Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trailblazers - Now and Then

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students, working in pairs, use maps to determine the most efficient routes between two cities. They research which route would have been used by early trailblazers. They present a first person account of one of the trailblazers place in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging Deeper in Mission San Saba

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explain Spanish motives for establishing Mission San Sab?? and the reasons for the mission's failure. This lesson should be used when students already have an understanding of the Spanish mission-presidio system in Texas.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coronado: Misfortune's Explorer

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discuss the importance of Coronado's expedition through Texas and the trials his men endured during the journey. They view and discuss a map of Coronado's route, the effects of weather on the Great Plains, and Buffalo....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cut Outs: Shapes and Symbols

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students create collages based on Juan Quick-to-See Smith's "Ode to Chief Seattle." In this shapes, symbols and Native American instructional activity, students examine the "Ode to Chief Seattle" and Henri Matisse's cutout work. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Colonial America

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders study the Salem Witch Trials and the different theories for the hysteria.  In this American History channel, 11th graders explore primary source documents to understand the stories of various people involved in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Political Cartoons

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students draw two political cartoons. They compare the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890 to the stand-off that took place at Wounded Knee in l973. They examine the role that Manifest Destiny played in the West.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Baker's Gold

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine art of the California Gold Rush. In this visual arts lesson, students analyze the photography and art of Isaac Wallace Baker. Students also conduct further research about the miners of the era in order to create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Landscape at the Fort Vancouver Reserve

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate the international background and consequences of The Louisiana Purchase, The War of 1812, and The Monroe Doctrine. The lesson helps to improve critical thinking skills about American History.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Needs It?

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explain the needs and wants of an Abenaki family or group and/or of a family or group in the first half of the 19th century and compare them to the needs and wants of Students' family or household today.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Trail of Tears

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Learners create a journal entry written from the perspective of a Cherokee, a soldier, or a person involved in the Trail of Tears.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Decide

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders, who live on a Native American reservation, investigate how land management is addressed at Tribal Council meetings. They participate in a simulation of a meeting as the discover the workings of tribal government. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Appaloosa - Horse of the Nez Perce

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate the use of Appaloosa horses by the Nez Perce Native Americans during the War of 1877. They examine the geography of the area and determine why the Appaloosa horse was suited to this use after looking at...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Was It Like?

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students use the Internet to gather historical facts about the county in which they live. Using the information, they discover how to check it for accuracy and present their findings to the class. They write an essay about the history of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

the Richness of Rattles: a Lesson in Making And Decorating Clay Rattles

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students study the history behind clay rattles. They form and create a clay rattle using ceramic sculptural techniques and important composition and design elements.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VH1's When Disco Ruled the World

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners choose a minority culture or an event and research the musical influences of that culture or event on American popular music. They discuss how minority cultures and events in American society influenced the Disco era.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Holding a Wolf by the Ears: Race, Economics, and the Complexity of Thomas Jefferson

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the era of slavery when Jefferson was President. In this United States History lesson plan, 11th graders participate in a class discussion that is led by the teacher.  A PowerPoint presentation on the topic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Revolution!

For Teachers 2nd - 4th
Students explore events of the Revolutionary War and George Washington's role in them. They examine the forces behind the war and create timeline.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pontiac's War

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students interpret primary sources concerning Pontiac's Rebellion. They are able to explain the motives behind the attack on the British. Students predict possible outcomes of Pontiac's Rebllion.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Days of '49: "I've Been Toiling Hard for the Last Two And a Half Years"

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students trace the stages of gold mining in California. They discuss the life of a gold miner and how the discovery of gold influenced towns and cities in California during the 1949 Gold Rush.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How To Stay Out of Hot Water

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students discuss the events of the Boston Tea Party. They role-play various scenarios from the Boston Tea Party using their conflict resolution skills.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

THE MASSACHUSETSS FRONTIER:TURNER

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Learners examine the political, social, religious, and economic world and national context in which the settlement of Deerfield occurred and the competing political agendas, and competition for land, power, and wealth in Deerfield.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tribal Traits

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders will analyze the similarities and differences between early Texas Indian tribes, compare and contrast two tribes, select to which tribe they would rather belong, and determine their location today.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Treaties: Students Explore the Lives of Yakama People Before and After Treaties

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Students role play positions in the Walla Walla treaty negotiations. They identify the significance of the Sacred Circle and other beliefs of the Native Americans. They discover the complications the tribes faced after the treaties...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

All Men Are Created Equal

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars discuss the statement "All Men Are Created Equal". Using the internet, they research events in history in which this statement has been ignored and supported by the government. They use this information to write an essay...