Center for History and New Media
A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction, 1865-1877
The transition between rebellion to reunification was not smooth after the Civil War. Young historians compare primary and secondary source documents in a study of the Reconstruction era in Virginia, noting the rights that were not...
Curated OER
Jazz In America
Students gain a fundamental understanding of the role of jazz in the Harlem Renaissance. They explain its historical significance and cultural implications.
Curated OER
Heaven or Ground Hog Day?
Students discover the ideas of enlightenment by reading historical poetry. In this philosophical lesson, students read poems by Sir Walter Scott and Sergeant Joyce Kilmer while discussing the themes of the writing with classmates....
Curated OER
Bias vs. Perspective: An Inevitable Aspect of Journalism?
Young scholars explore the types of media that U.S. teens prefer the ways in which viewers identify and account for journalistic bias. They explore the ways in which media shapes one's opinion or affects their judgment.
Curated OER
Lesson 10: History of Illinois 1700's Dual Timeline
Students create a journal that includes historic events that occurred in Illinois in the 1700's that features entries on the same topics from different perspectives.
Curated OER
Films About World War II
Ninth graders focus on how filmmakers have changed their view of the Second World War. They create portfolios or their own documentary to investigate the various screen interpretations of the wartime era and explain different points of...
Curated OER
Post-Colonial Writers Unit
How do cultural and historical background impact thought? To explore this essential question, class members view of portion of the film, The Passage to India, read an excerpt from The Magician’s Nephew, and Nissim Ezekiel’s...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Faulkner's As I Lay Dying: Form of a Funeral
Learners read and analyze William Faulkner's novel, 'As I Lay Dying.' They define Faulkner's place in American literary history, describe Faulkner's "South" in the context of the historical South and examine the Bundren family through...
Curated OER
Explorations in American Environmental History
Ninth graders explore the historical perspective of nature and the environment. In this American History lesson, 9th graders examine materials in a variety of formats to understand the contexts of America's concern for the...
Library of Congress
Investigating the Building Blocks of Our Community’s Past, Present, and Future
As Ken Jennings said, "There's just something hypnotic about maps." Certainly, the longer you look at them the more you can learn. In this project-based learning lesson, individuals study both historic and present-day maps of...
Curated OER
Ancient Man in Asia
Seventh graders analyze and synthesize information about major historical developments by interpreting data, evaluation sources of information, identifying and comparing experiences and perspectives from multiple cultural perspectives.
Curated OER
Elders as Resources Lesson Plan
Young scholars participate in an Elders as Resources project. In groups, they work with their elders of the community to exchange viewpoints in which they can discover aspects about each other previously unknown. They also examine the...
Curated OER
Women's Involvement In The Progressive Era
High schoolers participate in a lesson that is investigating the Progressive Era of history. They conduct research focusing on the role of women in era. The information provides the perspectives necessary to address the popular...
Curated OER
Celebration and Satire
Young scholars compare and contrast different perspectives of the French Revolution. In this visual arts lesson, students discuss the use of satire and caricature in history and create satirical cartoons based on contemporary issues.
Curated OER
Bias in Journalism
Learners evaluate the credibility and reliability of various sources. Students survey the coverage of a particular event in different newspapers, select a current event and compare different perspectives. They write an article...
Curated OER
Giants Of The Past
Students create a paper sculpture based on ancient Greek and Roman statues in the Getty Museum. In this paper sculpture lesson plan, students read the story The Mysterious Giant of Barletta by Tomie dePaola. They then make a sculpture...
Museum of Tolerance
Can It Happen in America?: Taking Social Action
Class members investigate the Jim Crow Laws, Executive Order 9066, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the Indian Removal Act to gather information about not only the challenges encountered by diverse groups of Americans, but their...
Channel Islands Film
Eminent Domain
After viewing the documentary The Last Roundup, a documentary about the transitioning of Santa Rosa from a privately own island to a National Park, class members debate the takings clause of the Fifth Amendment that permits the...
Small Planet Communications
Civil War
Students discuss political, social, and personal issues relating to the Civil War from various perspectives using internet sources. Students write various selections from Civil War characters' point of view.
Curated OER
History Telling
Tenth graders examine the different parts of history that make up people's lives. In this American History instructional activity, 10th graders explore how historians learn about events that happened in the past by looking at...
Orlando Shakes
The Great Gatsby: Study Guide
Uncover the exciting world of the Roaring Twenties with The Great Gatsby study guide. Individuals become critics as they write a review of the production. Scholars also read historical information and analyze the differences between the...
Simon & Schuster
Curriculum Guide: The Scarlet Letter
The Scarlet Letter may be a classic, but keeping high schoolers engaged in the reading of Hawthorne's vocabulary, syntax, imagery, and historical references presents it own set of challenges. Here's a guide that offers readers...
Curated OER
Understanding "The Stans"
Young scholars explore and locate "The Stans" in Central Asia to create, write and illustrate maps, graphs and charts to organize geographic information. They analyze the historical and physical characteristics of Central Asia via...
Curated OER
"And That's The Way It Is..." Today in History
Learners research an event in history from different perspectives. They discuss the characteristics of a nightly news broadcast and create their own based on the history event they researched. They work together to produce this...