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...
Special Olympics
Special Olympics Young Athletes Activity Guide
From bunny hops and bridges to bean bag tosses and big ball catches, your activity toolkit will be overflowing with great new ideas for adaptive physical education!
Earth Day Network
Staying Green While Being Clean
Clean up the environment with a lesson that focuses on replacing hazardous cleaning supplies with green, environmentally-friendly products. Using a dirty patch of surface as a control area, kids clean other parts of various surfaces...
National Education Association
Read Across America Classroom Activity Guide
Celebrate the legendary Dr. Seuss on Read Across America Day with a plethora of activities set to five stories—The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Horton Hears a Who, Oh, the Places You'll Go!, and Green Eggs and Ham. Activities...
Scholastic
Recovery From Drug Addiction
Are there factors that put some individuals at a higher risk for drug addiction than others? Learn more about the risk factors that may make some people more susceptible to addiction, as well as protective factors that help prevent...
University of North Carolina
Religious Studies
What is the difference between religion and religious studies? Readers find out after reading an online handout. It outlines common assignments in religious studies classes, such as critically evaluating religious texts and writing...
Smithsonian Institution
Conflicting Voices of the Mexican War
Americans wanted to fulfill Manifest Destiny, and this pattern continued with the Mexican War. The resource specifically teaches about the Mexican War through a variety of exercises including a research project, group work, brainstorming...
California Academy of Science
Kinesthetic Astronomy: Mars Opposition Dance
Your class will watch as one child orbits the sun as Earth, while another orbits as Mars. If the timing is right, they will see the repetitive dance between the two planets and discover how often they are opposite from each other. For...
Facing History and Ourselves
The Power of Images
One picture but a thousand stories. As a part of a case study of how the death of Michael Brown was reported by professional news sources and on social media class members examine the reactions of various groups to a photograph taken by...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Educating European Immigrant Children Before World War I
As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its students,...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Images of Faulkner and the South
Learners research one aspect of the life of Faulkner and the culture of the South. In this As I Lay Dying instructional activity, learners explore a webpage on Faulkner and write a summary. Learners analyze the images...
Curated OER
What is Kwanzaa?
Describe the general characteristics of Kwanzaa after reading Seven Candles of Kwanzaa. For this Kwanzaa lesson, learners study the principles of the Kwanzaa holiday and interpret the principles through music and dance. They...
Curated OER
This I Can Do: The Drive
Students read The Garden of Happiness and discuss the importance of the common good in a community. In this common good lesson, students understand how overcoming diversity and working together for a neighborhood drive. Students create a...
Curated OER
Native Cultures and Values
Students learn about Native American culture. In this history and diversity lesson, students use a website to create a timeline of significant events, contributions, growth and developments of Native American culture...
Curated OER
"I Hear America Singing": Controversy and Music in the Mexican War
Eighth graders examine the Mexican War and its outcome through music. In this primary source analysis lesson, 8th graders analyze the lyrics of selected songs to consider the 2 perspectives regarding U.S. involvement in the war. Students...
Curated OER
Our Ethics Show: Learning to Master
Middle schoolers explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students create an action plan as pairs study a number of texts dealing with Jewish perspectives on the mastery of the earth. They then determine how...
Curated OER
FROM STUDENT TO GLOBAL CITIZEN
Learners develop an awareness of citizenship and how it's defined globally. They explore the cultural diversity of different types of communities around the world. In addition, they assess the rights and responsibilities that are...
Curated OER
Political and Cultural Road to the American Revolution
Learners examine the Declaration of Independence. For this Revolutionary War lesson, students use primary sources to analyze how the creation of the Declaration of Independence lead to the development of the United States as an...
Curated OER
Becoming American: The Chinese Experience
Students examine the experience of Chinese American immigrants in the PBS series BECOMING AMERICAN. ESL learners investigate and explore their own identities within a multicultural context.
PBS
African-Americans in the American West
Secondary learners explore the westward movement of African Americans. Segmented into four time periods, the activity provides an overview of how African Americans experienced westward expansion. Learners view PBS specials on the...
Curated OER
Learning to Give
Students study philanthropy and point of view while reading the novel Gentle Annie. In this point of view lesson, the learner writes a persuasive letter from a character in the novel. Students work in small groups to act out a skit of...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Family Voices In As I Lay Dying
Learners analyze William Faulkner's 'As I Lay Dying' and his use of multiple voices. In this William Faulkner lesson plan, students analyze Faulkner's use of multiple voices in narration. Learners examine the Bundren family through the...
Curated OER
Westmoreland Trail
Seventh graders complete a unit of lessons on the Westward expansion of the U.S. They play the computer game, Oregon Trail III, read primary source documents, conduct Internet research, write diary entries from the pioneer viewpoint, and...
Curated OER
The Sense Of Touch
Students explore the sense of touch. In this science lesson plan, students participate in hands-on activities that broaden their perspectives pertaining the sense of touch.