Facing History and Ourselves
Finding Your Voice
To begin a study of what it means to be American, high schoolers first consider their own identities. They draw a picture of what they think an American looks like and share their images. Next, they examine an image of the "Flag of...
Facing History and Ourselves
Identity and Choices
Timshel! Thou mayest! is the big idea in a lesson that reminds learners that they have choices about how they present themselves to others. To begin, individuals rate the degree to which the choices they make each morning are influenced...
Facing History and Ourselves
Maintain and Modify
Maintain or modify? That's the question scholars answer as they reflect on their focus and engagement in that day's lesson. Were learners focused and contributing, or do they need to modify their level of participation?
Facing History and Ourselves
What's In a Name?
Rumpelstiltskin understood the power of names. The second lesson in the First Days of School series focuses on building community by recognizing the importance of the relationships among names, identities, and cultures. Learners engage...
Curated OER
Reference Resources: Being a Good Detective
Students explore a variety of reference resources while seeking information. atlases, almanacs, dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri, and online search engines as well as library card catalogs are utilized in this lesson.
Curated OER
Railroad Idioms Art Lesson Plan
Sixth graders research railroad idioms. In this idiom activity, 6th graders read through a glossary of different railroad idioms and their meanings. They illustrate a chosen idiom.
Curated OER
Arkansas History Lesson Plant One: Play-Do Soto
Fifth graders complete a variety of projects to learn about Arkansas history. In this Arkansas lesson plan, 5th graders go on a field trip to a state park, explore an Arkansas map, put play-dough on the trail of De Soto, color regions of...
Curated OER
What's In a Name?
Students examine the origins of the names of U.S. states, focusing on names that were derived from Native American words. They are provided with lists of the names of the 50 states, and then research online or in library resources the...
Henry Ford Museum
Transportation Systems
Learners analyze the evolution of cultural attitudes through the lens of transportation, examining several artifacts, documents, and photographs. Topics covered include how American attitudes have influenced society's evolution into a...
Curated OER
1920s Variety Show
To better understand the cultural achievements of the Harlem Renaissance and become familiar with its major figures, class members examine a painting by Aaron Douglas and a poem by Langston Hughes and compare how the artists develop...
Curated OER
Red Dirt Groundbreakers
Discover Oklahoma's first farmers. Read about 14 different agriculture workers and their contribution to Oklahoma's farming. After reading, have your class complete several activities such as researching an agriculturist, writing a...
Everett Public Schools
High School Writing: Student Guide
Here's an amazing writing guide that deserves a place in your curriculum library. The 136-page packet provides focus lessons on the writing process, expository, persuasive, and timed writing, the Cornell system of note taking, and...
Folger Shakespeare Library
Julius Caesar Curriculum Guide
Julius Caesar need not be Greek to kids. The background information and suggestions for teachers, as well as the activities for learners, make this curriculum guide a must-have for your Shakespeare curriculum library.
Humanities Texas
Primary Source Worksheet: Franklin D. Roosevelt, Excerpts from Fireside Chat on Economic Conditions
Franklin D. Roosevelt's April 14, 1938 Fireside Chat on economic conditions provides young historians an opportunity to polish their primary source comprehension skills. A great resource to add to you curriculum library.
University of North Carolina
Integrating Blood Done Sign My Name into Social Studies
Tim Tyson's Blood Done Sign My Name is the anchor text in a unit study of the history of race relations and the civil rights struggle in the South. The 11 lessons are richly detailed, and the unit deserves a space in your curriculum...
Film Foundation
To Kill a Mockingbird: Historical and Cultural Context
As part of their study of the film adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird, class members analyze how Robert Mulligan uses the film lens to depict the historical period and social issues presented in Harper Lee's novel. A superior resource...
Curated OER
Fossil Fuels vs. Alternative Fueling Systems
Fourth graders brainstorm the differences between the fossil fuels that people use in their transportation now and what they could use to minimize greenhouse gas emissions. They use a variety of techniques from webquests to writing...
Curated OER
Searching in "Neat Stuff": Library Corner
Students explore collections of materials and pointers to other related materials to help them to quickly and easily find and retrieve information needed. This instructional activity was originally written for librarians with little or...
Curated OER
Severe Weather
Fifth graders identify the causes and effects of several different kinds of
severe weather phenomenon. They read an excerpt from John Muir's book The Mountains of California and research one of the following severe
weather phenomena...
University of Washington
Connecting Youth to Quality Health Information
Many teenagers don't have adequate access to health and nutrition information beyond a quick Internet search. Guide them into health advocacy and proficiency with a instructional activity focused on MedlinePlus as a reliable source for...
EduGAINs
Chemical Properties Investigation
This lesson plan demonstrates differentiated instruction at its best. Over the course of 2-3 class periods, young chemists have the opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of metals and their chemical properties from a variety of...
EduGAINs
Consumerism, Me and the Natural Environment— Canadian and World Studies
Just as no man is an island, no country is totally independent of other countries. To understand the impact of individual consumer decisions on the global natural environment, class groups consider how the stuff they...
Library of Congress
George Washington: First in War, First in Peace, and First in the Hearts of His Countrymen
Does the lens of history portray George Washington as a good leader? A three-lesson unit looks at Washington's early military career as the commander of the Virginia Regiment, his role in the fight for independence...
Curated OER
Two Truths and a Lie: Internet Research Skills
It's tough for high schoolers to assess what is a credible resource and what is not. A helpful resource prompts class members to research a particular topic and record two facts—and create one lie—while documenting the sources. They...