Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Armchair Travelers

For Teachers 6th - 11th
Students consider how other countries and cultures influence furniture and home furnishings. They create a design plan for a particular room using the influences of a particular country.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Where Will I Go From Here?

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students research the various cultures in Colonial America. In this American history activity, students analyze and complie the research they find presenting what they have found into a short presentation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Totem Poles

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students create outdoor totem poles by creating masks and designing an outdoor painting in the woods. In this totem poles lesson plan, students study Native American culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rites of Passage

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students, through video and Internet activities, are exposed to rites of passage in two modern day West African cultures, the Fulani and the Dogon, and how slavery served as a rite of passage for many West African people in the past.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

BEAN and SEED MOSAIC

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders create a bean and seed mosaic focusing on Mexican culture. They develop an aesthetic value for others' work and a cultural sensitivity. They gain a greater awareness of the cultural significance of Cinco de Mayo.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mexico's Day of the Dead

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore global culture by researching a Mexican holiday. In this Day of the Dead lesson plan, students read assigned text which discusses the view of death in several different cultures including the U.S. and Mexico. Students...
Lesson Plan
Syracuse University

Harlem Renaissance

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The music and literature of the Harlem Renaissance defined American culture, including its poetry. Using a poem from the period, individuals explore its musical qualities and how it is reflective of the period. Then, they use what they...
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Discover the Mary Ann Shadd Cary House

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Mary Ann Shadd Cary was an extraordinary woman, no matter the time period. Academics research the life and achievements of Mrs. Cary, who was born a free African American in 1823. The lesson uses primary sources, worksheets, written...
Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Borders within the United States: Indian Boarding Schools and Assimilation

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Native American Nations ... sovereign entities or removable tribes? A thought-provoking instructional activity explores the relationship between Native American tribes and the United States, including forced assimilation and removal from...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Smithsonian Institution

Native Resistance: Native Resistance Then and Now

For Teachers 8th - 11th Standards
Native Americans lost so much—and gained so little in return. Scholars explore Native Americans' resistance to the United States government. The lesson uses primary sources to explore the different forms of protest and gives a voice to...
Activity
Scholastic

Explore the Seven Principles

For Teachers K - 12th
A lesson shines a spotlight on what makes Kwanzaa special by taking a close look at its seven principles. Gift ideas encourage scholars to make and give one to their family members. Class members celebrate heroes and role models of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ragtime: 1880-1920

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Build an understanding of the social, economic, and cultural changes that were incited by the American Industrial Revolution. Learners will research the historical context of the Ragtime Era, and compose an oral presentation in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Paper Weaving

For Teachers 3rd - 10th
Practice the native concept of weaving with traditional classroom items. Using assorted colors of construction paper, your class will simulate how to weave. This is a great activity to connect to a Native American, Mexican, or other...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Evaluating Perspectives on Westward Expansion

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Although popular culture tells the story of the American West simplistically, its reality is far more complex. Native American tribes—while already on the land—didn't have the same interests, and conflicts between white settlers and...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Conflict in Alabama in the 1830s: Native Americans, Settlers, and Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To better understand the Indian Removal Act of 1830, class members examine primary source documents including letters written by Alabama governors and the Cherokee chiefs. The lesson is part of a unit on the expansion of the United...
Unit Plan
Pardee Home Museum

Geography of Alaska

For Teachers 5th
A unit on the 49th state covers a variety of topics from the geography of Alaska to Native American myths.  Academics work to analyze information found in primary source materials including old newspaper articles and artifacts....
Website
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Smithsonian Institution

World War I

For Students 5th - 12th Standards
How did World War I effect the United States' status as a world power? Pupils examine a website to learn many interesting facts about American involvement during World War I. They read passages and interact with artifacts in an online...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Photograph of a Treaty Council

For Teachers 7th - 12th
A photo catches a moment in time that provides a glimpse into the past. An interesting resource focuses on historical analysis using an image from a treaty council with Native Americans. Budding historians complete an online worksheet...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Twelve Years a Slave

For Teachers 8th - 12th
It's difficult to truly grasp the effects of slavery. Young historians use historical analysis to understand the struggle of slavery on African Americans. The resource provides text from the autobiography Twelve Years a Slave to help...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Letter from Jackie Robinson: "Fair Play and Justice"

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Jackie Robinson was more than a baseball legend; he was an activist, too. An interesting resource explores Robinson's time in the military using primary sources. Scholars examine the racially inspired event that led to a court martial...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Sitting Bull: Spiritual Leader and Military Leader

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Sitting Bull was not expected to be a great warrior. Yet, he led the Lakota people and other tribes to several pivotal victories against the United States government when federal troops threatened their land. Using primary sources, such...
Lesson Plan
Global Oneness Project

Then and Now

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The devastating changes happening to the Native American inhabitants of an island off the coast of Louisiana are the topic of an informational lesson plan. After scholars break into groups to explore particular topics, they come back...
PPT
Curated OER

Clash of Cultures and Marching North

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Each of the 23 slides that comprise this presentation are intended to enhance or support lessons on shifts in religion and the colonization of the Americas. Students are guided through the changes in religion that ultimately lead to the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Latinos at the Ballot Box

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Latinx people have had a profound effect on voting patterns, going back to the 1950s. Using video clips from the PBS series "Latino Americans," scholars work to assemble a timeline of the interesting history. Then, pupils consider the...