Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weaving a Story of Cooperation: The Goat in the Rug

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Weaving is an important part of Navajo culture. Read The Goat in the Rug to your fourth and fifth graders, and give them a glimpse into the process of rug making from the point of view of a goat! They will learn new vocabulary words and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In the Wake of Columbus

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students explore how the population decreased in native cultures.
Lesson Plan
NET Foundation for Television

1850-1874 Homestead Act Signed: The Challenges of The Plains

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Columbus Sailed the Ocean Blue

For Teachers K - 2nd
Young adventurers embark on a journey, setting sail along the blue ocean with Christopher Columbus. Teachers will find that this unit makes their lesson planning smooth sailing!
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Legacy of Colonialism

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the extent of colonialism from the early periods in the 1500's to the later years in the mid 1900's. They explain how colonization differed in regions around the world and examine the lasting effects on the colonized...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Cherokee: Trail Where They Cried

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students read the Trail of Tears about the Cherokee Nation removal and write a letter pretending they are the grandparent of a Cherokee child. In this Trail of Tears lesson plan, students understand the changing of boundaries.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Mysteries of the Past-An Artistic Expedition

For Teachers 1st - 2nd
Students explore expression in artwork. In this interdisciplinary lesson, students travel to ancient Egypt to examine abstract art of the Nile River valley through several hands-on activities.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding Latitude, Longitude, and Time Zones

For Teachers Higher Ed
Students take an imaginary world tour by locating cities with latitude and longitude. They plan an itinerary and calculate the time zones from which they would call home. Then they construct word problems involving travel across time zones.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Sound of Music in Kenya

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study Kenya's culture and see how people and things can be different and similar at the same time. They create a pictograph of objects from each culture that are used in similar ways and examine a few Swahili words.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geographic Luck

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine why some countries are rich while others remain poor. They view a video on the website, Guns, Germs and Steel, analyze primary sources to conduct research about plants and animals, and create a game based on their research.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Power of Germs

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students view the film, Guns, Germs, and Warfare. They create projects based on the impact of germs on the development of societies and countries.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A River Through Time

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners explore how construction of a dam on the Gila River affected the lifestyle of Pima Indians. In this social studies lesson, students locate the Gila River and the Coolidge Dam. Learners record dates on a timeline and discuss how...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take Me to the River

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students learn about a different way of life.  In this river and dams lesson, students discuss  the Hoover Dam.  Students then view pictures of the Hoover Dam, discuss the impact of dams, and compare life before and after...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 1: Culture and Resource Use

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars research an aspect of Wabanaki culture that has persisted in Maine throughout the years. They write a conversation between a Wabanaki person and an English person that shows the different cultures and negotiates a solution...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Voices of Tragedy and Horror: Remembering the Holocaust

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars consider the implications of the Holocaust. In this World War II lesson, students read the graphic novel Maus at the end of a unit on World War II. Young scholars discuss the impact of reading about the Holocaust as well...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Countries of Slave Trade

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students create graphs, routes, and write an essay based on their research of the slave trade. In this slave trade lesson plan, students research the Middle Passage and how slave trade happened in the United States.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Postcards from the Edge: Endangered Species

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use the internet to identify the endangered species in their state. Using this information, they create a postcard with a picture of the animal along with facts. They discuss the main reasons to protect the endangered species...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Families and Neighborhoods

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of community. In this community lesson, students explore the cultural flavor of their neighborhoods as they discuss the history of their neighborhoods and draw pictures of their family and a building in their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The borders of Europe. Geographically location or cultural artifice?

For Teachers 12th
Twelfth graders discuss where they regard the boundaries of Europe to be. They raise their awareness that "Europe" may be more of a cultural construct than geographical defined continent.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Maine: A Place Apart?

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Students list phrase that describe Maine from both an insider's and outsider's point of view. They create an exhibit on Maine's history and write an essay about Maine's image as "a place apart."
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Eastern Europe: Passport to Understanding

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore Eastern Europe. They analyze data on select countries. Students prepare a short oral presentation on the country they researched. They locate their country using an interactive map.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Illuminations of the Middle Ages

For Teachers 4th
Students investigate medieval music, art, and manuscripts. They research the materials and equipment used by illuminators, examine images of manuscripts, and illuminate their own initials in a medieval style.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

From the Land, Of the Land: An Interdisciplinary Lesson on Indigenous People

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students research the concept of indigenous people then write a diamante poem about them. They research online and use an online poem tool to create their poem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 4: A Field Trip to the Maine State Museum

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners analyze the Maine State Museum's exhibit 12,000 Years in Maine. They create an artifact and write a description of that artifact that demonstrates their understanding of the way technology shapes culture.