Smithsonian Institution
War of 1812
Luckily for those who aren't history buffs, anyone can guess that the War of 1812 happened in ... 1812. But how to cover the rest of the story? The resource does just that with effective direct instruction that includes statistics,...
ProCon
Minimum Wage
The first ever minimum wage in America was set at 25 cents per hour in 1938 and has been steadily, if slowly, increasing ever since. Using the provided website, pupils decide if the United States should further increase the federal...
EduGAINs
Introduction to the Great Depression—Canadian and World Studies
Ah, the classic business cycle model: recession, depression, recovery, prosperity. And then there was the Great Depression. Groups investigate the economic conditions that led to and social movements of the 1920s that great out of the...
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
Who is the Real Roman?
Students describe what everyday life was like in ancient Rome and identify the various classes of people living in ancient Rome. They participate in a game called "The Real Roman," role-playing and trying to convince the class they are...
Curated OER
Swing Your Partner! It's A Virtual Square Dance
Young scholars 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.
Curated OER
Stories Behind Pacific Northwest First Nations' Images
Students investigate Canadian culture by examining mascots of the 2010 Olympics. In this Canadian history instructional activity, students read a Vancouver Olympics guide to identify three Canadian mascots and their importance to the...
Curated OER
Governance
Students explore government by researching Native American history. In this First Nations culture lesson, students define the Aboriginal action of speaking in a circle as a group. Students discuss their likes and dislikes with the class...
Curated OER
Listen Up! Swinging with some Big Band Music
Learners read about the music and life of Glenn Miller. They listen to Miller's "Jeep Jockey Jump" and analyze the piece for instrumentation, formal structure and stylistic characteristics.
Curated OER
Patriotic Music: Three Cheers for the Red, White & Blue
Students examine the patriotic songs of the 1940's and compare them to those of today. They identify elements that classify a song as patriotic, listen to several examples and complete Venn diagrams contrasting different examples.
Curated OER
Early Explorers
Fifth graders examine how the environment and climate affected Pre-Colombian settlements. In this civilization lesson, 5th graders view pictures of different Native American tribes in different places and discuss how different groups...
Curated OER
I've Got the Blues!
Students identify the musical form of the 12-bar blues. They identify a problem from the "Farming in the 1940's" section and compose a 12-bar blues song. make comparisons between problems of the 1940's and today.