US National Archives
WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Occupation
Warsaw, Poland, suffered much of the blunt of World War II—but according to Polish letters from the early days of Nazi occupation, other parts of the country were much worse off. High schoolers use the letters and contemporaneous...
Curated OER
Civil War Photographs: The Mathew Brady Bunch
Students examine the photographs of Mathew Brady. In this Civil War activity, students analyse primary source photographs from the Civil War. Students will be able to describe specific events and what life might be like during the Civil...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Seeing Sense in Photographs & Poems
Learners analyze photographs and poetry as forms of each other. In this poetry and photography analysis lesson plan, students use the photographs of Alfred Stieglitz and poetry from William Carlos William to explore how poetry and...
Curated OER
Oil Spill in a Test Tube
Students develop a test tube model of an oil spill in order to experiment with conditions needed for bioremediation. They apply the principals of experimental design by analyzing a research article on the EXXON Valdez bioremediation...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Strange Fruit: Lynching in America
To continue their study of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the beginning of the civil rights movement, class members watch the YouTube video of Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit" as an introduction to an examination of...
PBS
Democracy in Action: Freedom Riders
This is a must-have resource for every social studies teacher covering the civil rights movement. Through an engaging video and detailed viewing guide, young historians learn about the Freedom Riders, and discover how everyday...
Curated OER
Why Is A City Located Where It Is?
Students analyze how transportation influenced the development of Stillwater, Minnesota, They use the same techniques to analyze the impact of transportation on the origination and development of their own community.
Media Smarts
Advertising All Around Us
Here is a set of advertising lessons, explore language, techniques, representation, and target audiences. Discuss the impact ads have on our daily lives. What do we see and how do they make us feel? Observe ads from around the...
PBS
Using Primary Sources: Wide Open Town
A picture speaks a thousand words, no matter how old! Scholars use political cartoons from the era of Prohibition and the Temperance Movement to analyze what, a primary document (in this case, a bootlegger's notebook) is telling them...
Curated OER
The Hajj: Muslim Pilgrimage in a Geographic Perspective
Students read information on the Hajj. They discuss pilgrimage and ways it differs from going to a church, mosque or synagogue. Students discuss logistical problems that might be posed for the host country of a pilgrimage. Students do an...
Curated OER
Create a Walking Tour of San Francisco's Chinatown
Take a tour of Chinatown as it was in the 1800's. Analyzing primary source images and documents, learners will gain a better understanding of the myths and misconceptions of Chinese immigrants during the 1800's. They create a pamphlet to...
Curated OER
Make a Van Gogh-Style Self-Portrait
Learn by doing! Young artists try their hand at creating their own self-portraits in the style of Vincent van Gogh. This worksheet contains a brief explanation of the essential qualities of van Gogh's art: complementary colors and...
Curated OER
A Research Project and Article For the Natural Inquirer
Get your class to use the scientific process to solve a scientific problem. They utilize the Natural Inquirer magazine to identify a research question which they write an introduction to and collect data to answer. They use graphs,...
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...
Academy of American Poets
Teach This Poem: “Crisscross” by Arthur Sze
Arthur Sze's poem "Crisscross" launches a instructional activity that asks scholars to use their observation skills. They first draw an image that reflects what crisscross means to them. They then examine a photograph of a lightning...
Curated OER
Journal of Time: A Historical Perspective
Analyze the setting behind the Great Depression in California with Pam Munoz Ryan's Esperanza Rising. Middle schoolers assess the protagonist during her coming-of-age moments, while migrant workers manage the hardships of the...
Scholastic
Ruby Bridges: A Simple Act of Courage, Grades K-2
A civil rights movement lesson designed specifically with the Common Core State Standards in mind, young learners are introduced to the story of Ruby Bridges as the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary...
Curated OER
Exploring Photographs, Lesson 2—A Closer Look: Analysis in the Museum
Students explore photographic works of art. In this visual arts lesson plan, students analyze selected photographs by Garcia, Ray, and Eggleston. Students take their own photographs in the style of these photographers.
Curated OER
Photographs of the 369th Infantry and African Americans during World War I
Students engage in a discussion regarding images of war we see, how quickly do we see them, and how they affect us? They view and analyze war photographs taken during World War I.
Curated OER
A "CCC Youth Refuses to Fan Flies Off Officer"
In this primary source analysis worksheet, students analyze a historical article about a CCC youth who was dishonorably discharged. Students then respond to 3 short answer questions about the photograph.
Curated OER
Teaching with Primary Sources Across Tennessee: Debunking Civil War Photographs
Young scholars analyze photographs and texts using primary source analysis. In this primary source lesson students determine whether the photographs and text are truthful.
Curated OER
Famous Photographers
Student explore, research, and discuss the life & artwork of famous photographers. They analyze & critique the artwork, photographers through a presentation. They recognize and identify technological developments in the...
Curated OER
THE GREAT DEPRESSION THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHS
Students, investigating and analyzing the period known as the Great Depression, view and critique photographs of the agricultural Acadian community in the St. John Valley. They assess the photographs to make conclusions about the...
Curated OER
Exploring Photographs: Methods of Visual Analysis
Students use the methods of description, reflection, and formal analysis for a study of images. In this image analysis lesson, students work in teams to interpret and analyze an assigned work of art. Students write responses to the work...