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Curated OER

Lesson 11: Illinois History 1800's Dual Timeline

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students identify and research key event in the history of Illinois during the 1800's and create a dramatic skit or oral report based on the event.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

AFRICAN-AMERICAN POETRY BEFORE EMANCIPATION

For Teachers 8th
Explore poetry written by African-Americans before emancipation. 8th graders create collages, and explain why they chose specific stanzas. They display the collages on the class bulletin board that demonstrate an understanding of the...
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Becoming American: Immigration Experiences

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the process of becoming American.  In this US History lesson, 11th graders examine the challenges that immigrants face in the United States.  Students create a mini phrase book that would help immigrants...
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The West in Brochures

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Young scholars explore the daily life of the American Cowboy in the 1800's and compare it to the life of the Native Americans.
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Women in Science

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners study the roles that women have played in science throughout history. They work in small groups while visiting the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.
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Say Cheese

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students examine the differences in the working and eating conditions between the late 1800s and today. They engage in an Internet Quest for information on cheese which culminate in a hands-on cheese-making experience and tasting activity.
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Labor Unions and Strikes

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Teens explore economics by listening to a labor history lecture and an excerpt from Looking Backward, by Edward Bellamy. A detailed outline is provided for the lecture, along with follow up and assessment questions. In groups, they...
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Garden Guard

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students read about the history of farming with the use of scarecrows and then sort clothing, build scarecrows, write descriptions, and more. In this scarecrows lesson plan, students also play a game called Garden Tag.
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Curated OER

Coal Flowers

For Teachers 1st - 8th
Let's make coal flowers! With this fun activity, young learners watch and learn as they grow crystals! With simple household materials and the instructions included in this lesson plan, your class can grow their own crystals. Learners...
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The Abolitionist Movement: A Fight for Freedom

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate the Civil War by identifying famous figures of the era. In this slavery abolitionist lesson, 6th graders read a text on the history of the Civil War and discuss heroes of the era such as Harriet Tubman and John...
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Region, History, and the Novel: Is Resistance Futile?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers read a novel related to their geographical area and "Gone With The Wind". Using the first novel, they use the internet to research one aspect from it and relate it to their location today. They create a Hyperstudio or...
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Gone to Texas

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders role play as empresarios attempting to bring colonists to Texas in the 1800's. They create an advertisement that encourages the immigrants to come to Texas.
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Women's Rights and Reform

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students evaluate primary source documents. They assess the development of women's rights in the United States. They identify other rights beside suffrage that were important to famous women reformers.
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The Museum Idea

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students evaluate and record the various types of museum careers. In this The Museum Idea lesson, students create a bicentennial time capsule, design a Museum of me, and make a classroom mini museum. In addition students visit a local...
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Fur Trading

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners take on a role such as a farming community, hunting community or a trading post. They decide which products they focus on and then trade with the other groups.
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Learning Landscapes

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders analyze a landscape depicting Yosemite during the time of the Wild West. They compare their perceptions of the West from film and television to this representation. They observe the use of scale and color to depict size and...
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Natural Beauty: Looking Sharp

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students create covers for their "nature journals" using watercolor techniques and the artistic ideas of color, depth, and focal point. This instructional activity can be used in the Science or Art classroom and meets national standards...
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Stand Up And Sing

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine pieces of sheet music and identify context, purpose, and perspective with regard to the political, social, and economic conditions existing at that time. They create a cover illustrating a topic of the Progressive Era.
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Sing Out Loud: The Slave Spirituals Historical and Cultural Implications during Reconstruction

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students identify, summarize and present facts about cultural, educational and political inequalities of Reconstruction, explain hidden codes of slave spirituals and their importance in slaves' communication, and create poetry based on...
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Writing the Wind

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Learners make a windmill.  In this wind lesson plan, students learn background information about the windmill, complete an activity where they create a windmill, discuss using wind as a natural resource and brainstorm other inventions...
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Japanese Folktales for Children

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Students study Japanese folkart traditions and culture through storytelling, class discussions, and a creative project. The project involves students creating drawings of a pre-selected folktale and putting them together in a class book.
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Nineteenth Century Family Portraits

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students compare two nineteenth century family portraits using historical data, statistics, and historical context. Students analyze their own family pictures adjusting the criteria to the current decade. Lastly students study the...
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The Early Suffragists

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Pupils research early suffragists in an effort to find the most influential leader of the movement. They give presentations and the class chooses a winner. They write letters to the postmaster suggesting they be placed on a stamp.
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Animals in Art

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students look at how animals are shown in literature and art as representing emotions, telling a story, or sending a message in this elementary school Language Arts and Visual Arts lesson.