Curated OER
Paul Revere and Point of View
Students analyze the engraving of Paul Revere to make a judgment about the time period of the Boston Massacre. The objective is that one creates an account of the event from the perspective of a British soldier.
Curated OER
Scaffolded Reading of "Drawing of an African Burial Ground Grave in Situ"
The class reads the description of the "Drawing of an African Burial Ground Grave In Situ" then completes a work sheet. They act like archaeologists and answer a series of critical thinking questions to better understand the historical...
Curated OER
Carnavals and Colonialization
Ninth graders compare and contrast different Carnavals throughout Latin America. In this Latin American lesson, 9th graders study the geography and colonial history of Latin America.
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin: Colonial Printer and Journalist
Fifth graders explore how important print media is to everyone's daily life. Students use present daily newspapers and they are to reproduce weather forecasts.
Curated OER
Creating a Colonial Newspaper
Students identify people, events and issues of importance during the French and Indian War and compare them with issues that only affected New Hampshire. They discover how newspapers gave people a sense of identity.
Curated OER
The Powhatan Indians' English Boy
Sixth graders write a historical fiction narrative. In this interdisciplinary instructional activity, 6th graders read the historical fiction Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy. Students write a piece from the point of view...
Curated OER
Conflict On The Plains
Eighth graders investigate the culture and lifestyles of the Lakota Sioux and the Northern Cheyenne tribes. They use a variety of resources for research. They create questions based on information to be used during classroom discussion...
Curated OER
The Power of Journals: Going Beyond the Text
Eighth graders define and use new vocabulary and identify the reasons why Native Americans captured Europeans during the colonial period. They write their own journal entries about the topic and explain the importance of journals as a...
Curated OER
Immigration to the Golden Land: Jewish Life in America
Students examine waves of Jewish immigration during three time periods and analyze a variety of primary sources, including letters, memoirs, and laws, to gain insight into both the American immigrant experience and American society...
Curated OER
Major American Water Routes
Sixth graders locate and identify the major bodies of water and waterways in the United States. Through a simulation activity, they describe how early explorers would have described their surroundings. Working in groups, they create...
Huntington Library
Further Exploration - Exploring the California Missions
How did Native Californians and Franciscans influence one another in early California? Learners analyze a few cultural pieces to examine the impact that integration had on Franciscan and Native Californian culture.
Channel Islands Film
Once Upon A Time (Saxipak’a): Lesson Plan 1
As part of a study of the history of the Chumash on California's Channel Island chain, class members view the documentary Once Upon a Time, respond to discussion questions, and create a timeline for the different waves of migration.
US Citizenship and Immigration Services
Thanksgiving 2—The Pilgrim Story and My Immigrant Story
The tradition of the First Thanksgiving is really a story of immigration. Connect the feelings and customs of the early Pilgrims to the experiences of the immigrants in your class with an introduction to the 13 colonies, the Mayflower,...
Curated OER
Revolutionary Newspaper
Fifth graders write a newspaper article about an important event or cause of the Revolutionary War. In small groups they participate in a jigsaw activity, and return to their original group to report on their new information. Students...
Curated OER
Revolutionary Idea
Students take a field trip to watch a reenactment of the Revolutionary War. In groups, they participate in the same daily chores as the soldiers and examine the contributions of the colonies. To end the lesson, they eat a typical...
Curated OER
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
Fifth graders describe the changes in King George III's policy toward the American colonies by sequencing key events between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. They explain the colonial reactions to command decisions...
Curated OER
Decolonization and Self-Determination
Students define and discuss colonialism and self-determination. After reading the European's view on the topic, they analyze a map of imperialism in 1914. They watch excerpts of a video and take notes on various United Nations...
Curated OER
U.S. History: The Progressive Era
Students examine the Colonial Revival Movement as a response to industrialization and immigration. focusing on Deerfield, Connecticut, they create a documentary artifact reflecting the period.
Curated OER
Migration and Immigration in the United States: Three Case Studies
Students examine the early migration of Native Americans, African Americans, and the British Colonists. They conduct Internet research, complete a timeline, label maps, compare/contrast the three groups' experiences, and write an essay.
Curated OER
Birth of a Nation
Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.
Curated OER
Art of Cynicism
Learners analyze selected pieces of art and infer how they reflect a sense of disillusionment, and/or cynicism in American society in the aftermath of the Vietnam War and Watergate scandal. Then they identify and place cultural attitudes...
Curated OER
Model United Nations Activity
Students examine current and past problems and situations affecting the United Nations, and explore life, career, and philosophy of Ralph Bunche, American diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner. Students then prepare portfolios to...
Curated OER
Newspaper Time
Eighth graders complete a newspaper article as a part of their exam review for the Revolutionary War. Using information gathered over the course of the unit, 8th graders create their own newspaper reflecting the facts and ideas of the...
Curated OER
Understanding the Declaration of Independence
Students work in groups to do a document analyxix of several documents. Students view the Martin Luther King speech, "I Have a Dream." They discuss the Battle of Saratoge. Students give a personal view of the reason the Declaration of...