Curated OER
Oral History
Students explore cultural diversity, the difficulties of immigration, and lost cultures. They study historical events such as the Holocaust.
Curated OER
More Folk Songs
First graders explain that texts of folk music are handed down by tradition. They sing two folk songs.
Curated OER
Oral Histories
Learners interview local Native Americans to explore their history, culture, and contributions to the region. They contact a local Native American organization, conduct an interview with a volunteer and write thank-you notes.
Curated OER
Oral History and Interview Skills
Students develop interview skills and learn about US history at the same time. Students research an event from local history. Students prepare a list of questions based on the research. They create a list of interview questions and...
Curated OER
Motifs and Variations Worksheet
In this oral tradition motif and variations instructional activity, students answer several questions based on famous stories that cross cultural lines. Students examine similar story elements and motifs.
Curated OER
The History of Scrabble
Students discover the history and rules to the classic board game, Scrabble. For this spelling lesson, students complete a KWL chart on Scrabble and present their findings in an oral report. Students work in pairs to reenact...
Curated OER
Treasure Tales
Create an artifact kit to engage your young learners. Then, assign small groups a section of chapter three. They will identify the main idea and three supporting details for their section. Then, they select one artifact from the kit that...
Curated OER
Nos Creemos Americanos: Braceros in History and Song
Mexican folk songs offer an authentic look at WWII immigrant workers. This study of the U.S. Bracero Program sets historians up with context information so they can write their own corrido. The class reviews themes and formulas of...
Curated OER
Join Gloria Steinem
Students research events relating to the Chicana rights movement and analyze the 1973 Chicana Caucus Resolutions. They draft a set of Chicana rights resolutions.
Reed Novel Studies
Johnny Tremain: Novel Study
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Scholars read Johnny Tremain to see how Johnny's terrible accident helped him become a part of history. Learners write two poems, analyze characters by matching descriptions, and create...
Incredible Art Department
Story Tellers - "Passing on the Traditions"
It's important for young people to learn about their ancestry and the role of storytelling as a means of passing along traditions, information, and lessons. Based on what they already learned about Native American oral tradition,...
Curated OER
Coming To America
Students investigate the history of America with the help of children's literature. The story is structured as a timeline that begins at the time of Columbus and progresses to the present. The teacher reads the story with the class and...
Curated OER
Sam Houston for President...Again
Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. In this Texas history lesson, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.
Curated OER
Your Attention Please: Iatmul Orator's Stool
Students investigate art by observing historical sculptures from New Guinea. In this art history lesson, students observe pictures of the "Orator's Stool"from Papua New Guinea, while identifying the small details that make it unique....
Curated OER
Tracing the Route of Bracero
Students make a map showing the work of a Bracero Worker. In this Bracero lesson plan, students listen to a worker in an online oral history as he explains his work locations and crops. They use a map to plot the areas he worked and the...
Curated OER
Listening for Leschi: Voices from the Past
Students explore the written and oral histories of mid 19th centruy western Washington. They imagine that they are a reporter who can travel back in time and interview Leschi to create a newspaper article that features him.
Curated OER
Portrait of a Place, Portrait of a Family
Students act out stories based on lives of famous people from Harlem. In this memoirs lesson, students compare the life of the people in Harlem in 1930 to the people of today. Students explore how "home" is different for different...
Curated OER
Our Small World
Students explore indigenous and Native cultures, and promote appreciation for the contributions from these cultures. They explore the concept of cultural conservation and gain more understanding about the issues that tribes face today. ...
Curated OER
What is Brazil's history?
Students research Brazil's history and note the changes that take place over time in Brazil's history. They analyze reasons for changes in Brazil's history and compare and contrast Brazil's history with that of the United States in...
Curated OER
Diversity
Fourth graders discover cultural heritage by investigating the Aboriginal community. In this Canadian History lesson, 4th graders identify the First Nations of Canada and research them using an atlas and the web. Students create a First...
Curated OER
Everybody Has a Story
Students read short stories and folk stories to explore oral history and story. They interview elderly family members and/or others in the community and record these stories and histories. They evaluate in a final essay what they have...
Scholastic
Tell Us a Tale: Teaching Students to Be Storytellers
Encourage scholars to retell their favorite short story or folktale, adding personal details to make it their own. After reading their book of choice several times, story tellers retell a tale verbally to their classmates.
Curated OER
SPEECHES TO INTRODUCE
Pupils create multimedia speeches of introduction which focus on women and Hispanics. They introduce their famous person and, using a video camera, video tape their speeches.
Center for Civic Education
Women's History Wax Museum
Bring influential historical figures to life with a highly interactive and informative activity. Your class members will research important activists during the women's suffrage movement and then share what they have learned by role...