Curated OER
Read All About It! California History of the 30s and 40s
Explore the Great Depression! Discover the challenges people experienced during the time period. Learners investigate photographs from the Dust Bowl and WWII era and create a story line about the photographs, writing a newspaper article...
Curated OER
About Life: The Photographs of Dorothea Lange Going to the Promised Land
To better understand the migrant experience during the Great Depression, pupils analyze two primary resources: photographs by Dorothea Lange and a U.S. Map that shows the Dust Bowl. They compare and contrast Lange's images to Steinbeck's...
Curated OER
Saving Strawberry Farm
Students explore U.S. History by analyzing the Great Depression. In this economic instability lesson plan, students read fictitious accounts of a farm dealing with the loss of a Strawberry Farm and discuss the reasons behind the loss....
Curated OER
Oral History of World War II
Young scholars research how citizens from the United States respond to the onset, duration and aftermath of World War II. They view clips from the movie "Swing Shift" and discuss the roles of civilians, minorities and military personnel....
Curated OER
Hard Times, Soft Sell
Students analyze art to determine themes for the Great Depression Era. In this Great Depression lesson, students identify themes for the era and research evidence for the themes to present to the class. Students interview family members...
Curated OER
The Photographs of Dorothea Lange
Young scholars research social-documentary photography using Dorothea Lange’s documentary projects. In this photography analysis lesson plan, students analyze examples of photographs by Dorothea Lange and research one or more of Dorothea...
Curated OER
Gary's Changing Face
Students investigate the history of Gary, Indiana by looking at its history, demographics and points of interest. They create a timeline of important events in the city's history.
Perfection Learning
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
A revolutionary work of literature requires a revolutionary assessment project. A series of activities on Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings includes discussion questions, a plot synopsis, and a selection of both short and...
Curated OER
Site and Situation: Right Place at the Right Time
Students put their geography skills to work. In this geography skills instructional activity, students research maps and other primary and secondary sources to simulate the site selection process for the Pennsylvania Railroad Shops post...
Penguin Books
An Educator's Guide to Al Capone Does My Shirts
It's hard to imagine that life on Alcatraz could be dull. A series of intriguing lessons take readers through the novel Al Capone Does my Shirts. Pre-reading questions introduce the text and a range of suggestions, from comic strips to...
Curated OER
Write a Song About American History
Students explore the historic background of the song, The Battle of New Orleans. Working in pairs, students research other historic events and write their own songs based on them.
Curated OER
Read All About It! Events and People of the 1930s and 1940s That Shaped California and the Nation.
Learners look carefully at four photographs by Dorothea Lange and discuss them in terms of what is depicted and what she may have wanted to communicate. They review what they learned about the Dust Bowl, the Depression, the war era, and...
Curated OER
Wartime Posters
Students recognize that, America's eventual involvement in World War II, not everyone initially agreed that intervention was the answer. They conduct research about the political, economic, sociological, and historical factors in the...
Curated OER
Beauty Behind Barbed Wire: The Relocation Camp Experience of Estelle Ishigo
Eighth graders study World War II through art.