Curated OER
Students Working in Local Historic Preservation
Young scholars develop an appreciation of history as they volunteer their time in historical museums. In this historical perspectives lesson, students work with valuable local documents as they aid the staff of selected local historical...
Curated OER
Ceramics: A Vessel into History
Students create a personal clay vessel that has a specific use or meaning in their contemporary culture, which could be discerned through study by future archeologists and art historians.
Curated OER
The Power of Journals: Going Beyond the Text
Eighth graders define and use new vocabulary and identify the reasons why Native Americans captured Europeans during the colonial period. They write their own journal entries about the topic and explain the importance of journals as a...
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Women In The Labor Force Since 1920
Young scholars investigate the historical perspective of how women were perceived in the labor force since 1920 forward. They conduct research that focuses on how the role of women has changed in different periods of time. They identify...
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Restoring the Nike
Students explore the roles of artists, art historians and archaeologists. They discover the role of professionals in restoring lost or damaged artwork. Students examine the characteristics of Greek art.
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Gourmet Chef or Fast Food Mama?
Learners examine the contents of a 17th century women's kitchen. Using probate records, they compare them with a historian's record of the same event. They complete an inventory of a kitchen of a women in their own lives.
Curated OER
Ceramics: A Vessel Into History
Students evaluate the work of their peers using the criteria for value and meaning they developed. In this ceramics lesson plan, students evaluate their peers’ vessels in their journals by responding to the...
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Find the Tallest
Learners use a variety of local resources to find pictures and information about the tallest structures in your town during four different periods. By comparing pictures, students gather information about a town's values, major...
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The Cuban Missile Crisis-Three Perspectives
Students examine the viewpoints of the major players in the Cuban Missile Crisis. In groups, they research the topic and organize the information into a presentation. They evaluate the decisions made at the time. They also discover the...
Briscoe Center for American History
Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 2
To conclude their investigation of the life of Mary Maverick and to demonstrate their ability to analyze primary source documents, groups use the SOAPS questioning method to examine Maverick's account of events in early Texas history.
Curated OER
Much Ado About Shakespeare
Lesson ideas to introduce pupils to the life, language, and works of William Shakespeare.
K12 Reader
The Mayflower
The journey aboard the Mayflower in 1620 was long and arduous for the Pilgrims set for the New World. Learn about the difficulties of the expedition, including the extended timeframe and cramped quarters, with an informative reading...
Curated OER
Everyone Has Interesting Stuff: Talking Objects Teaching with Objects in the Classroom
What fun! Have your class compose a narrative piece from an object's point of view. They research the object, its origin, and its history, then write their story. Stories can be shared with the class or read to children in a younger grade.
Curated OER
Analyzing the Lewis and Clark Journals
Students examine and interpret Corps of Discovery journal entries as primary documents/sources providing insight into the Lewis and Clark expedition's journey. They present information they have documented on included activity sheet in...
Curated OER
At the Site: A Scavenger Hunt
Young scholars conduct field research on a historical site. They develop a scavenger hunt list, participate in a field trip to the historical site, and complete the scavenger hunt.
Curated OER
Hawaii: State History
In this Hawaii state history worksheet, 4th graders read three pages of state history then complete 10 true and false questions.
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Billy the Kid: Perspectives on an Outlaw
Students examine the life of Billy the Kid. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students use Internet and print sources to research the contributions of gunfighters to the settlement of the American West.
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Lewis and Clark: Artful Recordings
Students examine the nature journals of Lewis and Clark. For this primary source analysis lesson, students research the journals that the members of the Corps of Discovery kept during the expedition and then conduct further research on...
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Samuel Clemens: His Autobiography and Famous Quotes
A discussion of Samuel Clemens autobiography and quotes is a must for any high school English class.
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Historical Comparison of Anti-War Music
Students explain that, how in this world of increasing awareness and interdependence, music can act as a magnet to draw people together. They research and compare anti-war songs from many different generations.
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Family History
Fourth graders identify primary source items in the study of their families. They relate the importance of primary source materials in understanding history and events of the past.
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The Vikings
In this Vikings worksheet, students read about the Vikings and the Viking Age and then answer the 15 questions in the packet. The answers are on the last page.
Curated OER
From Smithson to Smithsonian: Who Was James Smithson?
Students evaluate and examine primary and secondary source material as they relate to the life of James Smithson.In this "From Smithson to Smithsonian" lesson, students analyze documents looking for clues to the identity of James Smithson.
Curated OER
Around the World in 1896
Middle schoolers work in groups to plan, take and document a trip using an Internet Database of primary sources "Around the Wolrd in the 1890's." This enables students to break old western perspectives of other nations as they analyze...