Scholastic
The Rise of Railroads: California
Railways are an integral part of the history of California. Using a timeline format, class members connect major historical events to the rise of the railroads and their impact on the state. Activities include a mix of independent and...
Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
TPS Journal
Sourcing a Document: The First Thanksgiving
How reliable is a painting of the first Thanksgiving if it was created 300 years after the fact? Learners assess the validity of a primary source image to determine what it can actually reveal about this event.
Boys Town
Teaching Social Skills, Creating Successful Students “Following Instructions” and “Listening”
With the help from learning games and holiday-themed coloring pages, scholars learn the importance of listening carefully and following directions. Coloring pages celebrate Halloween and Thanksgiving. Learning games include...
Personal Genetics Education Project
Protecting Athletes with Genetic Conditions: Sickle Cell Trait
Should school and professional teams test athletes for sickle cell trait? Will it protect them by providing knowledge or lead to discrimination by not allowing them to participate in sports? After learning about this genetic disorder,...
Syracuse University
World War I
World War I was known for its gruesome battlefields and horrific injuries. Using photographs from a battlefield surgeon's scrapbook, scholars see first-hand what life was like in the trenches. After creating a timeline of the war using...
Syracuse University
Harlem Renaissance
The music and literature of the Harlem Renaissance defined American culture, including its poetry. Using a poem from the period, individuals explore its musical qualities and how it is reflective of the period. Then, they use what they...
Curated OER
social studies: Life in Colonial America
Students explore the trials and tribulations early colonial life and note its successes. Through literature, Internet research, and interactive software, they engage in various activities to evaluate early social and cultural development.
Curated OER
The City in Black and White and Color: An interdisciplinary approach to teaching life in the city using literature, social studies, art, and photography.
Young scholars design an artistic and literary collage of contemporary urban life that seeks to interpret, analyze, and evaluate its mettle. They integrate their impressions of urban life with established views, thereby enriching their...
Curated OER
Deciphering Your Cell Phone Bill
You just got your first cell phone bill, but what does it all mean? Clear up the confusion for your young consumers as they break down and itemize a cell phone bill to better understand what they are paying for and why. This type of...
Missouri Department of Elementary
Safe and Healthy Life Choices (Part 2)
Scholars listen to a presentation by a health care professional and then submit three questions they would like the speaker to discuss further.
Curated OER
Japanese Tea and Teacups
Upper graders use the potter's wheel to make Japanese style tea cups, which they will use in a Japanese style tea ceremony. They hone their sculpting techniques while exploring Japanese cultural and the history of tea. There are two...
National History Day
Propaganda Posters of World War I: Analyzing the Methods Behind the Images
The power of a picture. During the events surrounding World War I, propaganda posters were widely distributed in American society to sway the emotions of its citizens. By analyzing World War I propaganda posters in the first installment...
Curated OER
Fort Life in the Green Bay Area, 1816-1841
Ninth graders examine from the perspectives of military personnel, Native Americans, families of soldiers, and civilians who lived and worked in the region during the era. They create a 2-page scrapbook layout from at least two of the...
Curated OER
Neighborhood or Slum? Snapshots of Five Points: 1827-1867
How has your local neighborhood changed throughout recent history? Young researchers evaluate census data, images, and primary source descriptions describing the living situation in the antebellum Five Points neighborhood. They consider...
Curated OER
Mary Todd Tours the World
Pupils analyze how distinguishing another culture encourages us to respect each other. They research culture and all its avenues, recognizing and comprehending the relationship between people and geography. Ultimately, they can apply...
Curated OER
Australian Aboriginal Art And Storytelling
Students explore Aboriginal storytelling traditions through the spoken word and through visual culture. They listen to stories of the Dreamtime told by the Aboriginal people and investigate Aboriginal storytelling in contemporary dot...
SeaWorld
Shark!
Here is an impressive collection of lessons on sharks. In them, pupils undertake a serious study of sharks, their habitats, their social structure, and how humans adversely impact their existence. These lessons effectively integrate...
Curated OER
Revolutionary News Network
Seventh graders study events leading to, during and resulting from the American Revolution. They review elements of a political cartoon. They create and dramatize a scene from a Revolutionary War novel.
Curated OER
A River Ran Wild: An Environmental History
The Nashua River serves as the focal point of an investigation of the treatment of and care for natural resources. A reading of A River Rand Wild: An Environmental History by Lynne Cherry, launches the study and class members consider...
Smart Museum of Art
The Making of a Superhero
Thor, Loki, Iron Man, and Captain America. As part of their study of Greek and Roman gods and heroes, middle schoolers compare the characters in The Avengers to Greek counterparts. Individuals then create their own superhero,...
Curated OER
Come Tool Along With Me
Students create metallic Bas-relief scultures using basic art supplies and the technique of "tooling" in this Art lesson with croos-curricular connections in Social Studies and Math. A scoring rubric is included for assessment and...
Curated OER
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution: The American Revolution
The contributions of African-Americans to the American Revolution are the focus of this Social Studies and language arts activity. After reading and discussing Linda Crotta Brennan’s The Black Regiment of the American Revolution, class...
Curated OER
Children of War
Take a closer look at the impact of war in this language arts and social studies activity. Middle schoolers use primary sources to conduct research as they relate to the effects of war on children. They compare and contrast the effects...