. Students observe social change in the...
Curated OER
Identifying and Using Parallelism and Balance in Literature
Analyze the use of balanced sentences and parallelism in a narrative. Included in this resource is a narrative about serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan titled, "The Train Ride Home". Middle and high schoolers review...
Curated OER
Art and National Identity: Analyzing Painting and Literature from the Era of Manifest Destiny
Students begin the activity by discussing the causes and effects of the movement west. Using primary sources, they develop their own definition for manifest destiny. In groups, they view examples of paintings and read poems on the...
Curated OER
Jazz in America
Young scholars learn vocabulary associated with the Swing Era. They also listen to music from the time period.
Shakespeare Uncovered
All the Globe’s a Stage: Shakespeare’s Theatre
“All the world’s a stage,” exclaims Jaques in As You Like It, but it is the structure of the Globe stage and how that structure influenced Shakespeare’s plays that is the focus of an on-line research project. Class members visit a series...
Curated OER
The Floating World
Pupils explore through art and literature the social mores and ideals of beauty during the Edo period (1615-1868) in Japan. This lesson includes resource links and possible lesson enrichments.
Curated OER
Sleuthing A Writer's Skills
Students read The Train Ride Home by Robin Solomon. In this literature response lesson, students will inspect the writing of Solomon to determine how she established a certain tone through her word choice and paragraph structure....
Curated OER
Figuring Somepin 'Bout the Great Depression
Students conduct research from primary and secondary resources in order to help with comprehension of the time period of The Great Depression in American History. The examination of literature is also used in this lesson.
Curated OER
Gold Rush in Photos
Students examine historical images of the Alaskan Gold Rush and complete a worksheet to better explain this era. They create a PowerPoint related to the images.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Language Analysis Based on Stave 1
Class members meet the original scrooge, the Dickens character whose name has become synonymous with a cold-hearted, tight-fisted, miser. Using the provided worksheet, readers closely examine context clues to determine the meanings of...
Curated OER
Who Were the Dissidents?
Students discover how Japanese dissidents spoke out against the injustice practiced in Imperial Japan. In this Japanese history lesson, students listen to a lecture about the silent dissidents in the nation prior to World War II and the...
Curated OER
Social Studies: Devastating Diseases
Students are able to critically read literature addressing historical data and answer relevant questions. They are able to formulate an opinion and support it using all knowledge documented and learned in this and previous lessons.
Curated OER
Mary, Queen of Scots: Heroine or Harlot?
Students explain how international politics, religion, and cultural beliefs influenced the life of Mary Queen of Scots. They watch a film about Mary, Queen of Scots and participate in a discussion and variety of extension activities.
Curated OER
Ka'ianaa'ahu'ulu: A Leader of Hawai'i
Learners evaluate leadership traits in 18th century Hawai'i and modern times. In this leadership skills lesson, students identify leadership traits and read the story of Ka’iana. Learners monitor the leadership activities of a partner...
Curated OER
In Old Pompeii
High schoolers investigate the history of Pompeii and its destruction. They take a virtual field trip to the ruins of Pompeii, create a travel brochure to attract tourists to the site, and write an account of their trip.
Curated OER
Anna and the King: The Real Story of Anna Leonowens
Students explore the true life of Anna Leonowens and how the mythic story of her relationship with the King of Siam evolved. They explore the systems of nineteenth century colonization as well as twentieth century political ideology.
Curated OER
Poet James Whitcomb Riley: Famous in His Own Day
An engaging biography of "Hoosier" poet James Whitcomb Riley serves as a springboard for study of his unique dialect-based verse. Several activities illuminate differences between spoken vernacular and formal language. Learners record...
Curated OER
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Teaching Through the Novel
Students are introduced to Chinua Achebe's first novel and to his views on the role of the writer in his or her society. It can be used alone or in conjunction with the related lesson Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
Curated OER
Poet Naomi Shihab Nye
Students read and analyze poetry by Naomi Shihab Nye. They define stereotypes, view and discuss a video interview with Nye, present an oral reading of a poem, and write a persuasive letter to an author.
Curated OER
Introduction to Modernist Poetry
High schoolers analyze modernist poetry in depth and detail. The several historical, social, and cultural forces that prompted the modernist movement and its effects are examined in this lesson.
Curated OER
Michelangelo: Artist and Man
Students are introduced to Michelangelo in this A&E influenced lesson.
Curated OER
Cuban Missile Crisis: Teaching Activities
Students create a timeline of the important events of John F. Kennedy's presidency. They construct a timeline of the major events of the Cuban Missile Crisis. They compare the Missile Crisis events with their presentation in the movie...