Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Shadows & Light, Science & Puppetry

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Immigration Past and Present

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students simulate a Commission hearing in which the class attempt to arrive at an immigration policy; individual essays by each student; and, if time permits, individual or group projects based on some aspect of America's immigration...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Group Rehearsal

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students study their national and family heritage while working in groups.  In this personal history project, students examine the family shield or crest of the teacher while preparing to create and share their own with the class....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chain Across the Hudson

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders role play as contractors responsible for constructing a chain across the Hudson River. They apply math skills to determine the total weight, number of links, and cost of the project.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Orderly Wagon Train Migration

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders work in small groups to organize a wagon train for a trek westward. They determine leadership responsibilities and rules needed to make a successful trek.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

It's All Part of the Story

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore storytelling through pantomime, improvisation, and dramatization. They watch an online video, discuss Native American earth stories, role-play various situations, explore websites, and present an oral story to the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

An Introduction to Immigration and the Canadian Political System

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders take a citizenship test before learning how their own ideology fits in with current political parties. They create questions for a debate and learn the process of registering to vote.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Flag Wars

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students consider how zoning policy shapes the character of neigborhoods. They see how zoning and loan policies have been used historically in the U.S. to benefit some people and discriminate against others. They examine tensions between...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pushing the Boundaries: The Pioneer Spirit

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders recognize how social reform occurred at the turn of the century. Through a debate, 11th graders determine advantages and drawbacks of traveling west using original sources and descriptions of the attitudes, beliefs, and...