PBS
Document This
Being a historian requires serious sleuthing. They examine primary source documents and look for evidence, for clues that reveal who wrote the document, when, and why. After watching two historians model the process, young history...
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Job Journals
Students compare the differences between job varieties. In this career exploration lesson, students evaluate different aspects of jobs and then write a diary entry as if they were the real employee.
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A Colony is Born : Lesson 4 - What Went Wrong?
Fifth graders compare and contrast two early colonies and make a T chart. They list examples of worked well and what did not, and significant historical events. They use higher order thinking skills by deducing how different scenarios...
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The Perilous Fight: WWII - Up Close and Personal
Students research World War II primary source documents and write first person historical point of view stories.
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Harriet Tubman Integrated Unit
Students organize facts about Harriet Tubman. In this writing lesson, students research Harriet Tubman, sort facts about her into two categories, and use the information they have found to write about her life in complete paragraphs.
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Sporting Tolerance
Students investigate African-American baseball players from the early 20th century. They read an article, answer discussion questions, write a journal entry, and create a poster-size baseball card for an athlete.
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World War I: War in a Democratic Society
Students research opposition and support for World War I from a number of perspectives. They analyze a number of primary and secondary sources, while considering what (if anything) makes a war just and write a letter expressing his/her...
Crafting Freedom
Creating Original Historical Fiction Using Henry "Box" Brown's Narrative and Runaway Slave Ads
Young historians discover the experiences of runaway slaves after reading the brief biography and narrative excerpt of Henry "Box" Brown, who escaped slavery by having himself shipped away in a crate and popularized his flight in a...
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Unnatural Selection
Students identify quotation marks and demonstrate the uses of quotation marks. They rewrite sentences without quotation marks and discuss how the meanings can change without the use of quotation marks. In addition, they make their own...
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The Moravians: What Does It Take to Build a Religious Community
Young scholars study a Moravian community, its town structure, and compare the town to other non-religious communities. In this religious community lesson, students research a Moravian community using the town plan documents and excerpts...
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Across Five Aprils/Civil War
Eighth graders study the Civil War novel, Across Five Aprils, by Irene Hunt. They review vocabulary and literary elements and write a "Brother Against Brother" essay about coming face to face with a brother in one of the battles of the...
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Hank Williams: Still Singing After All These Years
Students research the life and music of Hank Williams. They take a quiz on country music, watch a video about Hank Williams, research Williams' song lyrics, create a poster and write a bio poem about his life and work.
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Anne Frank: Newspaper
Students research information about the Holocaust or a current example of prejudice. They create a newspaper to be used by future classes as a learning tool.
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The Concept of the Hero
Students explore the symbolic implications for the concept of the hero with a focus on the Beowulf theme. In this hero concept lesson, students find specific examples of monsters from Beowulf to complete the chart. Students list the...
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Across Five Aprils
Students read the novel, Across Five Aprils and investigate the theme of the individual vs, community loyalties. They keep a daily journal, role-play situations, hold a mock debate, and write a research paper on "coming of age."
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These Honored Dead: The Battle of Rivers Bridge and Civil War Combat Casualties (94)
Students write creative accounts of the Battle at Rivers Bridge after studying historic accounts and looking at images in this series of activities.
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Learning About the Civil Rights Movement Through Photographs
Students examine the racial inequality that existed in the United States before the Civil Rights Movement. After listening to song lyrics and viewing photographs, they discover the importance of the movement in helping society move...
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Five a Day
Students look up and print definitions of fruit and vegatable. They write down their food intake for three days. They identify and categorize fruits and vegetables. They research how fruits and vegetables grow. They bring in their...
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I Knew Him When....
Students examine different techniques of research to gather information and facts. They discover how to use multimedia computer application HyperStudio. They improve writing and word processing skills.
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Words in the News Hopes and Fears for Shuttle Discovery
Young scholars participate in vocabulary building activities including worksheets before reading an online article. They write a space travel diary of their first visit to outer space in a journal entry.
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Hardships of the Maine-land
Fifth graders examine the design of the Maine quarter reverse and identify the objects depicted. They compare the settlement at Popham, Maine with that at Jamestown, Virginia.They write journal entries and draw pictures about the Maine...
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Anne Frank Newspaper
Students individually research different aspects of the Holocaust. They create newspaper articles and editorials based on a specific aspect of the Holocaust. Students come together as a whole class and create a newspaper based on their...
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Social Studies: Native american Tribal Sovereignty
Students examine the issue of tribal sovereignty for Native Americans. Following a mock trial simulation based on the case of Johnson v. McIntosh, they write opinion papers based on the results of the Supreme Court decision in 1823.
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The Sound of History: Conducting an Oral Interview
Students conduct an oral interview with a person from their local community. They conduct research, write interview questions, conduct the interview, and identify the subject matter using headings and subheadings.