Curated OER
Telling My Story: Conducting and Writing an Oral History
Students analyze the use of oral history as a way of gathering history. In this oral history lesson, students define oral history and then discuss researching immigration. Students research immigration. Students create questions for to...
Curated OER
Planning a Trip to the North Carolina Art Museum
Students navigate the North Carolina Art Museum website and find answers to questions needed before a visit.
Museum of Tolerance
The Role of Citizens in a Participatory Democracy
Groups research participatory democracies and compare the role and rights of citizens in ancient history with those in recent U.S. history. Guided by a series of questions, individuals compose a persuasive essay in which they discuss the...
National Gallery of Art
Islamic Art and Culture
Provided by the National Gallery of Art in Washington, this resource for teachers examines Islamic art, including calligraphy, arabesques, and geometric designs. A recounting of the spread of the faith and the tumultuous political...
J. Paul Getty Trust
Historical Context: Discovering a Painting
Class members are presented with the image of a painting and asked to record their first impressions and analysis. They then research the time period in which it was painted and discuss how their research impacted their first impression...
Museum of Tolerance
Creating an Ideal World
To conclude a study of social justice and tolerance designed to prepare classes for a visit to the Museum of Tolerance, class members brainstorm a safe and peaceful world. They then write about their own vision of this world.
US Holocaust Museum
Remember the Children: Daniel’s Story
Imagine being a child forced from your home and into a concentration camp during World War II. Scholars prepare for a visit to the United States Holocaust Museum by researching the children of the horrible event. They analyze...
US House of Representatives
Women Pioneers on Capital Hill, 1917–1934
As part of a study of the women elected to Congress from 1917 to 1934, groups research and then design a museum exhibit that describes the life and the congressional service of one of these women.
Museum of the American Revolution
Dissecting the Declaration
Delve into the past to understand the issues that led to the Declaration of Independence. Academics read excerpts from the Declaration of Independence and take a virtual tour of the American Revolution Museum. The resource explains how...
Curated OER
Bringing the Holocaust Unit to Closure: Implications for the Future
Students study the history of the Holocaust. it is complex; therefore, understanding its implications is complex as well. Elie Wiesel refers to the Holocaust as a question within a question. Questions lead to further questions, and still...
Curated OER
Out & About: Dinosaurs
Students discover details about dinosaurs in Great Britain. In this dinosaur lesson, students visit selected museums and learning centers online and in person to examine and study dinosaur exhibits.
Curated OER
The ABC's of Artifacts
Students create their own ABC book about artifacts. In this artifact lesson, students read ABC History Mystery and review the artifacts pictured in the book. They create their own ABC book with each student working on a letter.
Curated OER
Morse Code, Telegraph, and West Virginia
Students prepare for a visit to the West Virginia State Museum. In this West Virginia history lesson, students research the Morse Code and telegraph. Students create their own Morse Code and discuss communication history prior to...
Curated OER
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rocks are the building blocks of this geology lesson. In it, learners discover what sedimentary rocks are and how they form. They understand the differences between the major sedimentary rock varieties and learn what types of...
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
Harvesting the River Lesson Plan: Taking an Oral History
Pupils practice researching history through oral traditions. In this U.S. History lesson, students examine an online exhibit titled Harvesting the River, in which pupils interview someone from the story. Students utilize...
Curated OER
Passport To the Past: A Tour of the Ancient, European and Asian Collections
Students study fourteen images of paintings from the Memorial Art Gallery's tour of culture. They study the paintings for artifacts from other cultures and periods of history.
Curated OER
Tapestry in the Middle Ages
Students study the use of tapestry in the daily lives of those living during the Middle Ages. They design and create a weaving of their own detailing artists' use of visual language and symbols throughout history. They write a story that...
Curated OER
A Visit to Manassas Battlefield Park and Museum
Fifth graders gain an appreciation of the battle. They see the perspectives of soldiers from both the North and the South. They choose a side and portray a soldier fighting in a battle or any other time, retelling his thoughts, his...
Curated OER
Origins and Identity
Students examine how to research their family backgrounds. They conduct interviews with various family members, create a family tree, and present their family tree to the class.
Curated OER
The History of The Cyclorama and Moving Panorama
Here is a activity designed to acquaint learners with two amazing forms of entertainment from the 19th century: The Cyclorama and the Moving Panorama. After seeing what these two contraptions were all about, pupils make their own version...
US House of Representatives
Exclusion and Empire, 1898–1941
Often forgotten and written off as the model minority, Americans with heritage in Asia and the Pacific Islands have played an essential role in American history, including Congress. Budding historians reclaim history by researching the...
NPR
Progressive Era Lesson Plan
The women working for equal rights in the early 20th century weren't a part of one large group; rather, they were members of dozens of small groups focused on social reform. Explore the ways groups in the Progressive Era like National...
Curated OER
Picturing History: John Singleton Copley and British Portraiture
Young scholars observe and compare 18th century British portraits with those made by John Singleton Copley. By conducting research they explore the cultural climate of the portraits in order to write a historically accurate story.