US Institute of Peace
Defining Conflict
Before there can be peace, we have to understand conflict. Introduce the concept of conflict through a two-part activity that combines discussion, collaboration, and writing. The first in a 15-part series examines the multiple meanings...
Facing History and Ourselves
Citizen Power Makes Democracy Work
Eric Liu's formula "power plus character equals citizenship" and his three strategies to making change happen model for high schoolers how to develop citizen power, how to get involved and participate to make democracy work. Class...
Curated OER
Lesson: Lisa Signal: Altering Perspectives
Kids make big artistic gestures, just like the abstract artist, Lisa Signal. They use her work as inspiration for making simplistic, abstract, statements in an artistic way. They analyze her work, then walk through an unfamiliar...
Curated OER
Striking Out Stress- A "Gallery Walk" Activity
Students discuss ways to cope with stressful situations. In this mental health lesson, students identify stressful situations and how they would respond to them. Students discuss their feelings.
Curated OER
Portraits of History
Eighth graders research the Post-Revolution to Pre-Civil War era by investigating the life and contributions of a notable person. They create silhouettes which are framed with timeline. Also, they add the research information to the...
iCivics
Propaganda: What’s the Message?
As class members progress through eight fully prepared learning stations, they will identify how bias is present in persuasive media, as well as differentiate among types of propaganda techniques like bandwagon propaganda and the...
Curated OER
Colonial New York Slave Codes: Law and Order
Build a historical perspective from four different points of view. Young historians take on the role of a slave-owning white person, non-slave owning white person, slave, or free African-American person and imagine what life would be...
EngageNY
Analyzing a Central Idea: Carlotta’s Journey to Justice
Verbs are deceptive and like to disguise themselves. Young linguists identify verbals, specifically gerunds, infinitives, and participles when analyzing the third stage of Carlotta's journey in the novel A Mighty Long Way. Bridge...
Curated OER
Cambodia's Quest for Justice
Learners observe pictures, articles, maps, charts and other gathered information concerning the Khmer Rouge regime that ruled Cambodia by participating in a gallery walk. Afterward, they discuss war crimes and the significance of...
Curated OER
Medieval Travelers
Tenth graders explore the impact of trade on culture. In this trade lesson plan, 10th graders compare the travels of Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta. Students research the explorers and create materials for a gallery walk that feature the...
Curated OER
Who Were the Ottomans?
Learners explore the Ottoman Empire. In this Ottoman Empire lesson, students analyze images of the empire as they take a gallery walk. Learners compare and contrast the Ottoman Empire to the other empires in the region of modern-day Turkey.
Classroom Law Project
What do cartoonists see in this election?
Cartoons from the 2008 Presidential election provide the text for a instructional activity designed to help learners understand how political cartoonists use persuasive techniques to present a point of view.
Curated OER
Ancient Roman Travel Brochure
Ancient Rome is the topic of this creative lesson plan. Students research Ancient Rome using the links provided, and then create a travel brochure using Microsoft Publisher. What a fun way to review facts on Ancient Rome!
Curated OER
Child Labor Laws in the United States and the State of Nebraska
Young scholars examine child labor laws. For this social justice lesson, students compare and contrast child labor laws of the United States and the state of Nebraska. Young scholars research primary sources and complete the included...
Curated OER
Just a "Fellow Traveler" in the Human Experience
Students connect the events of early space exploration to their lives today. After viewing a teacher created gallery, they discuss how the launch of Sputnik and how space exploration in general has positively or negatively affected...
Curated OER
Introduction to the Federal System of Government
Eleventh graders participate in a gallery walk activity to identify past Canadian Prime Minister.
Smithsonian Institution
Visiting a Museum
Imperial storm troopers make a special guest appearance in this resource designed as a behavior primer for young visitors to a museum.
Curated OER
The Communication Network: Keeping in Touch
Middle schoolers read The Northern Migration and create an eight-frame cartoon depicting the means of communication between the freed people in the North and those enslaved in the South. The cartoons are displayed in a Gallery Walk.
Facing History and Ourselves
Who Are We?
Sixth graders explore the diversity of communities. In this community-building lesson, 6th graders compose biopoems and create a classroom exhibit entitled "Who am I? Who are We?"
Curated OER
Intolerable Acts
Students examine the implications of North Korea's nuclear testing. They develop a K-W-L chart, read an article, write questions, conduct research on their self-generated questions, and create an exhibit of their findings.
Curated OER
Investigating Nonprofits
Students detect and explore local and national nonprofit organizations. In this research project, students explore nonprofit mission statements, activities and career opportunities. Students complete a research question sheet. Students...
Curated OER
'My Town' Brochure
Ninth graders use the internet to research a city or town on the "Walk Across Texas" route. They create a brochure or booklet advertising their assigned city or town.
Curated OER
Norman Rockwell Paints America
Students examine paintings by Norman Rockwell. They discuss what stories they believe he was trying to tell in his paintings. They work together to describe the different paintings.
Curated OER
Literature and History of the Holocaust
Students examine quotes and text passages related to the Holocaust. They generate a list of questions about the Holocaust and analyze a piece of writing based on the authorship of the work. They infer the meaning of a poem and determine...