Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Folklore in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners define folklore, folk groups, tradition, and oral narrative. They identify traditional elements in Their Eyes Were Watching God Analyze and understand the role of traditional folkways and folk speech in the overall literary...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

James Welch's Fools Crow

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners explore the history of Montana's Native Americans by reading James Welch's Fools Crow. Set shortly after the Civil War, the novel focuses on a young Blackfoot Indian and his tribe. Over the course of several weeks, class members...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Quilt to Freedom

For Teachers K - 2nd
Students investigate the Underground Railroad. In this African-American history lesson, students listen to the book Clara and the Freedom Quilt and use map skills to identify the various locations in the book. Students create a freedom...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cartoons: How Have Society's Views of Women Changed Over Time?

For Teachers K - 4th
Students explore women's rights by viewing cartoon images. In this women's history activity, students view several images depicting women in a certain way while discussing the meaning of the imagery among their classmates. Students write...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Reading Comprehension: Frederick Douglass

For Students 4th - 6th
In this history worksheet, learners read a one page biography about Frederick Douglass. Students then answer 15 short essay questions about the text.
Lesson Plan
Read Write Think

Looking for the History in Historical Fiction: An Epidemic For Reading

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Learners explore historical fiction. This lesson looks at the history of historical fiction and has the young scholars research the facts. They compare and cross-reference information from historical fiction and nonfiction texts on a...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Simple Machines, Ben Franklin and the Technology of the 1700s

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Benjamin Franklin was an inventor, and he was fascinated by the mechanics of machinery. Using a fun exploration, pupils examine simple machines from the pre-Industrial era. Then, they must identify and build their own using common objects.
Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

Us and Them: Confronting Labels and Lies

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
Stereotyping and discrimination based on religion catalyze many atrocities in the world. Explain the awful treatment of Jews and the lies Nazis spread by using an informative yet sensitive resource. Learners participate in a warm-up and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Family Album

For Teachers K - 12th
Kids of all ages discover their family histories through pictures. First, flip through the PowerPoint provided (or consider making one of your own). It should show pictures of your family and have clear, easy to understand sentences that...
Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: The Pacific 1939-45 – Japan and the Atom Bomb

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Though the scientists who developed the atom bomb did not believe it should be used to end World War II, American President Harry S. Truman and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were of like mind in their decision to drop the bomb...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Call to Arms: A Service Project

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Sick of selling candy and washing cars? How about hosting a Digital Day or a Learning Lunch? The suggestions here make fund raising fun and rewarding. Raise money to preserve important maps and other primary source documents.
Graphic
A Mighty Girl

Mae C. Jemison

For Students 5th - 12th
The poster of Mae C. Jemison, the first African-American woman astronaut, challenges young scientists to consider what they intend to do to achieve their dreams. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Times and Life During the California Gold Rush

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders read about the era in their history books, write in their journals revolving around the Gold Rush, making crafts such as newspapers, and also play the part of the Forty-niners.
Lesson Plan
Country Music Hall of Fame

Ray Charles and Country Music

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Ray Charles used the pain and adversity from his life to influence an entire genre of American music. Learn about the musician's daily life, struggles and success, and powerful musical style with a thorough resource.
Interactive
1
1
Describing Egypt

Sennedjem - (19th Dynasty)

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Who was Sennedjem and how does he relate to ancient Egypt? The resource describes the artisan's life as well as the village in which he lived, called Set Ma'at. Learners view where the people who built the tombs for powerful Egyptians...
Lesson Plan
National WWII Museum

The Red Ball Express: Statistics as Historical Evidence

For Students 7th - 12th Standards
Historians use all kinds of information to make conclusions ... including statistics. Young scholars examine how two historians evaluate The Red Ball Express—a supply line staffed primarily by African Americans—using numbers. The...
Lesson Plan
American Battlefield Trust

The Battle of Saltville

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
It may be hard to see through the fog of war, but primary sources describing what happened at the Battle of Saltville during the Civil War shed some light on what happened there. Using primary sources, including descriptions from...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Analyzing a Photograph of Sally Ride

For Teachers K - 2nd
Sometimes, a picture really does say it all. The activity uses a picture of astronaut Sally Ride to help elementary academics make observations and form conclusions. Young historians study the picture, complete short written prompts, and...
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Center

Musical Harlem: How Is Jazz Music Reflective of the Harlem Renaissance?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Bring jazz music and the Harlem Renaissance to light with a lesson that challenges scholars to research and create. Pupils delve deep into information materials to identify jazz terminology, compare types of jazz and jazz musicians,...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Franklin’s Philadelphia: Another Point of View

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
While Benjamin Franklin enjoyed fame and success in colonial Philadelphia, that was not the experience of all coming to the British colonies. Young scholars trace the life of an indentured servant using a scholarly biography and reading...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Writings of Confucius

For Students 9th - 12th
Ancient philosophy can relate to modern thought! Quotations from Confucius. Help your historians connect with ancient Chinese words of wisdom, as they respond to 2 display questions and 1 referential question. They consider how they...
Lesson Plan
1
1
National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 2: The United States, France, and the Problem of Neutrality, 1796–1801

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While the French Revolution could be considered inspired by the American Revolution, it created thorny problems for the new United States. Should the United States get involved and be drawn into a European drama? Was the US strong...
Printables
Student Handouts

Coat of Arms

For Students K - 8th
What would be on your family's coat of arms? Complete a template with the images that represent your family. Decorate the coat of arms and display in your classroom after your class has finished.
Interactive
School Science

The Big Bang Time Machine

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars take off on an interactive spaceship to explore a historical timeline of the big bang theory. They learn about the evolution of mammals and humans, the formation of stars and planets, and the chemical composition of the early...

Other popular searches