Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Which Way is Up? The Tree of Life in Africa

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd
Students read a book titled This is the Tree about a baobab tree and draw a picture and label the tree. In this tree lesson plan, students also write a paragraph explaining why they drew that tree. 
Lesson Plan
Pennsylvania Department of Education

Counting Numbers: Four

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
Students practice counting to four. In this counting to four lesson, students access an e-book at "I Save A Tree.com" where they count items up to four. They examine the text and images which can be seen in both Spanish and English.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing Poetry and Characters

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students investigate historical context by reading poetry.  In this language arts lesson, students discover the work of Michael Longley and examine his poem "Ceasefire."  Students identify the sonnets used in the piece and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Poetry Describing Ordinary Life

For Teachers 10th - 11th
Students examine the cultural and historical context which a poem is written in or describes. For this poetry lesson, students listen to an online recording of Philip Larkin reading "The Whitsun Wedding." Students explore how the poem...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Home: The Ties That Bind

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students read two novels, The Human Comedy and A Separate Peace and an autobiographical memoir, Farewell to Manzanar. They focus on the difficulties faced by the teenage protagonists in order to set up a connection between adolescence...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Breaking Barriers with Melba Pattillo

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students are introduced to individuals who made the civil rights movement a success. They examine, analyze and interpret the events and people who had a significant and stirring impact on the course of history through stories, interviews...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Does It Looks All Right to Me?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the concept of philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, students examine the accomplishments of Civil Rights leaders' as works of philanthropy. Students read literature regarding diversity and study the Selma to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wounded Knee Massacre

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Westward Expansion lesson, students examine sources regarding the Battle of Wounded Knee from the perspective of Lakota fighters and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Real Life Challenge

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders read and examine narratives, review chronologies, consider ideas, and analyze trends in order to understand the past and present.  In this American History instructional activity, 9th graders examine cause and effect,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Lewis and Clark Expedition

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the Lewis and Clark expedition. They develop skills for historical analysis. They locate a variety of geographic features encountered by the expedition, and create a timeline that documents Lewis and Clark on their journey.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Right to Remain Resilient

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine the Civil Rights Movements in the U.S., both current and historic. In small groups students investigate a specific civil rights group, create an illustrated timeline, noting key events, people, and state and federal laws.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Treaty Trail: Crossing the Bitterroot Mountains

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine art and primary documents that depicts the Native Americans' crossing of Washington's Bitterroot Mountains to arrive at the Spokane Council. Students investigate and compare maps and other historical materials...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tale of Two Speeches

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students view and read portions of John F. Kennedy's Cuban Missile Crisis speech from October 22, 1962. Later in the year, students recall what they remember about the speech and use a Venn Diagram to compare it to Patrick Henry's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Steps to Freedom

For Teachers K - 4th
Students complete discussion and reading comprehension activities for the novel Almost to Freedom by Vaunda Micheax Nelson. In this African American history instructional activity, students discuss the Underground Railroad and complete a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Life of a Hoosier Soldier, based on the letters of Lt. John V. Hadley

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders take a closer look at the life of Union soldiers. In this American Civil War lesson, 8th graders read and analyze a series of letters from Lt. John Hadley to his fiancée. Students chart their findings from the letters on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Why Did Delawareans Use Slaves?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read about an indentured servant, and complete a chart comparing slaves and indentured servants.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Red Convertible

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students read and discuss the short story "The Red Convertible". They participate in extension activities related to each of the three parts of the story, planning a road trip, researching the Vietnam War, and writing a paper on their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

You Can, Too!

For Teachers K - 4th
Students and their parents participate in a volunteer opportunity in their community in order to solve a problem. In this problem solving lesson plan, students reflect on historical problems and see how they can solve a current problem.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Through My Eyes

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders read the book Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. In this segregation lesson, 5th graders read Ruby's story to find out what happened in her life. They write their own narrative about what 'first' they would most like to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Depletion of the Buffalo

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders consider different cultural viewpoints. In this Kansas history lesson, 7th graders examine the depletion of buffalo as a contention point between Native American and European settlers. Students read diary entries to gain...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

FOCUSING ON CIVIL WAR HISTORY & INFORMATION SEEKING

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students use a Web resource to obtain information on a specific subject; study the nature of naval warfare and commerce raiding during the Civil War; and assume the identity of a participant and viewing the events of the era from that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

White Southerners' Defense of Slaveholding

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students read transcriptions of articles from two historical Virginian newspapers and examine how white southerners defended the institution of slavery. They write a one-act play or a dialogue between an abolitionist and a slaveholder.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personal Response to the European Ghetto

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students examine the characteristics of the ghettos during the Holocaust. Reading various texts on the subject, they gather important information related to the event. They create a visual project of the ghettos and shares them with...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Landforms And The Oregon Trail

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders investigate the historical context for the founding of The Oregon Trail. They conduct research to put together the events that led to the geographical route that was taken. The lesson also strengthens geography skills with...