Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin's Many "Hats"
Students examine Benjamin Franklin's contributions to the United States. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson, students analyze the sculpted depiction of Franklin by Hiram Powers. Students also study Franklin's life, philosophy, and...
Curated OER
Occupations of Black Pioneers
Young scholars analyze Black Pioneers in Nova Scotia. They explore the many different occupations and tradtions that were continued in Nova Scotia. They examine their resourcefulness despite the poor opportunities at the time of their...
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Jamestown Changes
Students examine how the Jamestown settlement changed the first few years after it was founded. They take a virtual field trip of Jamestown, read primary source documents, discuss census information, and write a summary of changes in...
Curated OER
Revolutionary Money
Examine paper money from the American revolution! Historians study the paper bills and discuss the history of money. How has money changed over the times? Activities are included.
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To Declare Independence or Not??
Students debate and role play about whether the colonists should declare independence from England or not. In this American history and oral communication instructional activity, students read informational text about the colonists and...
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A Trip to Sully Plantation
Fourth graders have a better understanding of life in colonial Virginia. The students compare and contrast their life today with the life of colonial Students. Each child or small group of students design a project comparing the two time...
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Bartering in Jamestown
Students explore bartering. In this bartering lesson plan, students study everyday life in the Jamestown colony. Students discover how bartering was used as a way to acquire necessary supplies.
Curated OER
The Slave Market: Not Just a Southern Institution
Fourth graders analyze the existence of slavery in the North. In this slavery lesson plan, 4th graders research primary and secondary sources regarding Dutch colonial slavery in New York. Students consider how archeology made it possible...
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The Dairy Shoppe
Fifth graders research dairy farming and learn about dairy products as well as dairy processing. In this dairy lesson, 5th graders read background information about dairy farming and processing. Students discuss running a small business...
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Jamestown Hardships
High schoolers demonstrate knowledge of the first permanent English settlement in America by describing the hardships faced by settlers at Jamestown and the changes that took place to ensure survival.
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IN STRAWBERRY FIELDS
The student will calculate wages of agricultural workers by the hour and by the piece.2. Share background material, and discuss the difference between gross pay and net pay and the difference between getting paid by the hour or the piece...
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Reasons for Settling the New World
After studying the reasons settlers entered the New World, primary learners try to persuade others to enter this new land. Class members present their arguments in a variety of ways including posters, writings, and charts. Richly...
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Making a Patriot Inquiry: Are Independence, Freedom, and Liberty the Same Thing?
As part of a study of the American Revolution, class members engage in an inquiry-based lesson that has them watch a scene from the play Slave Spy, examine multiple primary source documents, and then discuss the similarities and...
Digital History
The Boston Massacre
What better way to get your class interested in history than to embody important historical characters and make events come to life? Stage a realistic mock trial of the British soldiers accused of murdering five Bostonians after the...
Curated OER
Jump-Starting Research with Visual Thesaurus
Students navigate the Visual Thesaurus to find keywords for research. In this keywords lesson, students use synonyms, hypernyms and hyponyms to find keywords. Students understand why some searches are effective and some are ineffective.
Curated OER
Patriot or Loyalist? A Revolutionary Decision
Students research as a reporter would and present the loyalist and patriot point of view on the American Revolution. In this patriots versus loyalist lesson, students produce a project such as a video debate or webpage explaining the...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Learning the Printing Trade
Students explore U.S. History by reading biographical text in class. In this Benjamin Franklin instructional activity, students read about the famous American's first job and the transition he underwent from printing to politics....
Curated OER
Runaway Ad - Using Primary Documents
Students examine a runaway slave advertisement. In this American history lesson, students investigate a missing slave advertisement run by Thomas Jefferson in 1769. Students make inferences based on the advertisement.
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Discovering and Converting the Battle of Homestead
High schoolers study and explore the Homestead strike and locate where the events took place. In this investigative lesson students use several perspectives to write an objective newspaper article on the event.
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Developing Flags
Students examine why having a symbol such as a flag is important for countries. In this flag lesson plan, students break into groups and create their own flag to represent their group dynamic.
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Nineteenth Century Family Portraits
Young scholars compare two nineteenth century family portraits using historical data, statistics, and historical context. Students analyze their own family pictures adjusting the criteria to the current decade. Lastly young scholars...
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Creating a Neighborhood Timeline
Pupils research information about their neighborhoods. Uncovering facts about geology and Native Americans, they examine how the neighborhood has evolved over time. They work together to create a timeline of specific events.
Curated OER
Knife River: Early Village Life on the Plains
Students discover the complex culture and trading economy of the Hidatsa and Mandan tribes in North Dakota during the 18th century, as seen by anthropologists and artists.
Curated OER
What is an American?
Students investigate how the definition of being American has changed over the years using online primary source documents.