Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African Americans Seen Through the Eyes of the Newsreel Cameraman

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders become familiar with the role of African Americans during WWII.  In this WWII instructional activity, 5th graders watch a newsreel and discuss its use as a primary source.  Students answer questions about the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Into the Fifties: Understanding the Context of Film Genres in the Fifties

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners discuss prior knowledge of American culture during the 1950's. They complete KWL charts, participate in class discussions and view the documentary film Atomic Café. They record their observations from the film.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American History Digital Movie

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders create a video. In this historical presentation, 5th graders watch a video clip of a dramatization of a historical event in American History. Students discuss how this video was put together. Students divide into small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Are the Arab Americans?

For Teachers 3rd - 7th
Students explore the concept of diversity. In this Teaching Tolerance lesson, students take a quiz titled "Who Are the Arab Americans?" and then use the quiz as a lens through which to discuss misperceptions regarding Arab Americans....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teen Immigrants: Five American Stories

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students watch the PBS program "In the Mix" about teen immigrants. They discover the number of immigrants in America and their problems moving to this country. They answer questions as the film plays.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Families

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research psychology by participating in a role-play activity. In this human relationship lesson, students define the term "family" and read assigned text which discusses how family relationships work. Students answer study...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Importance of American Flag in American Literature

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Betsy Ross - fact and myth. As an introduction to American Literature, class members become detectives and search web sites to find information about the flag, prominent places it has been displayed (on the moon, at ground zero, in...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Japan Society

Our Family and Other Families: Using Totoro to Teach Family Structure

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
What do families around the world have in common? Explore this theme through the popular animated film My Neighbor Totoro by Hayao Miyazaki. Over the course of two days, pupils view the film, pausing to discuss their own families and the...
Lesson Plan
American Documentary

American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawai'i

For Teachers 9th - 12th
In this lesson, students will examine Hawaii's issues of colonization, authority, authenticity and cultural identity, and understand the distinction between native and non-native Hawaiians. This lesson includes links to videos, links to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fairness: Incarceration of Japanese Americans During World War II

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Young scholars examine fairness in relation to the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. In this equality lesson, students watch a video "Rabbit in the Moon" and discuss what happened to the Japanese Americans during WWII....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Case Study: Manzanar

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders investigate Japanese-American internment. In this World War II instructional activity, 11th graders conduct research from the Manzanar National Historic Sites and then write essays based on their findings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Americans

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders compare and contrast colonial life with the present.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Create a Migrant's Scrapbook from the First Great Migration

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Help young historians personally engage in the stories of African Americans during the Great Migration! Assessing a migration route map, learners create a migrant character's experience, adding details while studying primary sources. A...
Lesson Plan
3
3
Alabama Department of Archives and History

"Scottsboro Boys": A Trial Which Defined an Age

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here's a must-have resource. Whether your focus is racism, the Great Depression, the "Scottsboro Boys" trial, or part of a reading of To Kill A Mockingbird, the information contained in the seven-page packet will save hours of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Unveiling the Mystery of the Incas

For Teachers 7th - 10th
This lengthy, and very thorough collection of study guide worksheets should help learners who are studying the Inca culture to solidify their understanding of the culture. The worksheets are meant to be used as the class goes through the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration: Another Perspective

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students research the geography and history of immigration and then take a look at current immigration issues. They prepare biographies, conduct interviews, view films, sample foods, prepare an oral presentation, complete worksheets and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz Music and the Crisis Over School Desegregation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers will learn to appreciate the civil rights movement with a focus on Little Rock, Arkansas. They will also acknowledge Louis Armstrong's unparalleled contributions to American music.
Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Mood and Tone at Owl Creek Bridge: Mood and Tone

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Two versions of movie trailers for the film Mary Poppins launch a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious lesson about how mood and tone impact a reader's experience of work. Using the provided list, readers identify the words that create the...
Lesson Plan
Teaching for Change

Stepping into Selma

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The 1964 Selma to Montgomery, Alabama voting rights marches are the focus of a lesson designed to introduce learners to people who took part in the Civil Rights Movement. Class members set into the role of one of the participants,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The American

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in the study of "The American" by Henry James. They read the novel and watch the film to create the context for a variety of activities. Students conduct research about the novel and the author using different resources.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Becoming American: Between Two Worlds

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students examine American identity. In this immigration lesson, students explore the plight of Chinese Americans in their attempts to assimilate into the American culture while keeping their Chinese identities. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Civil War Soldiers Lesson Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Civil War lesson, students examine the service of African Americans in the Civil War and consider their plight to secure the rights and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stories of the American Experience

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify a veteran to interview. This could be a family member of one of students or someone contacted through an organization in the community. They use a storyboard to plan their movie about their subject.
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Recording a Dying Langauge

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Is there value in preserving indigenous languages that are almost extinct? That's the question posed to viewers of a short film about the attempt of one Native American woman who is creating a dictionary for Wakchumni, the language of...