National History Day
Helping Life and Aiding Death: Science, Technology, and Engineering at Work during World War I
Science, engineering, and United States history? Pupils research collections of artifacts from the Smithsonian to learn about historical scientific innovations. At the end of the lesson, they write an essay to discuss technology's...
Curated OER
Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay Landscape Long Ago and Today
Combine a fantastic review of primary source analysis with a study of Captain John Smith's influence on the Chesapeake Bay region in the seventeenth century. Your young historians will use images, a primary source excerpt, and maps...
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.
Curated OER
Geography and Artifacts of Mexico
Learners review the structure of government in Mexico and discuss how it is different than the United States. Using artifacts, they must label and identify the city or state in which the artifact originated. They use the artifact clues...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
American Indians and their Environment
People could take a page in ingenuity and survival from the Powhatans. Deer skins became clothes, and the members of the Native American group farmed the rich Virginia soil and hunted in its forests for food. Using images of artifacts...
Art Institute of Chicago
African Myths and Stories
Young historians discover African stories associated with a royal altar tusk from the Kingdom of Benin in Nigeria, read myths illustrated on the tusk, and write a story about the life of an oba using figures depicted on the tusk.
Stanford University
Japanese American Incarceration
Using documents, such as reports from government sources and civil rights activists, budding historians explore the justification for forcing hundreds of thousands of Japanese-Americans to leave their lives and re-evaluate that tragic...
Stanford University
Chronology: Civil Rights in the 20th Century
Test pupils' knowlege of history and the way civil rights movements unfolded using a series of images. With a primary source analysis activity, scholars practice their chronology and deductive reasoning skills. They use their knowledge...
Curated OER
Kidding Around In The 1980s
Students examine pop culture of the 1980s. In this historical time period lesson plan, students view a Smurfs cartoon from the 1980s and discuss its similarities and differences to cartoons today. Students work in groups to examine an...
Curated OER
Mapping India
Young scholars participate in an activity in which they place placards listing geographic features, landmarks, etc. in the correct place on a large fabric map of a given country. They also examine artifacts, photos, sounds/music, etc....
Ford's Theatre
How Perspective Shapes Understanding of History
The Boston Massacre may be an iconic event in American history, but perhaps the British soldiers had another point of view. Using primary sources, including reports from Boston newspapers and secondary sources from the British...
Maryland Department of Education
Our Children Can Soar
Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a lesson on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella Fitzgerald....
Curated OER
King Tut On The Move
Students read a story called King Tut On the Move and answer vocabulary and comprehension questions about it. In this current events King Tut lesson plan, students respond to literature by answering questions, recalling details, sharing...
PBS
Women's History: Glass Windows; Glass Ceilings
Discover stories about women's history in beautiful stained glass windows. The second in a three-part series teaches scholars about a famous artistic style of stained glass windows and the influential women that used art to impact...
Curated OER
Read Martin's Big Words
Students read Martin's Big Words. In this social studies lesson, students read and discuss the life and times of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Curated OER
What's That Relic?
Fifth graders listen to a read aloud of David Mc Cauley's book Motel of the Mysteries. They discuss an unknown artifact and decide what it might be used for. They research other artifacts and play "What's that Relic?"
Curated OER
Archaeology Underwater
Eleventh graders study underwater archaeology. In this history instructional activity, 11th graders read an article on archaeology. Students complete a reading comprehension worksheet on archaeology underwater.
Curated OER
Day 4: Folk Dance
Day four of this dance lesson teaches the steps to a Mexican folk dance. It uses chunking and dance to aid them in memorizing the steps. Note: This lesson appears incomplete.
Curated OER
Looking into the Past (Archaeology)
Students discover how to be an archaeologist. In this archaeology lesson, students research the basic information about an archaeologist. Students then observe different artifacts and learn what questions to ask in order to discover the...
Curated OER
Working on the Railroad
Students plan a trip on the railroad. In this railroad creation and implementation lesson, students listen to the song "Working on the Railroad", make a map of where the track was laid and discuss the geographical challenges. Students...
Curated OER
We the People
Students examine both the Preamble of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. They work in small groups to connect the two documents and analyze how the documents are important to their lives today. They create a poster that visually...
Curated OER
Working: The Law
High schoolers read a lesson on working and getting a job in Minnesota. They complete a worksheet, which includes completing a sample job application.
Curated OER
Botanical Discoveries
Sixth graders examine the Lewis and Clark Expedition. For this plant discovery lesson, 6th graders put in chronological order the plant discoveries of Lewis and Clark. Students understand the characteristics of leaves and find the area...
Curated OER
People/Culture
Seventh graders explain both past and present examples of how people use of natural resources. They use the MVAC website to garther information about the prehistoric cultures in Wisconsin.