Curated OER
My Way or the Highway
Students read "Saudis Uneasily Balance Desires for Change and Stability" from The New York Times and discuss Saudi Arabia as it considers a change from monarchy to democracy. Students work in groups to research and create timelines on...
Curated OER
Cuba On My Mind
Students explore the Cuban society, politics, culture, and economy. As a class, they take a look at the Bush administrations policy on Cuba after reading "Embargo Remains Until Cuba Alters Policy, Bush Says" from The New York Times....
Curated OER
Global Intelligence
Students discuss the war in Afghanistan and the conditions surrounding the hunt for Osama bin Laden after reading the article "Bin Laden and Omar: Far Harder to Find" from The New York Times. After the class discussion, students...
Curated OER
The Immigrant Experience In America
Students study immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. Each student create an identity of an immigrant and write an essay in the first person. Essays describe what they found when they arrived in New York City.
Curated OER
Gateway to America
Fifth graders study about immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. They create an identity of a fictitious immigrant and describe what they find when they arrive in New York.
Curated OER
What Building Used to Be There?
Students examine how their city has changed and examine building preservation. For this building preservation lesson, students listen to a reading of Virginia Lee Burton's, The Little House, before making a time line of how their own...
Curated OER
Women in History: Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis
For this women in history worksheet, learners read a biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis. Students then answer 6 multiple choice questions and 1 essay question about the passage.
Curated OER
St. Patrick's Day -- History and Traditions
In this St. Patrick's Day worksheet, students answer questions about the history and traditions of the holiday. Students complete sentences about the history and traditions and a word search.
Curated OER
Mexico: Introduction to History and Literature
Students study the geography of Mexico (i.e. major cities, surrounding countries and bodies of water, mountain ranges, rivers, volcanoes), They take turns reading aloud information provided (xerox copies) about Mexico. After each...
Curated OER
For Whom the Clock Strikes
How do the citizens of Polyglot celebrate New Year's Eve? Middle and high schoolers read about the history of the dropping ball on New Year's Eve, as well as the other holidays traditions that have gone by the wayside, before designing a...
Curated OER
Local Pride in a Guide
Students examine the distinctive cultural and historical attributes of Boston and Philadelphia. They research the history, geography and culture of their town or city to create a booklet.
Curated OER
The Dawn of Humanity
Learners investigate recent archaeological challenges to theories of human origins. They research the history and geography of various African regions to create proposals for future excavations.
Curated OER
Right About Now… and Then
Students discuss significant figures in music history and read an article about the Smithsonian's Hip-Hop exhibit. In groups, they develop and curate an exhibition of hip-hop music and history using artifacts that represent relevant...
Curated OER
Poets of Christmas Past
Students consider the meanings of Christmas by reading an op-ed. As a class, they then create a sequel to the poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas," in which "Mamma" tells a story about the history of Christmas.
Curated OER
Winslow Homer and Water Colors
Students investigate water color paintings. In this art history lesson, students discover Winslow Homer and his art work by reading an article. Students solve a word search based on the article.
Curated OER
A Short History of Natural Gas
In this energy source worksheet, 3rd graders read a short passage about the history of natural gas. Students must then answer several multiple choice questions about the passage.
Curated OER
Recurring Nightmares
Does history really repeat itself? Encourage your middle and high schoolers to answer this age-old question by reading the attached articles on the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and the Iraq Crisis of 2002. How similar or different are...
Curated OER
Straight to the Source
Research famous figures from history through the primary sources they created! Explore how these types of documents can enrich our study of the past with your middle and high school learners. They create picture books to illustrate...
Curated OER
The Rigors of Learning a New Language
Students examine the experiences of a Peace Corps volunteer learning to speak Chinese. They read and discuss an essay written by the Peace Corps volunteer, analyze a map of China, and discuss the author's difficulties in learning the...
Curated OER
The Rigors of Learning a New Language
Students read an autobiography of a peace corps volunteer studying Chinese. In this cultural acceptance lesson, students compare the dialects of Chinese with English dialects. Students discuss the differences in learning and teaching a...
Curated OER
Unit Plan for The Catcher in the Rye —A “Place-Based” Approach
"People never notice anything." As part of their study of The Catcher in the Rye, class members adopt Holden Caulfield's approach and spend time as quiet observers of their surrounding, recording their observations/reflections in a...
Smithsonian Institution
Targeted at Home: Islamophobia
September 11th was a terrible tragedy with long-reaching consequences. Scholars learn about the Islamophobia that occurred to many Muslim Americans following the 9/11 attacks. The resource provides videos, articles, and interviews to...
Curated OER
Rap Poetry
If you're looking to tie rap music into poetry writing, this would be a good presentation to use as you kick off your mini-unit. Learners are given a brief, but descriptive, history of rap music and rap poetry. The slides include...
Curated OER
Churches and Taxes
Churches have been tax-exempt since the founding of America, but should they be? Pupils ponder the question as they browse the website in preparation for a class debate or discussion. They research the history of tax-exemption for...