Curated OER
Inferring Themes
Fifth graders practice making inferences on various types of reading material. As a class, they develop a definition of the word "theme" and discuss themes for some of their favorite stories. They use the context of the reading...
National First Ladies' Library
The Space Race
Students investigate the historical events that have surrounded The Space Race. They conduct research using a variety of resources and focus upon the progress between Russia and The United States. Students describe the events that led up...
Curated OER
Out of the Dust -- Part II
Eighth graders discover that literature can be a great way to gather information about the past. Using various types of text, they research its historical data and determine if it is correct. They write two papers to respond to the...
Curated OER
Crater Creation
Students examine the Oregon state quarter and discuss how Crater Lake was formed-geologically and according to Native American legend. They practice making predictions and identifying the beginning, middle, and end of a story.
Curated OER
Twenty-one Balloons
Fifth graders determine what the Newbery Award is and why it is importance. They examine a number of Newbery Award winning books and listen to a book talk about William Pene DuBois', Twenty-One Balloons while watching a PowerPoint...
Curated OER
A Funny Happened on the Way to Monticello
Third graders examine the Journey of Lewis and Clark and how it relates to Thomas Jefferson and Monticello. They read about, discuss and complete worksheet pertaining to the Lewis and Clark expedition.
Curated OER
Henry Spelman: The Powhatan Indians' English Boy
Sixth graders read and analyze narrative writing by and about Henry Spelman, a boy-laborer who helped settle Jamestown. They read biographical information, discuss the harsh conditions, and write a narrative piece on Henry's experiences.
Curated OER
Negro Leagues Scrapbook
Students compile a scrapbook of photographs, quotations and notes, representing the perspective of a Negro Leagues baseball player. The scrapbook should include photographs with captions, letters, news headlines, and any other materials...
Curated OER
Year of the Impossible Goodbyes by Sook Nyul Choi
Students analyze Korean culture from their literature piece. They investigate the theme of oppression by an occupying army. Students encounter courage, resistance movements and explore the underground railroads.
National First Ladies' Library
States' Rights: 1798-1860
Students develop an annotated timeline specific to the concept of States' Rights. They research an example to the doctrine noting how the ideas change and beome more specific as time passes and discuss their findings through class...
Curated OER
Return to Vietnam: Healing on the Hill
Pupils view a film about soldiers returning to Vietnam years after the war. They discover the need of closure by the soldiers because the war was not won. They examine the results of the war and answer questions to complete the lesson.
Curated OER
Pocahontas: Ambassador to the New World
Students watch the video "Pocahontas: Ambassador to the New World," complete a vocabulary list and discuss the video using the provided questions.
Curated OER
"The Story of Miss Li" by Po Hsing-chien
Fourth graders explore a classic, well-regarded tale of traditional Chinese literature and gain a rudimentary understanding of Confucius values.
Curated OER
Getting the Word Out: From Gutenberg's Press to Zines
Students examine the effects of Gutenberg's printing press on the world. Using this information, they create their own Zines or internet magazines about a social issue of their choice. They share their magazine with the class for...
Curated OER
Tell Me a Whopper!
Sixth graders investigate tall tales as a literary genre. They listen to a number of tall tales to discover how exaggeration is used as a story element. They write and publish a tall tale using word processing software. They illustrate...
Curated OER
Macbeth Presentations
Students make Powerpoint presentations or Web pages about Macbeth. Their presentations must include at least three elements from a provided list. They write reflective papers about their learning experience.
Curated OER
Archaeology as a Career
Fourth graders read about archaeology as a career. They develop a list of questions they would like to ask an archaeologist and then actually interview an archaeologist on the future of archaeology as a career.
Curated OER
Picture a Nation
Students research immigration data from a specific time period. They create a graphic organizer that depicts the information and share the information with the class.
Curated OER
Grunt's Little War
Young scholars view a film about the role of the soldier during the Vietnam War. They discover what it was like to fight a war against a culture so unlike our own. They answer questions to complete the lesson.
Curated OER
Indi/Visual
Eighth graders take photographs for a photo essay contest. Using primary source documents, they review various types of artwork and discuss how some of the images have become commonplace. They use the internet to view examples of...
National First Ladies' Library
Jefferson's Legacy: A National Library
Young scholars examine the creation of the Library of Congress. They investigate reasons why Thomas Jefferson sold his personal collection to the Library. Employing various research resources, students write newspaper articles about the...
Immigration and Ethnic History Society
Iehs: Evan Turiano, Teaching Fiction in Immigration History
This article focuses on using fiction to teach immigration history. Including fiction like Atticus Lish's 2015 novel, "Preparation for the Next Life" can meaningfully enrich a history seminar. A critical analysis of the novel introduces...
ReadWriteThink
Read Write Think: Road to Freedom Through Research and Historical Fiction
Students learn how to walk a mile in someone else's shoes by reading historical fiction about the Underground Railroad. This is a lengthy unit of four lessons that spans thirty lesson periods where students examine characteristics of...
Read Works
Read Works: Passages: Grade 2: A Brush With History
[Free Registration/Login Required] Students read a non-fiction article about the history of a toothbrush and answer questions in comprehension, sequencing, inferences, main idea, transitions, and more. A link to paired text questions is...