Curated OER
Introduction to Traditional Oral Narratives
Students are introduced to the idea of traditional oral narratives and divide them into genres. They explore the genres of context, motifs and variants. Each student finds oral narratives in their own lives and practice retelling them in...
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Civilizations of the Ancient Near East
Sixth graders investigate ancient civilizations by creating a research project. In this world history activity, 6th graders investigate historic civilizations developed close to important rivers of the near East. Students...
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Personal Stories and Primary Sources: Conversations with Elders
Learners learn from their elders. In this oral and social histories lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the America in which their grandparents grew up. Learners conduct interviews with elders in...
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Family History
Eighth graders examine immigration patterns. In this family history lesson, 8th graders investigate their own family histories and then compare and contrast immigration patterns of their class to national immigration patterns between...
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Lesson plan: History Underfoot
Students study Native Americans of Virginia. In this Virginia history lesson, students take on the role of archaeologists as they analyze a site and its artifacts. Students use the information to draw conclusions about the natives who...
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Dramatizing Your Story
Students write a script, planning and recording improvisations based on personal experience and heritage, imagination, literature and history.
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The Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies
Students investigate the concept of foot soldiers with oral history. They are provided with primary and secondary resources. Students differentiate the terms of oral history versus the written record of history. They have class...
Civil War Trust
Transcribing Civil War History
Primary sources are valuable for understanding the context of historical events, but the diction and dialect in these documents can be difficult to understand. Middle and high schoolers participation in a transcription process in which...
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Rediscovering Forgotten Women Writers
Women's voices are becoming more prominent in the world of literature, but for centuries, this wasn't the case. Young historians research a woman whose writings are considered to be lost, out of print, or forgotten. They develop an oral...
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U.S. History: Civil War Flash Cards
Eighth graders create flash cards of the leading historical figures of the Civil War. Using media center resources, they laminate their selections and use them to learn their names and faces and as review materials for a test. Along with...
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Oral History and Multiculturalism
Students observe the human or personal side of history by assessing the background to the people in the community who are basically "living" historians. They compare the histories of different ethnic groups to identify areas of patterns...
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Lesson 11: Illinois History 1800's Dual Timeline
Students identify and research key event in the history of Illinois during the 1800's and create a dramatic skit or oral report based on the event.
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Wilbur West, An Oral History
Third graders listen to the history of Wilbur West, a World War II veteren. They discuss how he is an important piece of history. They write a persuasive essay on the importance of Veteren's Day.
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Black History Month
Students work in cooperative pairs to research information and give oral presentations about African American men and women who have made significant contributions to U.S. history.
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Oral Genealogy
Learners research their family histories by conducing interviews with parents and grandparents. They put their histories into a chant or a chart/family tree and present it to their class.
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Learning from the Past: A New Approach
Young scholars research nonprofit organizations. As they research, they learn how those living in the colonial period formed community organizations to provide for the common good of their society. Each pupil chooses one organization to...
Curated OER
Civil War Research Project
Give your WWI study collaborative energy using a group research project. Groups are assigned one of the six main themes (included). Each group has an outline to guide research but will need an assignment guide. Consider supplementing the...
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Mary and the Red River Raft
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine how the clearing of rivers such as the Red River helped to boost the Arkansas economy of the mid-1800's. They listen to a story called, "Mary and the Red River Raft," then conduct research on...
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The 1927 Flood
Upper elementary and middle schoolers examine the Great Flood of 1927 in the state of Arkansas. They each prepare an oral report about this flood and the huge impact it had on the economics of that time. Additionally, learners research...
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Women's Firsts Crossword
In this Women's history crossword puzzle activity, learners use the 10 clues to determine the names that fill in the blanks to appropriately complete the word puzzle pertaining to the women in history. A word bank is provided.
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Arkansas State Anthem
Does your state have an anthem? Consider using it to launch a study of poetic imagery. Class members research the poet, the history of the song, the images presented, the format, and the tone. Conclude with a class sing-along.
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According to Tradition
Students analyze a historical document. They review oral histories as a tradition of storytelling in Native cultures and listen to an excerpt from The Life and Traditions of the Red Man. They write an episode or story that has been...
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American Veterans: Past and Present
Research groups present an audio report on modern veteran issues in a radio show format.
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Costume Exploration
What a great lesson, upper graders are sure to love. They explore costume design and the relationships between theatre, culture, and history. They research three time periods, write a response about two of them, then create a composit...