Curated OER
Jamestown
Fifth graders research the Jamestown settlement and examine life in the colonies from 1607-1610. They explore websites, develop a timeline, select two settlers to research, and write three letters written from the point of view of their...
Curated OER
Black America And the War in Vietnam
Students explore Vietnam War from Afrocentric perspective, examine experiences of black people both at home and in war zone, and write three to five page response to quote by W.E.B. DuBois regarding race relations and Vietnam War.
Curated OER
Ft. Vancouver the Fur Trade: A Skin for a Skin
Young scholars study Fort Vancouver. They discuss trading and what is meant by "a skin for a skin." They complete math story problems that represent possible trading scenarios. They explore the Chinook Jargon trade language.
Curated OER
Doctor Mae C. Jemison - First African American Woman in Space
Seventh graders trace and analyze the life of Doctor Mae C. Jemison and the circumstances that enabled Dr. Jemison to achieve her goal of becoming an astronaut. They explore the role of NASA in the development of America's Space Shuttle...
Curated OER
The Study of the Main Tribal Nations of North Dakota
Fourth graders compare the tribal nations of North Dakota. In this tribal life instructional activity, 4th graders explore the many different tribes native to North Dakota. By the end of their study, students should be able to explain...
Curated OER
Mexican-Americans: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
Students examine how the Mexican-American culture developed in Los Angeles. They explore the past, present and future of Mexican-Americans in LA and present their findings in a PowerPoint presentation.
Curated OER
South American Architecture
Seventh graders review and discuss what they read about North American architecture. They then study images of North and south American architecture and make comparisons
Curated OER
Illuminating American History
Eighth graders evaluate the effectiveness of adding visuals to printed documents by exploring "The Invention" pages of the "Gutenberg Education Module". They use the techniques of illumination and rubrication to manipulate documents from...
Curated OER
Perceptions of Asian Americans
Fourth graders examine their own perceptions of Asian Americans and the origins of these perceptions and gain factual information about the Asian American culture and experience through completion of a quiz
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
Native American Ceremonies
Second graders explore cultural rituals by researching Native American people. In this Native American ceremony lesson, 2nd graders read the story Indian Festivals by Keith Brand and identify the naturalistic attitude of the Native...
Curated OER
American Indian Art
Fourth graders discover and gain an understanding of American Indian art creating three beads out of clay, showing texture on at least one bead to make a balanced bracelet. They then explain either orally or in writing what kinds of...
Curated OER
Latino-American Authors and Historical FIgures
Eighth graders examine various websites and gather information from them about influential Latino-Americans. They synthesize the information they gathered to create a poster about their chosen influential Latino-American. Students...
Curated OER
Colonial Identity
Students research and discuss the origins of the American colonies and explore how colonists were still influenced by English culture. As a follow-up project, students produce a portrait of an individual.
American Museum of Natural History
What's This? Frozen Tissue
Take a peek into thousands of frozen samples. Learners try to identify an image of a piece of frozen tissue. After choosing the correct answer, scholars find out more information about the American Museum of Natural History's Frozen...
American Evolution
Virginia Runaway Slave Ads
What does an ad reveal about a culture, or about the values of its intended audience? Class members examine a series of runaway slave ads—one of which was written by Thomas Jefferson—and consider what these primary source documents...
Scholastic
Pilgrim and Wampanoag Daily Life for Grades 3-5
Thirteen steps make up a lesson that challenges pupils to compare and contrast the daily lives of Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe. Learners revisit the Graffiti Wall then break into small groups for an investigative reading assignment...
Middle Tennessee State University
The Invention of the Telephone
All of the people in your class would agree that life would be different without the invention of the telephone! Study Alexander Graham Bell's most famous and influential invention through the primary source document of his sketch of the...
K20 LEARN
Plantation Life And Slavery: Antebellum Era
Learners evaluate primary sources from the antebellum era to determine the accuracy of textbooks. They examine narratives from enslaved people, then compare them to their own text. Extension activities include the opportunity to write a...
Walden Woods Project
19th Century Lessons for 21st Century Lives
The words of Henry David Thoreau on Civil Disobedience seem particularly relevant today, as are his writings and those of other transcendental thinkers who ask what it mean to live deliberately and what are the responsibilities of...
American Museum of Natural History
DNA Detective
Match up the DNA code. Pupils read the website from the American Museum of Natural History about how DNA can determine whether a skin is from a particular type of reptile. Using the same technique, learners match up products with the...
Scholastic
Voyage on the Mayflower
After completing an online activity about the Mayflower, scholars draw a picture about what they know of the Thanksgiving holiday, including a one-sentence summary. A reading of If You Were at the First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma is the...
Scholastic
Pilgrim and Wampanoag Daily Life
A instructional activity looks at the Pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe during the first Thanksgiving. Scholars compare and contrast information presented by an online activity then discuss their findings. Learners examine the two group's...
Brown University
Youth Activism and the Dakota Access Pipeline
Do young people have a role in social movements? Should they? The involvement of young people in the Dakota Access Pipeline is the focus of a resource that asks class members to examine letters written by native youths who oppose the...