Curated OER
Powerful Poetry Presenting the Writer's Soul
Students research Langston Hughes poetry for his use of figurative language. In this poetry analysis lesson, students research the life and poetry of Langston Hughes and his use of vivid words. Students complete 23 different activities...
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Come On, Rain!
Students read and analyze the story. For this language arts lesson, students read Come on, Rain! and examine how mood and tone are created, the use of figurative language and the characteristics of the genre. Students research the time...
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Fidel Castro: El Comandante
Students view a documentary on Fidel Castro. After nearly forty years of rule, he remains one of the most controversial political figures of the twentieth century. After viewing, students discuss what they saw and research the Cuban...
Curated OER
Individual vs. Social Responsibility: From Camus to the Cure
Students explore the individual's role in society. In this social responsibility lesson, students analyze Camus's The Stranger and The Myth of Sisyphus as well as Borges's "Rosendo's Tale." Students compare the themes of the pieces to...
Curated OER
300 Spartans at the Battle of Thermopylae: Herodotus? Real History
High schoolers are introduced to the importance of the Battle of Thermopylae. In groups, they compare and contrast letters from the leaders of both sides and also read a synopsis from a historian. They research how the people worked...
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Defining Moments
Pupils determine key factors in lives of individuals studied. They compare the individuals' lives using a matrix and time line, compare and contrast the lives of two individuals involved in a single historic event, and create and analyze...
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A Brief History of Fairfax County
Students begin the lesson by writing what they know about Fairfax County in their journals. Using primary source documents, they identify ten interesting facts about the area and watch a video. They complete a Venn Diagram comparing...
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The U.S. & Navajo Bills of Rights
Students are introduced to the United States and Navajo Bill of Rights. In groups, they compare and contrast the two documents and take notes to share with the class. To end the lesson, they write in their journals about their own...
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"Anything We Love Can Be Saved" -- A Contemporary
Students compare authors Rachel Carson and Mary Eliza Church Terrell. They read an introduction by Alice Walker and summarize the main points. They also identify the language she uses to persuade readers. They write their own activist...
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Mountain Magic: Identifying the Basic Physical Characteristics of Mountains
Students read about and identify on maps the physical characteristics of mountains. In this mountains lesson plan, students also write about the characteristics using personification.
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Mapping an Encounter
Pupils recognize aspects of a historical map drawn around 1721 by a Native American for presentation to British governor of South Carolina, compare it to European map of the same period, and create map that shows relationships of another...
Curated OER
Tools of the Historian: Frame of Reference
Learners discuss the term point of reference and describe their own point of view. They compare the relationship between sources and the historical context. They identify examples of how point of reference can affect one's interpretation.
Curated OER
Colin Powell, a New Adlai Stevenson?: The Cuban Missile Crisis
Students compare and contrast a speech given to the United Nations by Colin Powell and a speech given to the UN by Adlai Stevenson. Clearifying the objective of each, they evaluate their proposals to the United Nations. In groups, they...
Curated OER
Measure-mania
Students research the history of measurement in this lesson. They compare todays units of measurement to historical units of measurement. For example, they weigh themselves on a bathroom scale and figure out how many of them it would...
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Rethinking Perpetrators, Bystanders, and Rescuers: The Case of Max Schmeling
Young scholars examine the life and actions of Max Schmeling during World War II. They read and analyze an article, compare/contrast Schmeling's choices with other people during this time period, and write a journal response.
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San Diego Architecture
Eighth graders study the cultural and architectural history of San Diego. After study they create a design of a home based of features from historical and modern homes found in their research.
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Brother Against Brother
Eighth graders read Across Five Aprils and correlate it to a unit on the Civil War. They culminate the unit by writing a a piece of historical fiction in the first person entitled "Brother Against Brother."
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Cultural Vantage Points
Eighth graders investigate the history of Beaverhead County and Big Hole Valley. They focus on the Native American people groups of the immediate area. Students read about the journey of Lewis and Clark to create historical context. Then...
North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies
Missing Pieces of the Puzzle: African Americans in Revolutionary Times
What's missing from most studies of the American Revolutionary War is information about the role African Americans played in the conflict. To correct this oversight, middle schoolers research groups like the Black Loyalists and Black...
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Making Choices
Students explore the life of Harriet Tubman. They examine a painting of Harriet Tubman and consider the tools used to communicate information about her. Sudents describe how the color of a painting explains the mood of the illustrator....
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Sam Houston for President...Again
Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. For this Texas history lesson, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.
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Dorothy Day and Mohandas K. Gandhi: Catalysts of Social Change
Students explore how Dorothy Day and Mohandas Gandhi were leaders for social change. For this history lesson, students analyze the impact of these two leaders through several activities and group assignments.
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Harriet Tubman: An Informative and Impressionistic Look
Students examine artwork depicting Harriet Tubman. For this Harriet Tubman lesson, students review her life and how she impacted the Underground Railroad. Students view impressionistic artwork showing her life. Students then create their...
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World War I: War in a Democratic Society
Students research opposition and support for World War I from a number of perspectives. They analyze a number of primary and secondary sources, while considering what (if anything) makes a war just and write a letter expressing his/her...