Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Read More Than Words

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

W. Eugene Smith: Photojournalism and Compassion

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the work of the photojournalist W. Eugene Smith. They analyze photo-essays by Smith, construct a pinhole camera, and create their own photo-essay.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil War

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students are be able to analyze primary sources (Civil War images) for examples of how soldiers are portrayed historically. They discuss what a hero is and why some individuals are heroes to certain groups while others are not.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picturing Freedom: Selma-to-Montgomery March, 1965

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students analyze primary sources to investigate the Civil Rights Movement. In this Civil Rights lesson, students explore the passage of Voting Rights Act of 1965 and how photojournalism impacted the passage of the legislation. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Holocaust in Art, Photography and Writing

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students explore paintings, photographs and writings about the Holocaust using the internet. Researching the various websites, they will discover different human experiences of Holocaust victims. After researching, students write about...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Child Labor in the Carolinas

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore child labor and how children were exploited and used in the work place. In this Industrial Revolution lesson, 5th graders research child labor by reading, looking at photographs and drawing conclusions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Visual Thinking Strategies

For Teachers K - 12th
Students explore Visual Thinking Strategy as a way to examine art and photography. They discuss the strategies, and analyze and discuss photographs using the Visual Thinking Strategies techniques.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Transcontinental Railroad Web Quest

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine aspects of the Transcontinental Railroad. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students conduct a web-quest in order to gather information about the Transcontinental Railroad. Students will use their information to analyze...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration and Migration: Today and During the Great Depression

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students conduct interviews, analyze primary sources including docuements and images to gain an inderstanding of the causes and effects of he Great Depression and immigration.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration in America

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Young scholars use primary sources to study immigration. In this immigration lesson, students analyze photographs, posters, letters, and documents from Ellis Island. Young scholars complete analysis worksheets as they evaluate the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Alphabet Soup Job Descriptions

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders investigate New Deal programs. In this Great Depression lesson plan, 11th graders read the provided source materials that detail the agendas of 3 New Deal agencies. Students complete the provided analysis sheets and then...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Inventions Change the World: The Enigma Machine

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders explore WWII by analyzing technological advances. In this invention lesson, 3rd graders discuss the use of the Enigma machine which decoded private German messages that communicated with U-boats. Students utilize a timeline...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

HARLEM RENAISSANCE

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze historical conditions which led African Americans to settle in Harlem. They describe the culture of everyday life in Harlem and identify individuals significant to the Harlem Renaissance and describe their contributions...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Follow the Road to Riches

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students study the story of gold and silver mining in the San Juan region. Through the use of interactive video and the Internet, they will examine the various events occurring at this time. They create a timeline highlighting the major...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students are be able to analyze primary sources (photographs and letters) for evidence of difficulties children faced during the Great Depression. They are asked how the government tries to help people with problems that people face to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lake Tahoe Then and Now

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate the differences in Lake Tahoe from the past to the present. In this geography lesson, students read the book Washoe Seasons of Life and identify the descriptions of the land and lake. Students create a Venn diagram...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Vanished Occupations: Life on an Iron Plantation

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners analyze photographs to understand life on a plantation.  In this vanished occupations lesson, students examine why iron plantations were created and what natural resources were needed to make iron. Learners compare the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Migrant Workers Through the Lens of Dorothea Lange

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students explore the lives of migrant workers during the Great Depression. In this Great Depression lesson, students examine photographs and song lyrics to gain an understanding of the conditions for people living in the era. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Debating the Bomb

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research how the development of the atomic bomb affected people in World War II, participate in a debate about the bomb's use, and investigate how it has affected people's lives since 1945.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Impressionist Landscapes

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students visit an on-line art museum in Paris, analyze several landscapes, and explore the painting techniques. They become familiar with distinctive aspects of classical Impressionist landscape paintings.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History In the House

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students analyze primary sources. In this historical analysis activity, students will closely examine the household objects that most impact their lives. Students will use research, analysis, and class discussion to draw parallels...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Grandparent/Elder Project

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students interview a grandparent/elder to as part of a history and writing project. For this grandparent/elder project lesson, students record an interview of an older person who is willing to share their past. They look at pictures and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jamestown's Economy

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students identify items made in Jamestown and draw conclusions about their economy. In this Jamestown economy lesson, students use the internet to complete a worksheet which required them to look at photographs of goods made in and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Women in the Civil War: Ladies, Contraband and Spies

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. For this American Civil War  lesson, students research diaries, letters, and photographs of women involved in the war.