Curated OER
Historical Agency in History Book Sets (HBS)
Study historical events by combining the study of historical fiction and non-fiction. Learners read about true past events in historical fiction novels and then research non-fiction accounts of the same events. What are some differences...
Curated OER
The Prince and the Pauper
Mark Twain, the famous American author, is often studied in the school system. Use "The Prince and the Pauper" to analyze the differences between the text and its video version. This lesson includes several culminating project...
Curated OER
Call It a Hunch
Give young scholars a chance to practice making inferences after reading the book Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges. They confirm whether or not their conclusions are true, have a class discussion, and then independently complete an...
National First Ladies' Library
Writing (and Rewriting!) History
Middle schoolers differentiate between fiction and non-fiction, discuss historical fiction, which combines both genres, choose historical novel from list and read independently, and write original short stories that combine elements of...
Read Works
Biography
Familiarize your class with the genre of biography. After some direct instruction about biography, work together to discuss historical facts and significant events from A Picture Book of Anne Frank by David A. Adler. In order...
Curated OER
Sea Changes: A New England Industry
Students conduct research in order to use primary and secondary sources. They interpret and analyze information from textbooks and nonfiction books for young adults, as well as reference materials, audio and media presentations, oral...
Curated OER
History: Fact of Fiction?
Students find a historial novel online and distinguish between fiction and nonfiction books. They research three historical events related to their novel and write a letter to a figure from their novel's time period.
Curated OER
Trivia Books: Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial Celebration
Students detrmine the importance of point of view. They use a well-known fairy tale to explore how changing the point of view changes the whole story. They generate questions from the text they want answered during the unit and construct...
Scholastic
Voyage on the Mayflower for Grades 6–8
Imagine living in the hold of a sailing ship for 63 days, enduring rough seas and autumn storms. As part of a study of the voyage of the Mayflower, class members examine an online resource that details life about the ship, watch a slide...
Curated OER
Lesson Plan on Social Studies Research
Fourth graders listen to nonfiction stories, read fact sheets about historical characters and events, and record facts in groups. They write a paper based on six facts from their research.
Curated OER
Pre-Reading Preparation
Students explore a given historical fiction story. In groups, they research selected topics dealing with the story and determine what is fiction and what is fact. Students create a multimedia presentation about their findings and...
Curated OER
What It Means to Be an American Indian
Students analyze primary source documents and evaluate historical evidence to find consequences of the policies that were adopted from the 1830s to today regarding Native American Indians.
Curated OER
Examining Women's Roles through Primary Sources and Literature
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this women's history lesson, students examine the role of women prior to and following the suffrage movement. Students also read selected pieces of women's...
Curated OER
Red Legs: A Drummer Boy of the Civil War
Young scholars identify and interpret the life of a drummer boy during the Civil War as well as about a reenactment. Students listen to a fictionalized story or a Civil War reenactor and compare ot with the life of the drummer boy the...
Curated OER
Middle Ages Timeline
Learners research a historical figure from the Middle Ages. In this Middle Ages lesson, students present important events of their characters life and of the time. Learners write a time card for each significant event. ...
Curated OER
Postcards from the Past
Students create postcards from the past by summarizing a historical event. Then they design illustrations for their postcards and send them off to another teacher at their school.
Curated OER
European Exploration, Trade and Colonization
Students complete many activities including mapping, reading books, and Internet research to learn about European exploration. In this European lesson plan, students study geographical mapping, trade, and colonization.
Curated OER
The Land of Immigrants
Students access information and data about US immigration using the Internet and other sources. They identify from research data the countries from which the largest number of immigrants to the US come from and create a database of these...
Curated OER
If These Walls Could Talk: Seeing a Culture Through Human Features
Students read Talking Walls and discuss the walls presented and their importance to the culture. For this geography lesson, students locate and label each country/continent discussed in the book on a world map. Students take a walk and...
Curated OER
I Am What I Think I Am!
Students study conative and cognitive strengths through characters in literature. In this conative and cognitive strength lesson, students read about a favorite character or historical person. They make a chart of the difficulties the...
Curated OER
Foods and Languages of the World
Students review Mexico's location and language and learn to pronouns 10 new Spanish food words. Students listen as the book, Corn is Maize is read, touching and passing around an ear of Indian corn. Students discuss the contribution of...
Curated OER
Exploring Life in Jamestown Settlement
Third graders locate Jamestown settlement on a historical timeline and research colonial life. They name a restaurant, identify who their potential customers might be and prepare a typical colonial menu.
Curated OER
Exploring Life in Jamestown Settlement
Students research a historic timeline and other texts to explore life in the colonies and the Jamestown settlement. Students investigate what the settlers ate while in the colony. Students prepare foods similar to colonists' foods.
Curated OER
A Day During Colonial Times
Fifth graders participate in read aloud activities of three books about life in Colonial times. They compare their life to that of children of Colonial times using a Venn diagram. They draw a picture and write about what a day in the...