Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Famous Figures in History

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Pupils investigate famous people in U.S. history. In this American history lesson, students read about famous people such as Helen Keller and Einstein. Pupils think of ways they might become famous.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American History Review

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine how people have contributed to American history, regardless of culture, race or religion. They develop a sense of pride for their own efforts, as well as for the efforts of others. They also study how to work both...
Lesson Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Ray Charles

For Students K - 3rd Standards
Introduce young learners to the read-aloud process with a short biographical passage about Ray Charles. After listening to the passage, class members respond to factual, inferential, and evaluative questions, and then create a timeline...
Worksheet
Look! We're Learning!

Ella Fitzgerald Biography Mini-Unit

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Before there was Beyonce, before there was Madonna, before there was Cher, there was Ella. Introduce Ella Fitzgerald, The First Lady of Jazz, with a reading comprehension exercise that presents a brief biography of her life and then asks...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Protest Songs

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze and perform an American social protest song. They describe its historical setting, consider the effectiveness of the music and recognize that popular music is a reflection of American culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A New Twist on Race Relations

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Learners analyze the impact of American Bandstand on race relations. In this race relations instructional activity, learners use the music and dance show American Bandstand to learn about race relations. Learners categorize pivotal...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Swing Your Partner! It's A Virtual Square Dance

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore the Wessels Living History Farm website and research how to do a square dance. They read a story, listen to an explanation of barn dances, and participate in various square dances.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Are The Freedom Riders

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students consider the role of the Freedom Riders. In this American Civil Rights lesson, students watch videos, listen to lectures, and conduct research regarding the participants in the Freedom Ride protest. Several weblinks, worksheets,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Faces of the Past: Boys in the Civil War

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Students investigate the role of boys during the American Civil War. In this Civil War Research lesson, students study the contributions of young Union and Confederate men to the war effort. Students also make...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America, A Home for Every Culture

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Learners investigate the many cultures that are represented in America. In this American culture lesson, students look at the food, languages, music, and traditions that immigrants have contributed to the face of America. They complete...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Woody Guthrie: Ain't Got No Home

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine the music of Woody Guthrie and how the political and economic climate influenced his work. They read and discuss online articles, define key vocabulary words, take a Political Orientation Survey, and write a position...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story - The Birth of Soul

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students analyze various kinds of music.  In this music lesson, students listen to music clips to determine the kind of music each clip is then they participate in a class discussion about the music and prepare a presentation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cinco De Mayo

For Teachers 4th - 6th
In this Cinco de Mayo worksheet, students read a detailed history about the holiday. There are then 8 pages with 10 activities on each page to correct. There are some math problems as well, which pertain to Cinco de Mayo.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Views of the American West: True or False?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain that a landscape painting may or may not accurately represent a specific place. They identify techniques that create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stories of the American Experience

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify a veteran to interview. This could be a family member of one of students or someone contacted through an organization in the community. They use a storyboard to plan their movie about their subject.
Lesson Plan
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Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Yankee Doodle: How Has It Changed over Time?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Grab your feathers and your hat! And perhaps some macaroni! It's time to investigate the evolution of "Yankee Doodle Dandy." Groups do a close reading of sheet music covers, lyrics, and even YouTube videos to see how this political song...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights Video Essay

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate a decade of American history when the civil rights movement was a focus of national attention. They create a video essay about a person or event that played an important role in shaping the civil rights movement.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Stars and Stripes Forever: Flag Facts for Flag Day

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students are introduced to the symbolism of the flag of the United States of American. They identify flag components, history, etiquette and lore. They also use constrution paper to make a flag and discuss the Pledge of Allegiance.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters from the Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students make deductions about life in an internment camp by reading and comparing letters written to Clara Breed. Along the way, they consider the advantages of looking at a historical event from the multiple points of view of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Jazz is About Collaboration": Jim Crow Laws And Segregation

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore development of jazz music in the 1930s by forming imaginary jazz bands which tour several cities in Depression-era America. Jazz band members create imaginary identities for themselves, develop publicity for their tour,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Jazz is About Freedom": Billie Holiday's Anti-lynching Song Strange Fruit

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Working in small teams, learners analyze a variety of primary source materials related to lynching (news articles, letters written to or written by prominent Americans, pamphlets, broadsides, etc.) in order to assess the effectiveness of...
Unit Plan
San Francisco Symphony

Admirable Armonica Admirers

For Teachers 1st - 6th
What do Ben Franklin and Wolfgang Mozart have in common? Find out about the musical invention, the armonica or glassy-chord. Learners will read about how Ben Franklin invented this new instrument and how Wolfgang Mozart came to play it....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Guide Through the Culture of the Blues

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the history of blues music and discover how it relates to the music of today. As a class, they listen to the drum songs of Africa and compare it to the use of drums in pop music today. Using the internet, they research...
Interactive
ABCya

Thanksgiving Crossword Puzzle

For Students 2nd - 5th Standards
Solve an eight-question crossword puzzle all about Thanksgiving. Players click on rows and columns, read a question, and answer using the given letters. Hints are provided at a point cost. 

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