Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Invent It!

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students explore invention and unveiling of world's first Ferris wheel, analyze photographs and poster of first Ferris wheel, and discuss engineering achievements of Ferris wheel, including how it worked, how it was built, and its...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Taming the Frontier

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine paintings by Thomas Cole and Jasper Francis Cropsey as windows into American frontier life. They consider the pioneer's relationship with nature and the role of Native Americans in the pioneer's lives and settlements.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Art?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students become familiar with the art and architecture and history of the Chicago World's Fair.  In this public arts project lesson, students compare and contrast fine art and public art through a study of the exhibits at the...
Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

George Washington Carver and the Sweet Potato

For Teachers 1st
Learn about George Washington Carver's important contributions to agriculture by studying the sweet potato. First graders read about the inventor's observations and prepare sweet potato slips for the class garden. Additionally, they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Not Everyone Lived in Castles During the Middle Ages

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students complete a variety of online activities surrounding their study of the Middle Ages. They focus on the various levels of the class sytem and then role play a member of a given class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Friar Margil and the Spanish Missions

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the concepts of diversity and assimilation. They identify the validity of sources and recognize bias, and create original illustrations from the students' point of view which show the impact of the Spanish friars on the...
PPT
Curated OER

Humor and Iconicity in Classical Music

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed
Scherzo, cappricio, divertimento, and rando are all addressed in this look into humor through this classical music presentation. The slide show is very basic, but has some good background on Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, and Bach. The...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black Music: Its Message and Meaning

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students develop an appreciation for modern black music from a historical, political and lyrical perspective. They examine the political and the historical surge of the civil rights movement of the 1960's and how this surge directly or...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Authentic Pilgrim Boys and Girls

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students synthesize their historical knowledge of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock by looking at period paintings of Albert Beirstadt and Pierre Renoir, enabling them to depict in a performance for their parents, the original dress...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 11- Chapters 16 and 17

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders explore Maya Angelou's I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. In this reading comprehension lesson, 9th graders reach chapters 16 and 17 and complete reading check questions. Students discuss themes that reflect the historical...
Lesson Plan
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation

Those "Other Rights:" The Constitution and Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sacagawea And the Lemhi Shoshoni: Contribution To the Lewis And Clark Expedition

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students dentify the period of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and the life of Sacagawea on a timeline that demonstrates the chronology of important events in American History.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Liberty Rhetoric

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What is liberty rhetoric? Examine how people have used it in four different time periods and situations. High schoolers investigate original source documents and compare them with the Declaration of Independence to decide how liberty...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

History in the Making

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students create and perform a skit that demonstrates the historical period and foriegn policy of a particular president. They first complete a diagram of George Washington's presidency as a class and then form small groups to research...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reformation and Counter-reformation

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders examine the major theologies and practices for major religions.  In this World History lesson, 10th graders describe the historical significance of key leaders and events.  Students analyze the changes over this...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Venn Diagram-Paleolithic and Neolithic

For Teachers 6th
Review the paleolithic and neolithic time periods using this creative lesson. After a unit on Mesopotamia and the Stone Age, learners fill out a Venn diagram comparing the paleolithic and neolithic period, and write a paragraph...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Music As Survival: Alma Rose and the Auschwitz Women's Orchestra

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore a period of European history in which musicians have used theri musical talents and abilities to survive and rise above extremely difficult situations. The psychological uses of music by the Nazis is examined in this...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Was Columbus Thinking?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Why is Christopher Columbus one of the most studied figures in history? Upper graders will investigate why Christopher Columbus traveled to the New World and what happened to the native people he encountered. They read and discuss...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Book: Estonia

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students, after reading Chapter One in the book, "Estonia," design and create a nature journal for an imaginary trip around Estonia. They include animals and plants that in their minds live in Estonia. In addition, they illustrate the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storytellers: Pearl Jam, New Twist on an Old Song

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the use of music as a medium for social protest. They watch the video, "VH1 Storytellers: Pearl Jam," describe the historical significance of words/phrases in three versions of one song, and answer discussion questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What Really Happened?

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders recreate scenes from the theories about the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. In this history and theatre lesson, 6th graders review the story of Earhart using a flip chart. Students work on one act plays to depict one of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Book: Germany

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Students, after reading Chapter One in the book, "Germany," analyze and recreate the political boundaries as well as the physical features of the nation of Germany with the assistance of play-doh or salt dough. In groups, they create...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Netherlands

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students create a journal for an imaginary trip around the Netherlands. They identify animals and plants that live in the Netherlands and describe its landscape. In addition, they summarize and present historical information about an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Independence Masks

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students explore how art reflects the economic, political, social, religious and historical concerns of a culture. They research a former colony to determine if there is any history of a mask. Students create a mask representing the...