Weebly
Nationalism Project
Don't just ask your class to define nationalism, but invite them to experience it with an engaging project. Learners are divided into groups to design four items—a flag, slogan, national anthem, and historical tale—for a fictional...
US Institute of Peace
Identifying Elements of Conflict
What lies at the heart of a conflict? Help pupils peel back the layers during an in-depth study of the elements of conflict. A instructional activity addressing peacekeeping and conflict management examines the historical, emotional, and...
Curated OER
The Declaration of Independence: From Rough Draft to Proclamation
Learners discover how the Declaration of Independence transformed from a draft to a treasured historical document. In this Declaration of Independence instructional activity, students discuss the context in which Jefferson wrote the...
MENSA Education & Research Foundation
Utopia/Dystopia: The American Dream
America was founded by dreamers, and the American dream still resonates in our country today. Track the American dream from its Puritan beginnings to its optimistic descendants with a instructional activity that focuses on speeches...
Curated OER
Seeing Art in Historical Context: An Activity to Promote Visual Literacy
Students consider works of art in their historical context. In this art in historical context lesson, students are encouraged to think about and record their prior knowledge of the historical period and to make inferences about the...
Curated OER
Lesson Plans on the Intersection of History and Literature
Finding out about "the story behind the story" can provide a greater understanding of literature and its historical and social context.
Facing History and Ourselves
Analyzing Historical Evidence
High schoolers examine World War I war crimes. In this world history instructional activity, high schoolers use primary and secondary sources to research and understand the systematic nature of the Armenian Genocide. High schoolers...
Museum of the Moving Image
Political Ads in Historical Context
Campaign ads target both timely issues and general themes. Presidential campaign ads from 1952 and 1988 provide class members an opportunity to compare how the topics ads choose to address can dramatically influence election outcomes.
Urban Education Exchange
Lessons and Units: The Watsons go to Birmingham—1963 5TH GRADE UNIT
Get ready to read The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963 with a lesson about historical fiction. Spanning several centuries, the resource prompts learners to guess the historical era of a story based on a word or phrase...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Self-Command
Even for one of the most accomplished men in American history, there was room for improvement. Challenge high schoolers to use Benjamin Franklin's Project for Moral Perfection to analyze text, make inferences, connect to historical...
BBC
Royal Patronage
The relationship between European royalty and the artists, scientists, and philosophers they support has been a building block in the artistic and technological progress throughout the world. Learn more about patronage throughout the...
National Woman's History Museum
Humor and Activism
As part of their study of the women's suffrage movement, groups analyze political cartoons and drawings. They create a caption for an image from the time, add an exhibit label that provides a context for their drawing, and post as part...
Curated OER
What Does It Cost? Wages and Expenses in Historical Context
Students research the relative value of a historical dollar. They use old newspapers to find costs for food, housing, clothing, and transportation and then calculate the number of hours a worker would need to be employed to live...
Curated OER
Historic N. Ireland Deal Reached
Four questions about conflict in Northern Ireland make up this activity, which prompts pupils to go to Wikipedia for more background on the situation. The questions are good and can prompt strong discussions in your class. But, hopefully...
Curated OER
Newspapers: A Connection to Our Past
Students research the historical context for a currents event. They create an iMovie that explains why it is important to explain the history behind a current event.
Urbana School District
Knocking Down Fences
After reading The Other Side and guiding children through a picture walk, third graders investigate evidence of the civil rights movement. In the mini unit, 3rd graders analyze photographs of the past and make connections...
Curated OER
Jelly Bracelets: Fashion or Sex Game?
Ever-changing fashion fads are the ideal context for an engaging sociology experiment for adolescents. Through research and conducting a survey, learners draw conclusions about the controversial jelly bracelets fad, banned in some...
Curated OER
Oh, Say, Can You See What the Star-Spangled Banner Means?
Students research the historical inspiration for the lyrics of the "The Star Spangled Banner". They explore websites, read articles and analyze poetry in an examination of America's patriotic symbols and history.
Curated OER
A Look Through My Antonia's Eyes
Thoroughly delve into My Antonia by Willa Cather with a plethora of activities. Engage scholars with videos and web sites in this week-long unit that explains the historical context and creates pioneers in the field of research. An...
PBS
Baseball: The Tenth Inning - Bases Divided
Baseball is a relatively high-interest topic through which social studies classes can explore racial prejudice in the US. Video clips provide much of the background information that groups record on their handout and then share with the...
Judicial Branch of California
Separate But Equal - Is It Black or White?
The story of Ruby Bridges and the case of Brown vs. The Board of Education are fantastic tools for discussing the concept of separate but equal. Kids tackle some big questions about what is fair, what is civil, and what rights or laws...
Smithsonian Institution
General George Washington, Military Leader
Teach pupils the characteristics that make George Washington such an effective leader, especially in context of his time period. Scholars view artifacts, participate in group work, create lists, compare and contrast, and discuss as a...
Curated OER
The Preamble to the Constitution: How Do You Make a More Perfect Union?
Students analyze the Preamble of the Constitution and identify the historical context that led to its wording. They, in groups, interpret phrases from the Preamble, examine relevant court cases and create illustrations for their portion...
Curated OER
Neighborhood or Slum? Snapshots of Five Points: 1827-1867
How has your local neighborhood changed throughout recent history? Young researchers evaluate census data, images, and primary source descriptions describing the living situation in the antebellum Five Points neighborhood. They consider...