Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Grinding to a Halt- The U.S. Economy
Using gears as a visual metaphor, this political cartoon analysis worksheet gives a clear picture of one artist's perspective on the U.S. economy. Background information helps give pupils access to the cartoon's context, and 3 talking...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Fair Elections?
Rigged elections make for both intriguing current events and hilarious political cartoons. In this analysis instructional activity, pupils read background information to help them grasp a cartoon about rigged presidential elections in...
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Ronald Reagan, Excerpt from Reagan's First Inaugural Address
A key challenge in teaching kids how to read informational text, particularly primary source documents, is finding suitable resources and then developing questions that guide readers. Never fear, help is here in the form of a series...
US Department of Labor
Teamwork
Here's a series of five exercises designed to help teens develop the team work skills needed in the 21st century classroom and workplace.
Curated OER
Discovering American Symbols
Help youngsters get to know their states and capitals, explore their own country, and study American symbolism. They take a "trip" across America collecting symbols, images, and information about each state as they go (through text and...
Curated OER
Travel Diary
Darwin kept a travel diary as he voyaged to South America, noting the politics, geography, cultures, animals, and interesting facts he encountered. Your class will do the same. Each student chooses a country to research and keep a five...
Curated OER
How were European nations capable of dominating the African contintnt?
Help your class determine why European was able to dominate the African continent. They read 5 excerpts, each related to a reason why Europe colonized Africa. Then they answer 4 critical-thinking questions.
Indian Land Tenure Foundation
Sharing Resources: The Nuts Game
The land has always provided its inhabitants with resources that allow them to survive. However, sometimes resources run scarce and sharing becomes an important task. Help little ones understand why and how people have shared resources...
C-SPAN
The Role of the Executive Branch in Policy Making
Although the president of the United States does not have the power to pass laws, they can propose legislation, veto bills passed by Congress, and issue executive orders that bypass Congress. Six video clips show middle schoolers these...
Curated OER
Life in the Floating World: Ukiyo-e Prints And the Rise of the Merchant Class in Edo Period Japan
Students examine famous woodblock prints of artists such as Hiroshige and Hokusai as primary documents to help them gain insight on Japanese history. They relate the woodblock images to the social hierarchy of the period.
Curated OER
The Great Depression and FDR's New Deal
Find out about FDR's vision and the New Deal plan that helped pull America out of the Great Depression. The presentation focuses New Deal programs such as the Works Progress Administration, Agricultural Adjustment Administration, and the...
Walden Woods Project
19th Century Lessons for 21st Century Lives
The words of Henry David Thoreau on Civil Disobedience seem particularly relevant today, as are his writings and those of other transcendental thinkers who ask what it mean to live deliberately and what are the responsibilities of...
Curated OER
Kid City, USA
What a model community would look like? Get your kids talking with an activity that allows them to create their own town. After printing out a "fold out village," groups of students use a variety of resources to help them build an actual...
Curated OER
Financial Institution Comparison
Once learners are ready to choose a bank, how do they make a smart decision for their financial needs? Scholars help each other by jigsawing the research in groups. After introducing checking and savings accounts with the attached...
Curated OER
Labels: What Do They Mean?
Ninth graders brainstorm words they typically use to label each other, discuss effects of labeling, including reinforcement of stereotypes, and experience potentially harming and limiting effects that labels have by participating in...
Curated OER
Words Really Matter: Examining Language at School
Help your learners gain sensitivity and become aware of the implications of the words they see, hear, and use about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people. After making lists of words or phrases they hear or use in school...
Curated OER
A Wall for Peace?
Students give examples that demonstrate how people are connected to each other and the environment. They idnetify current or historic conflicts and explain how those conflicts are or were influenced by geography. Students explore about...
Curated OER
BUS: The Future Begins Yesterday-Making Medicines
Your learners have all been to the drug store to pick up a prescription, but have they considered working on the other side of the counter? Discuss the potential career possibilities available to those interested in the pharmaceutical...
Curated OER
Chapter 8: Introduction to Economic Growth and Instability
Help your young economists put the current financial situation into context with this fluid and informative presentation. Complete with a thorough list of key terms at the end and a useful navigation tool on each slide, the presentation...
Curated OER
Holding a 'Peace Hug' at your School
Students consider feelings. In this positivity lesson, students realize how they can create a peaceful environment with their words and actions. They discuss feelings and personal experiences as a class and expand out to the rest of...
Curated OER
Marital Conflict Resolution
While not everybody will end up married, everybody does need to know how to resolve conflict. Learners examine several real-life scenarios involving a married couple. They use problem-solving strategies to help the couple come to an...
Curated OER
Pass This Jobs Bill
It seems that print media is slowly being replaced by electronic versions. Get your kids reading the New York Times e-style. They'll read the provided article entitled, "Pass This Jobs Bill" then answer six comprehension questions. Two...
Curated OER
Massive Tornado in Missouri
The New York Times published an article on the tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri in 2011. Learners read the article then answer each of the 11 who, what, when, where, and why questions. Hint: This article and ones like it link to a...
PBS
U.S. Agricultural Subsidies and Nutrition
Most young people don't spend a lot of time thinking about why some foods cost less than others. This resource uses clips from the documentary, Food, Inc. to explore the impact of agricultural subsidies on nutrition, health, and the...