Curated OER
Imperialism: Locations of Colonial Rule
Eighth graders examine the conquest of the Americas. In this Exploration lesson, 8th graders locate the areas of colonization. Students create a visual map of these areas of conquest.
Huntington Library
Further Exploration - Exploring the California Missions
How did Native Californians and Franciscans influence one another in early California? Learners analyze a few cultural pieces to examine the impact that integration had on Franciscan and Native Californian culture.
Read Works
First Thanksgiving Meal
Cranberries, oysters, lobster, deer, and cabbage were just a few of the foods found on the table at the First Thanksgiving. After reading a two-page passage about the historic meal, class members respond to 10 reading response questions.
Reading Through History
Patriots and Loyalists
Patriots versus Loyalists, a huge divide during the Revolutionary War in what would become the United States of America. An informative resource includes both direct instruction about the two groups and a quiz pupils take after reading...
EngageNY
Peer Critique: Historical Accuracy of Ideas and Vocabulary
Promote collaboration in the classroom with a historical fiction instructional activity. Fourth graders partner up and read the other's narrative to give feedback on vocabulary choice and the accuracy of historical information. After...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Common Sense: The Rhetoric of Popular Democracy
Students identify important arguments for independence made in Thomas Paine's Common Sense. They explain why these arguments helped persuade American colonists that independence was necessary. Students describe the importance of Common...
Stanford University
Expansion of the Inca Empire
If you could write your own history textbook, what would you include? Learners play the role of textbook writers by examining evidence of the Inca Empire. With primary sources from Spanish and indigenous perspectives, as well as images,...
Curated OER
Military Tactics and Battle Plans Oh Boy!
Eighth graders compare and contrast a Loyalist and a Patriot. After reading selected pages in the book, 8th graders use a graphic organizer to examine the battle plans of the colonists and the British during the Revolutionary War. They...
Curated OER
The Colonies: An Adertisement
Students explore the early colonies of American settlements. After researching important characteristics such as land, politics, economics, and educational opportunities, students create their own advertisement for one of the colonies.
Curated OER
French and Indian War
Fourth graders engage in activities that familiarize them with the causes of the French and Indian War. They discuss the problem that started the war, the countries involved, and the effects to come about as a result of the French and...
Curated OER
Turkey and Indians
Students color pictures and tape one to each side of a piece of cardboard. They line up opposite one another in the middle of the gymnasium about 4 feet apart. Designate each line as one of the groups that corresponds to the pictures on...
K12 Reader
Dear King George
Thomas Jefferson's letter to King George III, which evolved into the Declaration of Independence, is the subject of a two-part reading comprehension exercise that asks kids to first read the attached article, and then to respond to a...
K12 Reader
Escaping Persecution
Pilgrims, puritans, and Pennsylvania are all featured in a reading comprehension activity that asks kids to read a short passage about these early settlers and then to answer a series of questions based on the article.
Annenberg Foundation
America's History in the Making: Classroom Applications One
Someone finds a time capsule 100 years from now, and it includes your family photo album. What would the photos tell that person about you and your place in history? Scholars investigate how artifacts tell stories. Using photos, maps,...
K12 Reader
Find the Meaning: JFK's Inaugural Speech
Analyze a seminal speech from the 20th century with an activity focused on President John F. Kennedy's inaugural address. After reading an excerpt from the address, pupils use a worksheet to practice their reading comprehension skills...
Curated OER
How did Geography Affect the Economy of the Colonies
Eighth graders examine the impact of geography on a region. In this geography lesson, 8th graders study the themes of geography. Students write an open response to a question.
Curated OER
Baseball in Korea
Seventh graders explore the origins of baseball. In this Geography instructional activity, 7th graders compare Korean baseball teams with other countries. Students create a map of all the baseball teams around the world.
Curated OER
Love A Lobster
Learners discuss the appearance of a lobster. Using pre-cut parts, they create their own lobster and name each part of its anatomy. As a class, they listen and participate in exploring background information on the lobster and its...
Curated OER
The Disappearing Honeybees: Tracking Honeybee Decline
Young scholars practice graphing and other math skills to track number of honeybee colonies present in United States since 1978, discuss major crops that are dependent on insect pollinators, and examine reasons for decline of United...
Curated OER
Missouri Rice Farming
Sixth graders investigate rice farming in Missouri. In this percentages lesson, 6th graders determine how much rice production has increased over time. Students find this number in percentages. Students then figure the percent of acres...
Curated OER
In Strawberry Fields
Students discuss the origin of strawberries and employees involved with picking strawberries. In this algebra lesson, students discuss how much a worker who picks strawberry makes based on their flats. They create a table with the...
Curated OER
Jamestown
Fifth graders read literature that explains several reasons the Virginia Company was established. In this history lesson, 5th graders use different learning styles; interpersonal, artistic, logical, visual, and auditory to understand all...
Curated OER
Corn Field Math
Students complete problems dealing with whole numbers, fractions and percents. After exploring the history of corn and related farming vocabulary, students work in pairs to solve multi-step problems. They incorporate the use of number...
Curated OER
The United States Constitution
Twelfth graders research how the constitution was formed and the reasons for its implementation. They form a class wide constitution that expresses the steps originally used while forming the original constitution. Students vote and...