Institute for Humane Education
I've Been Branded!
How many pairs of Nikes® or Apple® products are in the average American home? What makes someone buy one particular type of laundry detergent over another? Scholars grapple with these questions as they develop a list of brands they use...
Curated OER
200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons
Pupils watch Bugs Bunny cartoons, discuss the role of classical music in them, create musical parodies, and discuss Bugs Bunny as a Pop Icon.
Curated OER
What Were Social Effects of the Industrial Revolution?
Attempting to address Standard 10.3 (the effects of the Industrial Revolution), this presentation falls short and isn't a helpful resource. It contains some good information about the emergence of a middle class during this time, but...
Curated OER
Arabic Folk and Popular Music: Egypt, Lebanon, and Spain
How many of us have actually listened to Arabic folk or pop music? Learn about the many facets of folk music common to Lebanon, Spain, and Egypt with this well-organized presentation. Islamic cultural influences are traced throughout...
Curated OER
Henna Hand Designs Art Lesson: Make a Unique Self-Portrait
Explore the art and cultural significance of henna hand designs. You engage the class by providing background information that describes who, what, where, when, and why henna designs are used. Then, the class uses the included templates...
Curated OER
Case Study of a Campaign
Students read a case study of one campaign to discover how political campaigns addresses the needs of the voters. In groups, they answer questions related to the case and discuss how the commercials affect society as a whole. They use...
Curated OER
Alicia Keys, Songs in A Minor
How do a person's musical preferences influence the way they compose music of their own? Learners analyze the sound and lyrics of Alicia Keys in relation to musicians that came before. Jazz, blues, and soul music from the past are shown...
Curated OER
Dreamcatchers
After reading a Native American legend about dreamcatchers, why not make some. This resource provides several good links that explain the legend of the dreamcatcher and step-by-step instructions for making them with the class. Tip: If...
National Park Service
Teaching with Historic Places: Discover the Jackie Robinson Ballpark
Can sports and popular culture change public opinion? That's the essential question asked by a lesson plan that looks at the role Jackie Robinson's appearance at City Island Ballpark in Daytona Beach, Florida played in the desegregation...
Curated OER
Power to the People: Social Movements of the 1960s
Students engage in a professional development workshop for teachers in the delivery of curriculum about the era of the 1960's. The emphasis of the workshop is using popular culture of the time in order to launch investigations that are...
National First Ladies' Library
Opening the Olympic Games
Learners examine the history of the Olympic Games, including the opening ceremonies. In small groups, they create Olympic flags using symbols that represent their country and communities. In phase two of the lesson, young scholars work...
Texas Education Agency (TEA)
Archetypes, Motifs, and Plot in Drama (English II Reading)
The second interactive in a series of 10 introduces young scholars to character archetypes, archetypal plot patterns, and archetypal motifs, including the use of color. Learners read passages explaining the term and study examples from...
Curated OER
Social Studies: The Ideology of Slavery
Students examine the development of racial stereotyping beginning with the antebellum years. They research how blackface minstrel songs reinforced the antebellum mindset of African-Americans. Secondly, students investigate "Uncle Tom's...
Curated OER
Naming and Spelling Practices in Hip Hop
Your class will enjoy this presentation, whether or not they are fans of hip hop. It focuses on the trends of hip hop names, discussing the role of cool names and the strong letter k. The slide show could successfully augment a class on...
Curated OER
The History of Rock and Roll: Part 8 - The 70's Have a Nice Day - Lesson 2
Students identify the characteristics and elements of large scale rock productions. They examine the similarities between the American Vaudeville shows and the large-scale rock theater productions of the 1970's.
Curated OER
American Aloha Lesson Plan: Perpetuating Indigenous Cultural Traditions in Diaspora
Students examine the culture and decline of the culture of native Hawaiian people as the islands were colonized. They study issues of cultural identity for Native Hawaiians.
Curated OER
American Studies
Entitled American Studies, this small unit covers various topics related to the study of the United States. Learners warm up by creating a dictionary of democracy, then dive into three different lessons focused on government, famous...
Curated OER
Portrait of a Year
Students design a montage of digital images about a specific year. For this digital image research lesson, students choose a specific year in history that they would like to investigate. They search the Internet for images of things such...
Curated OER
American Pop Icons
Students analyze art and decide if the images are an attempt to celebrate or criticize American Popular Culture of the fifties and sixties and discuss how successful "Pop Art" mirrored society. Students also discuss the difference...
Curated OER
Pooling Common Knowledge
Fifth graders examine Native American cultures. In this diversity lesson plan, 5th graders prepare oral reports based on the research they conduct regarding Native American clothing, holidays, and sports.
Curated OER
Music: A Nation's Voice
Students investigate the impact of popular music in 1960's America. In this music and history lesson, students listen to several identified songs from the decade and analyze their lyrics. Students discuss their impressions and then...
Curated OER
Keep on Pushing: Popular Music and the Civil Rights Movement
Learners explore music that exemplified the Civil Rights Movement. In this music and history lesson, students research 1960's protest songs, Motown recorded music, and rap of the 1990's to consider the power of music and its reflection...
Curated OER
Cultural Comparisons Interview
Students interview a family member and give an oral report. In this oral history instructional activity, students create interview questions relevant to an American historical period. Students interview a family member and present an...
Curated OER
Native American Culture
Students examine the links between culture and geography. In this Native American cultures lesson plan, students research the cultural traditions of selected Native American groups. Students compare and contrast their findings.