National Endowment for the Humanities
On This Day With Lewis and Clark
Walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark as they discover the wonders, beauty, and dangers of the American frontier. After gaining background knowledge about Thomas Jefferson and the Louisiana Purchase, young explorers use primary...
Curated OER
Santana
The orchestra plays the National Anthem and discusses their origin. Students listen to other nation's National Anthems, and discuss how they felt while listening. As the students play the National Anthem, the teacher sings. The students...
Curated OER
Murals
Students investigate how murals portray cultural expression. They study the history of mural making, explore its symbolism and design a mural of their own.
Curated OER
All The Way to Timbuktu
Students discuss the concept of historic preservation and relate it to their own families and communities. After reading an article, they discuss the efforts of Mali to preserve their history. Using the internet, they research one...
Curated OER
Ancient Egypt
Students discover details about ancient Egyptian funerals. In this ancient Egypt lesson plan, students compare and contrast modern funeral rites to those practiced by ancient Egyptians. Teachers may also access the suggested print and...
Curated OER
The Great Depression: Eating on a Shoestring
Students explore the realities of feeding a family on a very limited budget by comparing the cost of living in the 1930s to the cost of living today. Using primary documents and technology to make the comparison, they identify the impact...
Curated OER
Conceptualizing an Experiment
Learners work together to design an experiment. They discover the origin of a family artifact. They analyze the data and discuss the results. They determine if the experiment is the best way to find out this type of information.
Curated OER
Japanese Internment During World War II
Students identify, describe and discuss the reasons why Japanese-Americans were placed in internment camps and what life was like at these camps. Then they write an unsent letter to a family member on the East Coast describing their...
Curated OER
Medieval African Kingdoms
Seventh graders examine the geography and political history of West Africa. They role-play as applicants to a company that transports customers to any historic time period. Working in teams, they create promotional products encouraging...
Curated OER
The Use of Myths in Science
Students are told stories, myths and legend to explain their world. After telling the tales and discussion them, students are assigned to write a myth that describes a familiar situation, such as why the school garbage cans are always...
PBS
Observation
Students study making scientific observations . They conduct a "field study" in their attic and make observations about their family artifacts based upon physical attributes. In addition, they determine what characteristics of an object...
Curated OER
Eyes in the Sky
Young scholars examine the use of satellites. In this research lesson, students discuss the history of satellites and how we use the information today. They will conduct interviews with older adults who have lived in the changing times...
Curated OER
Songs of Native Americans
Students listen to chapter from novel When Legends Die by Hal Borland, listen to traditional Lakota song, discuss feeling song induces and in what circumstance it may be used, and examine connection between cultural music and family...
Curated OER
The Practice Interview
Young scholars study the interview process by interviewing each other in pairs using a name game. They formulate and ask effective interview questions and practice interviewing skills. They invite a guest to their classroom or go outside...
Curated OER
Comparing Cultural Holidays
Students discover facts about the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. For this compare and contrast lesson, students explore Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Students create an alter to memorialize a family member or friend that has...
Curated OER
Push/Pull factors in Immigration
Students explore the push/pull factors experienced by immigrant families. They interview a parent and an American about their family's immigration history. Students write a summary of the interview and compare the push/pull factors of...
Anti-Defamation League
The Hate U Give
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas became a quick hit in the young adult literature genre before its adaptation in the 2018 film of the same name. Use a thorough lesson, discussion guide, and series of activities to discuss the social...
PBS
A Veterans Day Thank You Note
This Veterans Day inspire scholars to say thank you to a veteran. Here, learners discover key details about a specific war using an interactive timeline, and then write a thank you letter offering their gratitude to someone who risked...
Curated OER
Secret 'Lives'
Students read an online article in preparation for researching a period in history and interviewing someone who lived during that time. They investigate how they have participated in history.
Curated OER
The Great American Melting Pot
Students scan a family photo into a computer and write a narrative about their family's immigration to to the United States. They parrticipate in one-to-one conferences with a teacher regarding drafts of their writing. They analyze and...
Curated OER
Camera of My Family Video
Students examine the Noren Family's view of life in Nazi Germany. In this discussion lesson plan students answer twelve questions asked by the teacher.
Curated OER
Strawberry Girl: Lesson 5
Young scholars read the book Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski. In this literature lesson, students read chapters 8-15 and complete journal entries. They look at how life was in the 1890's.
Curated OER
Exploring Ethnic Groups in Africa
Students research the ethnic groups located in African countries where African Americans immigrated. They view a multi-media presentation imbedded in this plan, then construct posters that represent ethnic groups.