Curated OER
Reading, Writing and 'Rithmetic in the One-Room Schoolhouse
Young scholars, through historic photographs and stories, discover the world of the one-room schoolhouse and compare it to their school experience.
Curated OER
One Room School House Reading Lesson
Learners explore schools during the Colonial period. In this American history lesson plan, students participate in a simulation of school days in Colonial America. Learners visit a museum and use the schoolhouse as a setting for their...
Curated OER
What Has Brown Done for You?
Learners review the facts of the court case Brown v. Board of Education. Next, they research recent court cases that uphold contrasting views on the landmark decision. They write opinions about these recent court cases from a 1954...
Curated OER
A Personal Journey
Learners will share ideas about class mobility. They create a timeline that chronicles milestones in their own lives, and synthesize their learning by writing personal essays about their class status and aspirations for the future.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Sarah Green Probate Record
The proof is in the probate record. Much can be learned about history by investigating old, primary source documents. Class members hone their detective skills by examing the 1759 probate record of Sarah Green. Who was this lady? Was she...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 Native Americans and Settlers
Did Western settlers receiving free land from the Homestead Act realize it wasn't really free at all? Scholars investigate the impact Western expansion had on Native American culture in the mid-1800s. They use documents, timelines, and...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 Homestead Act Signed: The Challenges of The Plains
Start a whole new life in a land known as the Wild Wild West! Learners analyze maps, personal accounts, the Kansas-Nebraska Act, songs, and video clips to uncover life under the Homestead Act. Using their new skills, class members role...
National Institute on Drug Abuse
The Brain's Response to Drugs
Marijuana affects the brain differently than inhalants, which have a different effect than opioids. Elementary and middle school classes read about these drugs as well as nicotine, methamphetamine, hallucinogens, and steroids before...
Curated OER
Life Choices
By examining two differing perspectives on the topic of abortion, upper graders will be able to build an opinion of their own. A teacher-led lecture outlines key points in the debate for or against abortion including, the role of...
Curated OER
Science in the Court Room
Share their opinions on the use of DNA databases in criminal investigations. After reading an article, they evaluate the pros and cons of the databases and work in groups to answer discussion questions. They write a letter to a state...
EngageNY
TASC Transition Curriculum: Workshop 6
Is a college education necessary for success in today's world? The class investigates the question, along with others at the end of the sixth workshop in a 15-part series. The lesson has four parts with multiple activities and...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
W.E.B. DuBois, Booker T. Washington, and Jim Crow
Class members use the think-pair-share strategy to compare the views of W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington and to consider how each man's backgrounds influenced his philosophy.
Curated OER
Brown v. the Board of Education
Students explain the history of race discrimination in the US and about the Brown vs the Board of Education trial.
Carolina K-12
Are You a Democrat or a Republican? Are You Really?
Have new or soon-to-be voters examine different political parties and their platforms as they figure out which one aligns most with their beliefs. After taking a few online quizzes, students split into pairs to discuss and then in larger...
Curated OER
My "Red" Room
Students utilize art analysis skills by examining the work of Henri Matisse. In this painting lesson, students examine L'Atelier Rouge by Henri Matisse and identify the objects in the room and colors used. Students create their own rough...
Curated OER
Yesteryear and a One Room School House
Fourth graders explore a one room schoolhouse at their school. They write questions to interview teachers and administrators involved in preserving the one room schoolhouse. They create Venn diagrams to compare and contrast information...
Curated OER
Watch and Learn
Young scholars explore a particular problem with the development of new television shows and create original reality-based educational programming.
Curated OER
Stand Up For Her Rights
Students consider how different cultural and religious groups perceive girls' education. By addressing differences and identifying common ground, students attempt to arrive at a philosophy of girls' education that takes varying...
Curated OER
Family Life
What is family? Challenge your scholars to write an encompassing definition of what this word means to them. After reading "It May Be a Family Matter, But Just Try to Define Family," class members discuss the emotional issues surrounding...
Curated OER
P.C. Games
Discuss and share opinions on violent computer games. After reading an article, your class will discover the controversy surrounding online games. They analyze the suitability of computer games and write their own letters to a developer...
US Holocaust Museum
Time Capsule in a Milk Can
Imagine dumping out a milk can and finding letters from one of the darkest moments in history! Scholars use Holocaust Reading Passages and research to discover how people recorded and hid history during the events of World War II. They...
Curated OER
Pay to Play?
Lead your class in a discussion about how they believe money influences politics. After reading "Go Ahead, Try to Stop K Street" from the New York Times, they evaluate the claims in the article about the current lobbyist scandal in...
US Institute of Peace
Perspectives on Peace
Much like a garden, once the seeds of peace are planted, they need to be tended! How can humankind make and keep peace? The second installment in a series of 15 peacebuilding activities focuses on different perceptions of peace. The...
US Institute of Peace
Perspectives on Peace
Is peace simply the absence of war, or is there more to the story? Young social scientists define peace in the second installment of a 15-part series. Groups work together to explore cultural concepts of peace and the peacemaking process...