Curated OER
Floods
Students examine the devastation floods may cause. For this current events lesson, students analyze a photograph of a flood scene to determine what was taking place when the photograph was taken. Students respond to the provided...
Curated OER
Science Observations
First graders investigate change by analyzing a photograph. In this scientific observation instructional activity, 1st graders view a photograph of a baby and attempt to memorize the details. Student view the photo a few minutes later,...
Curated OER
Uncommon Heroes of Today
Learners create a photo-biography of someone they consider a real life hero. In this character sketch lesson, students define a hero and identify heroic characteristics in short stories. Learners use descriptive words to...
Curated OER
Border Poetry/Writing Workshop
Young scholars analyze a poem set in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands and defend their own interpretations of the work. They demonstrate understanding of poetic technique by writing their own poems of living on the border.
Curated OER
Every Picture Tells a Story
Learners consider controversial photos of Elian Gonzalez and decide how they, as editors of the Times, might have displayed them. They choose, discuss, and write about other famous images from photojournalism to decide what makes the
National Endowment for the Humanities
Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy
Explore the idea of democratic poetry. Upper graders read Walt Whitman, examining daguerreotypes, and compare Whitman to Langston Hughes. They describe aspects of Whitman's I Hear America Singing to Langston Hughes' Let America Be...
Curated OER
Every Building Tells a Story
Examine images from past that depict buildings and towns from their own communities, and compare images with photographs taken at present locations, interview local architect and compare role of 19th Century architect to 21st Century...
Weebly
Symbolism in The Giver
Take two days to examine the symbolism inherent in color, and how this relates to Lois Lowry's The Giver. Small groups first discuss the meaning of colors and then come together as a class to explore the impact of color. The activities...
EngageNY
Developing an Opinion Based on the Textual Evidence: Jackie Robinson’s Role in the Civil Rights Movement (Promises to Keep, Pages 50–57)
Caption this. Scholars look at pages 50-57 of Promises to Keep and discuss the photographs on the pages. They analyze the captions with the pictures and then discuss vocabulary such as human rights and civil rights.
PBS
Henry David Thoreau: Author, Philosopher, and Abolitionist
What would Henry David Thoreau think of life in 21st-Century America? Pupils investigate the abolitionist using primary and secondary materials. They analyze what Thoreau would think of the changes to American lifestyles since the time...
PBS
Jackie Robinson: Athlete and Activist
Can hitting a home run be an act of courage? Scholars analyze the impact Jackie Robinson had on the Civil Rights movement in America. They use primary sources and video clips to create 21st-Century baseball cards of Robinson's many...
PBS
Testing The Hypothesis
After choosing one experiment from the four they conducted in the previous lesson, young investigators analyze the evidence they collected to determine if it proves or disproves their original hypothesis.
PBS
Eleanor Roosevelt: First Lady, Diplomat, and Activist
Scholars analyze the impact Eleanor Roosevelt had on not just the nation, but also on the world. Primary sources and video clips help form a picture of the First Lady and her accomplishments. As a final activity, individuals create...
Teaching Tolerance
Using Photographs to Teach Social Justice | Affirming Our Commonalities and Differences
Photos can challenge stereotypes. To gain an understanding of the big picture, groups examine a series of photographs and analyze how a photographer's choices can shape a viewer's reaction to an image. For the first set of photographs,...
PBS
Frederick Douglass: Orator, Editor, and Abolitionist
Imagine the task of designing a national memorial for a former slave, orator, editor, and abolitionist! Scholars research and analyze the impact of the life of Frederick Douglass. Incorporating primary and secondary sources as well as...
Historic New Orleans Collection
Exploring Primary Sources: Music in New Orleans
Looking for a new and exciting way to teach young historians the art of primary source analysis? Jazz up your lesson with a resource that asks class members to analyze photos, travel documents, and letters written by some of New Orleans'...
Curated OER
An Early Canadian Photo Album
Students search the Images Canada database for images depicting life in Canada in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They analyze photos and share their findings. They use these images to create a photo album.
Curated OER
Hurricane Watch: How Scientist Analyze Their Effects on Coastlines
Eighth graders are able to evaluate the forces that shape the lithosphere. They explore background information on hurricanes by completing a webquest and answering questions. Students present their reports to the class. The class...
Curated OER
A Basic Photography Lesson
Students explain the aesthetics of photography, take photos that demonstrate their understanding of aesthetics, and take photos that convey a message or tell a story. They analyze the qualities of a given photo.
Curated OER
Civil War Photos Tell a Story
Students explore the work of a Civil War photographer. In this Civil War lesson, students access the photographs by Matthew Brady through the web link and examine the photographs he took in order to better understand the Civil War.
Curated OER
Do You See the Light?
High schoolers analyze Shakespeare's sonnets. In this literature lesson plan, students choose a sonnet by Shakespeare and use Photostory to create an audio/video montage to represent the sonnet.
Curated OER
Illuminating Our Human Experiences: Soliloquy from Hamlet
Students determine the meaning of a soliloquy and examine the themes in Shakespeare's, Hamlet. In this literature lesson, students read Hamlet's soliloquy and watch a Photo Story 3 text model of such. They write a personal soliloquy...
Curated OER
Read More Than Words
Students, in groups, visually read photographs from the Farm Security Administration taken during the Great Depression. They analyze the photos and present their observations to the class.
Curated OER
FDR's First Inaugural Address
Learners, in groups, describe a photo to the class. They determine which New Deal program is depicted in each of the images based on the research they conducted.