Curated OER
Carbondale: The Biography of a Coal Town
Young scholars use a brief history of the growth and decline of the anthracite region in the state to create a photograph and map "peak shaped" time line. They practice map and photo analysis strategies to "read" photographs and maps.
Curated OER
K is for Keystone
Learners are introduced to the history of Pennsylvania. After listening to a story, they discuss each letter and sound and practice saying them. As a class, they complete a quilting project in which they discover the coal mines and steel...
Curated OER
Suffering and Sunset: An African American Artist's Impression of World War I
High schoolers study paintings by a Pennsylvania artist, Horace Pippin, to explore African-American contributions in World War I. They create presentations based on their impressions of the artwork.
Curated OER
White-tailed Deer: Beauty or Beast?
Students use study guides and videos to discuss the positive and negative impacts of white-tailed deer populations. In this wildlife management lesson, students view slides and discuss the natural history and value of deer as a resource....
Curated OER
Artist Unknown
Students examine how Lennie Gardner's process of discovery about his bronze mask parallels a personal discovery process. They receive an introduction to the art, history, and religion of Benin
Curated OER
Start with a Chart
Students use a given chart and the 50 state quarters to synthesize information about the 50 states and the dates that they were admitted into the union. Students complete a math worksheet while referring to the chart.
Curated OER
Three Days at Gettysburg
Eighth graders discuss why the Battle of Gettysburg was important to the Civil War. In groups, they identify the major events of each day of the battle. They analyze how the battle changed the direction of the war and discuss the outcome.
Curated OER
A Case Study: Slavery and Anti-Slavery in Philadelphia, PA, (17th-19th Centuries)
Eleventh graders work in teams of three. Each team visits a workstation to interpret, analyze, and apply information from documents for their final project. The final project is an exhibit at Independence National Historic Park
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John Wanamaker and his "New Kind of Store"
High schoolers study John Wanamaker's department store and its attractions to 19th century consumers. For this Civil War instructional activity students compare the different styles of shopping pre department stores and evaluate images...
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"O Captain! My Captain!"
Who was Walt Whitman, and what link does he have to president Abraham Lincoln? After Lincoln's assassination, Whitman wrote "O Captain! My Captain!" This poem and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" are the focus of exercises...
Curated OER
Bushy Run: A Decisive Battle of Pontiac's Rebellion
Students study the battle at Bushy Run. In this Pontiac's Rebellion lesson, students examine an 1765 map of the Bushy Run battle as well as letters and a modern topographic map of the area in order to simulate the event and research how...
Curated OER
Dear Mrs. Roosevelt
Learners develop an understanding of how the Great Depression impacted people. In this writing, analyzing and cooperative groups lesson, students inquire about the Great Depression. Learners identify problems children faced during this...
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The Formation of Coal
In this coal formation worksheet, young scholars read and informational sheet about coal formation. Students are given 5 short-answer questions regarding what they've read.
Curated OER
ANTICIPATORY SET
Students are be able to analyze primary sources (photographs and speeches) and write a definition of American Democracy. They are shown a photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. by Ben Fernandez, students are asked what is happening in the...
Curated OER
The Betsy Ross Story: Truth or Legend?
Students discover that some historians question the story of Betsy Ross's involvement in the creation of the first U.S. flag, study why historians question the story and list reasons the story of Betsy Ross might not be true.
Curated OER
Who Wants to be a Millionaire?
Students examine wealth including analyzing and interpreting the sources of it. In this social responsibility lesson students create their own political cartoon.
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Roebling and Suspension Bridges: A Thread of Steel
Students create a model bridge using steel. In this bridges lesson plan, students study John Augustus Roebling and how he created bridges out of steel and the impact it had on society. Then students build their own bridge model.
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Our Eye in the Sky: The TIROS Weather Satellite
Students investigate the political context of the creation of a weather satellite. In this technology and society lesson plan, students explore the historical, technological, and political context of the TIROS weather satellite. They...
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Cultural Impact on Development of African Kingdoms
Ninth graders consider the impact of development on African kingdoms. In this cultural diversity lesson, 9th graders conduct independent research to determine how development has changed Africa. Students write research papers based on...
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PLATE MOVEMENTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Students label three geological maps with continents provided to analyze the relationships between the movement of tectonic plates and the changes in the climate. In small groups, they discuss their findings and form hypotheses about the...
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Presenting the Geologic Timescale
Students model the geologic timescale using distance as a metaphor for time. They write a summary of a major event or fossil organism. and station themselves and their summaries along a path within a gymnasium, and present their...
Curated OER
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...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
A Geography Lesson
Fewer and fewer people have a strong grasp of world geography, but this activity helps students understand geopolitics by creating their own original historical map. The activity requires selecting a country from the list provided,...
Curated OER
Rock Cycle: The Story of a Rock
Students examine the rock cycle by watching videos and then use creative storytelling techniques to tell the story of a rock as it undergoes geologic changes.