Curated OER
The Family: Louisiana Family Folklore
Learners determine that all families create and pass on folklore. They research stories of their own names and draw parallels between their own and others' naming traditions. They infer characteristics of their communities' history...
Curated OER
Baseball Memories
Students act as historians by, first, reading and analyzing oral histories of professional baseball players to become familiar with baseball figures. Then, they proceed to interview family members, relatives, or neighbors who have...
Curated OER
Splendid China: Chinese Folktales
Students investigate Chinese culture by reading their folk tales. In this creative writing lesson, students practice identifying the different elements in a folk tale and examine the related vocabulary. Students organize...
Curated OER
People in History- Anne Frank
Students examine discrimination and what it was like during WWII and today. In this writing and analyzing lesson, students read pasages from Anne Frank's diary and find connections between Anne's life and the life of people in...
Curated OER
Settlers: Creating Family Trees & Historical Plays
Students conduct research about the founding families of their communities. They compile historical contexts for the era and develop a family tree and historical skit with their findings.
Curated OER
The Banana Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree!
Students research their family history and make a family tree. For this family tree lesson plan, students are given an example of a family tree with names, pictures, and descriptions of each person. They then are instructed to research...
Curated OER
Farm Life During the Great Depression
Fifth graders examine the plight of farmers during the Great Depression. In this Nebraska history lesson, 5th graders discuss the era prior to reading the novel Out of the Dust by Karen Heese.
Curated OER
Philanthropy in History Lesson 3: Self-sufficiency And the Community
Students study the characteristic of self-sufficiency in people that lived during Colonial times. They investigate the contemporary movement of Habitat for Humanity. They listen to the story of Donald Hall's, The Oxcart Man and write a...
Curated OER
King Arthur's Family Tree
Students examine the genealogy of King Arthur. They create a poster of his family tree and shares with the class. They also place other key figures of the time period on the poster to put his life in perspective.
Curated OER
Molly Brown and the Titanic History Lesson
Students practice using their reading comprehension skills by reading about Molly Brown and the Titanic. They answer questions related to the reading to test for comprehension.
Curated OER
History of Thanksgiving
Learners examine the history of Thanksgiving. For this writing lesson, students will use Internet research to gather information on a particular Thanksgiving topic. Learners will use their findings to compose an article.
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Convict Leasing in Alabama: a System That Re-Enslaved Blacks After the Civil War
The post-Civil War convict leasing program, rarely covered in textbooks, is the focus of a lesson that asks class members to use information drawn from primary source documents to assess the program. While the focus is on Alabama's...
The Alamo
A Teacher’s Guide to Sam Houston
Need a teacher's guide all about Sam Houston and how he relates to the Texas Revolution? Look no further! The guide includes a timeline detailing Houston's life, important milestones, and relevant maps that include his movement around...
Newseum
The Women Who Made the Movement
Granting women the right to vote was a long time coming and took many efforts. Young historians select one woman involved in the suffrage movement to research. They compare and contrast the depictions of their subject in mainstream...
PBS
Connecting Post-Civil War Mob Violence and the Capitol Hill Riot
Anti-democratic violence is not new in the United States. Learners watch videos and then compare and contrast the 1873 Colfax and the 1898 Wilmington massacres. They then watch a video about the Capitol Hill insurrection of 2021 and...
Curated OER
What is a Family?
Students explore how Canadian families have evolved over time. In this census results instructional activity, students examine the factors that contribute to changing family and household structures. Students also create written and...
Curated OER
Understanding Presidential History
Students research to find the qualifications necessary to be President of the U.S. In this presidential qualification instructional activity, students research their family roots to see if they could qualify to be President. Students...
Curated OER
Comparing Family Photos
Fourth graders bring in a family photo from home. They compare their photo to the Rawding family photo. Students share their conclusions orally. They use Venn Diagrams to organize their thoughts and observations.
Curated OER
African American Poetry: Family and Traditions
Learners are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...
Curated OER
Where Will I Go From Here?
Students research the various cultures in Colonial America. In this American history lesson, students analyze and complie the research they find presenting what they have found into a short presentation.
Curated OER
History of the X-Ray
Seventh graders discuss the history of the x-ray machine. In this social science lesson, 7th graders understand how a x-ray machine works. Students recognize that there have been many improvements to the x-ray machine over the...
Curated OER
Immigration and Ellis Island
Fourth graders explore family histories. In this social studies lesson, 4th graders identify the countries from which their ancestors came and locate them on a map. Students discuss the role that Ellis Island played in immigration in the...
Curated OER
Sworn to Serve
Seventh graders explore the structure of the feudal system. In this world history instructional activity, 7th graders examine medieval history as they collaborate to prepare for a small group presentations regarding the feudal system.