Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A History of Conflict Resolution and the Jury System

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study the history of the jury system in the United States. They enact a number of different types of trials including trial by jury. They complete a worksheet that compares the trials systems before writing a persuasive essay...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The History of Thanksgiving Day

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders study the history of Thanksgiving. In this holiday lesson plan, 3rd graders read about the history of Thanksgiving, complete vocabulary activities, and write a journal entry from the point of view of someone who lived...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Going Greek

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders learn about the life of a young boy in Greece and all about his cultural heritage. Pupils gather information about the history, culture, and the many influences the ancient Greeks had on modern day society. Terrific video...
Lesson Plan
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Long Ago & Maybe Far Away

For Teachers 1st - 12th
Students organize and make plans to interview their relatives about their family history and view any heirlooms, diaries or photographs their relatives may have kept over the years. They write and illustrate the story of their family's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Build the Great Wall Lesson Plan

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students study the history and significance of the Great Wall of China. They examine the topography of the Chinese landscape before building a model of the Wall. Over the course of the school year, they use art supplies to build a wall...
Lesson Plan
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Thurgood Marshall Makes a Difference

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students find information about the life and legal career of Thurgood Marshall, including the NAACP and its causes. They comprehend the issues and context of the Brown v. Board of Education case that Marshall argued before the U.S....
Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Cure: Guided Imagery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Prepare class members for a discussion of Sonia Levitin's dystopian novel The Cure, by leading them on a guided imagery exercise designed to encourage visualization of written descriptions.
Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Dark Is Rising: Guided Imagery

For Students 5th - 9th
To launch a reading of The Dark is Rising, the second novel in Susan Cooper's award winning contemporary fantasy novel sequence for young adults, class members engage in a guided imagery exercise that asks them to visualize the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Book Thief: Discussion Questions

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Expand your study of The Book Thief by Markus Zusak with a question for each level of Bloom's Taxonomy. These questions focus on part four of the novel; each is paired with at least one quote from the text for context and teacher...
Lesson Plan
Novelinks

The Devil’s Arithmetic: Concept Analysis

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
A helpful guide to Jane Yolen's The Devil's Arithmetic for your literature unit. Use the sections on point-of-view, dramatic irony, and background knowledge, among others, to frame your lessons in an engaging and educational way.
Lesson Plan
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Pharaoh Phonetics

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explain the purpose of hieroglyphics and identify their role in communicating ideas. They research the history of writing and it's significance in ancient Egyptian life and identify the components of hieroglyphics.
Lesson Plan
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Civil Rights/Segregation

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders investigate Civil Rights by participating in role-playing activities.  In this U.S. History lesson, 6th graders research the history of slavery in order to portray a story through their debating and acting...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Raising the Titanic

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders research the history of a person who was aboard the Titanic and write about the part he/she played in the world's greatest maritime disaster.
Lesson Plan
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Philately

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students examine the history of stamps, the working of the postal system, and how stamps are used in our lives. They create a collage using stamps. They create a new stamp honoring a special event, person, etc.
Lesson Plan
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Olympic Athletes and Moments in Time

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students examine the history of the Olympics and their athletes. In this interviewing skills lesson, students role play the parts of reporters and athletes as they conduct interviews based on research of the Olympic games and athletes.
Lesson Plan
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Black Soldiers in the Civil War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain how a history of slavery distinguishes American society from other societies. They study posters and documents from different eras in our history which document the practice of slavery, and civil rights violations.
Lesson Plan
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National Symbols

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore symbols of nationalism and consider their relevance today. Students listen to national anthems of various countries, discuss sentiments that songs and lyrics invoke, research history of anthems and countries they...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Checkmate

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students start identifying the cause and effect relationships in games of Chess. Using the internet, they research the history of the game and how the roles for each of the pieces. They develop a skit based on the roles and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Last Great Race

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders identify and discover why the Iditarod race is done each year. They explore the historical significance of the Iditarod. Students also use web sites to research related topics, i.e. diseases (diptheria), geography of...
Lesson Plan
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“Home on the Range”

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders analyze the song "Home on the Range" and identify its meaning and setting.  In this timeline and retelling instructional activity, 4th graders use dictionaries to find definitions of unfamiliar words, create a...
Lesson Plan
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Mom, Where Do TV's Come From?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore the history of television using the lifetime achievements of Milton Berle as a springboard for studying social and technological advances in American entertainment. They, in groups, examine the role of television through...
Lesson Plan
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Dreaming to Come to America

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners examine reasons for immigration to America, including economic, political, and religious considerations, and conduct research to determine immigration history of students' families and compare reasons other groups have come to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Struggle Against Segregation

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers use vocabulary related to the history of segregation in the United States. They study about the history of segregation in America and recognize the challenges and prejudice that many African Americans faced in the 1950s....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Held Accountable

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine and draw conclusions from an excerpt from a slave narrative. They analyze excerpts from two recently discovered slave narratives. They draw connections among the narrative excerpts and historical texts by investigating...