Smithsonian Institution
Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon
How do barns serve as a window to a community's past? Here are a series of lessons on the symbolism and historical context of barns throughout American history. Topics include community-building, in-depth primary and secondary source...
Curated OER
Cane River Civil Rights: A Native American Perspective
Learners interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this civil rights lesson, students examine the civil rights struggle from a Native American perspective. Learners analyze documents and write journal entries that...
Curated OER
Songs the Express American Ideals
First graders will learn the words to two American ideals songs: "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and "America the Beautiful." They will also learn the Pledge of Allegiance and what it means to recite it. This is a great resource for your...
Curated OER
The American Cowboy
Middle Schoolers produce a class newspaper about the American cowboy and the times in which he lived with illustrations, feature stories and advertisements typical of the times. This is an ambitious, yet worthwhile project for youngsters...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Drawing on a Familiar Icon
In this current events learning exercise, students analyze political cartoons about the feature American icons. Students respond to 4 talking point questions.
Girl Scouts
Flag Protocol, Ceremonies and Activities
How can an American flag be displayed indoors vs. outdoors? What is proper etiquette for handling the flag? The Girls Scouts of the USA have put together a fantastic packet of information with everything you need to know about the...
Curated OER
That's the Spirit
Is, as Walt Whitman contends, America’s “almost maniacal appetite for wealth,” the heart of the American dream? Class members grapple with this question as they read David Brooks’ article “The Commercial Republic,” and quotes that...
Curated OER
Introduce Vocabulary: Rap a Tap Tap (Dillon)
Explore the dancing prodigy and Depression-era African-American icon Bill Robinson as scholars learn new vocabulary words in context. As you read Leo Dillon's Rap a Tap Tap they listen for six new words: clatter, greet, passion, pause,...
Curated OER
Native American Heritage Month Word Jumble
In this word scramble about Native American tribes worksheet, students read the tribal names in the word bank and write them correctly on the lines next to their scrambled words. Students write 20 short answers.
Curated OER
Importance of American Flag in American Literature
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...
Curated OER
Native American Word Jumble
In this Native American worksheet, students read 20 words in a word box that pertain to Native American culture. Students unscramble the letters in 20 words and print them on the line.
Curated OER
Native American Alphabetical Order Worksheet
In this online interactive Native American worksheet, students examine 16 Native American words and then write them in alphabetical order on the lines provided. This worksheet may also be printed for classroom use.
Smithsonian Institution
The Birth of an Icon: Learning and Performing the Origins of the Drum Set and Early Jazz Drumming in New Orleans, Louisiana
Bass drum, snare drum, tom-toms, cymbals. Perched behind their drum sets, wielding their drum sticks and wire brushes, drummers lay the grove and are the heartbeat of a band's performance. A dynamic instructional activity introduces...
Curated OER
American Flag Alphabetical Order Worksheet
In this online interactive American flag instructional activity, students examine 13 American flag-related words and names and then write them in alphabetical order on the lines provided. This instructional activity may also be printed...
PBS
Jackie Robinson's Complicated — and Important — Legacy
Americans tend to lock their heroes in history, holding these icons to a particular event or time. Jackie Robinson is such a hero, remembered by most for becoming the first African American to play in the Major Leagues. Young historians...
Annenberg Foundation
Becoming Visible
The television and interstate highways both came of age in 1950s America. Scholars use film, text, and discussion to explore how these and other cultural icons shaped the literature of the time. Pupils also create a family history...
Curated OER
Why Do We Remember Revere? Paul Revere's Ride in History and Literature
Students examine primary documents regarding Paul Revere's ride and its role in the Revolutionary War. They consider how Revere's role has been written about by Longfellow and others and discuss the discrepancies between accounts.
Curated OER
American Pop Icons
Young scholars analyze art and decide if the images are an attempt to celebrate or criticize American Popular Culture of the fifties and sixties and discuss how successful "Pop Art" mirrored society. Students also discuss the difference...
Curated OER
U.S. American Flags Vocabulary Word Jumble
In this online interactive Flag Day activity, students examine 20 American flags-related words in a word bank. Students use the word bank to unscramble 13 sets of letters. This activity may also be printed for classroom use.
Curated OER
Native to Maryland
Students explore Native American tribes in Maryland. In this Maryland history lesson, students investigate Native American tribes in a webquest. After completing the webquest students create a triarama.
Curated OER
Bison on the Plains
Fifth graders explore U.S. geography by reading assigned text about American Indians. In this migration lesson plan, 5th graders identify the differences between Native Americans and European settlers who traveled through middle America...
Curated OER
Native American Tribes-Alphabetical Order
In this Native American tribe worksheet, students alphabetize a set of 16 words found at the bottom of the page in a word box. Worksheet has links to additional activities.
Ford's Theatre
How Perspective Shapes Understanding of History
The Boston Massacre may be an iconic event in American history, but perhaps the British soldiers had another point of view. Using primary sources, including reports from Boston newspapers and secondary sources from the British...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: From Toons to Icons
In this current events worksheet, students analyze political cartoons that feature icons like the hot dog and the teddy bear. Students respond to 3 talking point questions.