National Endowment for the Humanities
Learning about Early Modern Era Empires
You are a diplomat during the Age of Empire: prepare a briefing about your country. Young scholars take on the challenge using a role-play exercise to examine various empires during the rise of global interconnectedness. Materials...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Empire Intelligence Briefings
To trade or not to trade. Young diplomats put their country's best foot forward in a series of briefings for other countries about their nations. The goal is to persuade others to engage in diplomacy and trade. Using a previous lesson...
Curated OER
Golden Ages: Gupta Empire, Ancient Greece, and Ancient Rome
Students investigate the Golden Ages. In this world history lesson, students compare and contrast the achievements of the Gupta Empire, ancient Greece, and ancient Rome using an interactive T-chart.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Analyzing “Intercepted Intelligence”
A good diplomat needs to know how world events can affect their country. First, class members examine the Papal Bull that excommunicated Queen Elizabeth I from the Roman Catholic Church. Then, learners playing the role of diplomat from...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Planning for Treaty Negotiations
The party is over. Now it's time to get to work! Learners acting as agents for a country during the modern Age of Empires develop proposals to negotiate trade deals between the rising global powers. Using research from previous lessons,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Hosting a Diplomatic Reception
The toasts are written, the table is set: it's time to party! Young scholars use a role-playing activity to go toast to toast. After researching and writing toasts for their allied countries during the modern Age of Empires, individuals...
Skyscraper Museum
Building a Skyscraper
The construction of skyscrapers is no simple undertaking, involving the careful coordination and planning of many different people. The third instructional activity in this series explores this detailed process by first teaching children...
Curated OER
The Middle Ages Gazette
Seventh graders research and obtain information about topics from the Middle Ages and write news reports that be compiled into a Gazette or newsletter. The reports can be on feudalism, castles, jousts and tournaments and/or the Crusades.
Curated OER
The Fall of the Roman Empire and the Armenian Tragedy of 1915
Students examine the fall of the Roman Empire and the Armenian tragedy. In this world history lesson plan, students read handouts about both world history events and create presentations that feature the events.
Curated OER
This Old Ship
Junior archaeologists will be able to describe shipwreck artifacts and the information they reveal. They work in small groups to reasearch wreckage features of different period ships, making this not only a science lesson, but a social...
Curated OER
Determining the Age of Fossils
Students examine the concept of radioactive dating. In this radioactive dating lesson, students investigate how to determine the ages of fossils and rocks as they learn about half-life radioactive decay.
Curated OER
"What Was Rome"
Eighth graders study the richness, diversity and significance of Roman Civilization. They demonstrate in what ways Rome has influenced subsequent civilizations and what is meant by the "Fall of the Roman Empire". They clarify that...
Curated OER
The British Empire – Where the Sun Never Set
Students read an article on the British Empire. In this ESL lesson, students explore the British Empire from the 1600's, then work in small groups to complete several activities that reinforce the information learned in the reading.
Curated OER
Europe in the Middle Ages
Students focus on the development of European civilization during the Middle Ages in Europe through this series of lessons. They develop an awareness for time and place, explain the complex nature of cultures, and real and mythical...
Curated OER
The Roman Empire
Fourth graders identify the reasons behind the fall of the Roman Empire and describe the changes that occurred after the fall of the Roman Empire.
NASA
Determining the Nature, Size, and Age of the Universe
Prompt scholars to discover the expansion of the universe themselves. Using photographs of other galaxies, they measure and then graph the size and distance of each. Finally, they draw conclusions and prove the universe is expanding.
Curated OER
Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu's Golden Age of Scholarship
Students study and identify the empire of Songhai through research and describe Timbuktu's role in its economy. They investigate how Timbuktu became an important spiritual and intellectual center of Islam. Students describe the Islamic...
Curated OER
Who Were the Ottomans?
Students explore the Ottoman Empire. In this Ottoman Empire lesson, students analyze images of the empire as they take a gallery walk. Students compare and contrast the Ottoman Empire to the other empires in the region of modern-day Turkey.
Curated OER
The Feudal System: Castles at War
Students study the feudal system of the Middle Ages. For this Middle Ages lesson, students watch "The Feudal System at War". Students listen to an instructor-delivered lecture regarding the roles of monarchs, nobles, knights, and...
Curated OER
It’s a Big, Big World
Students examine the role of the explorers. In this explorers and conquistadors, students create word puzzles (Wordles) regarding the time period in history. Students conduct research regarding a particular explorer and create foldables...
Curated OER
Trekking to Timbuktu: Timbuktu's Golden Age of Scholarship
Students access online information regarding education in Timbuktu and the mighty Songhai Empire. They write an essay comparing and contrasting the curriculum of the university at Sankore with that of their own school.
Time Warp Trio
See You Later, Gladiator!
Young historians take a look at the age of gladiators, and the cultural atmosphere present when they staged their epic battles. Pupils pretend to be reporters and write newspaper articles about one of the events they stage. Then,...
Curated OER
What Kind of Vessel Are You?
This is a strange question; but what kind of vessel would you be and why? After examining images of a large Inca jug, the class sets to writing a creative narrative that answers that very interesting question. They start by researching...
Curated OER
On a Pilgrimage
Sixth graders engage in a variety of learning experiences surrounding the study of the Middle Ages. They construct a map of Europe, create a graphic organizer for the hierarchy of feudalism, design their own family crest, and write their...