Curated OER
Jazz in America
Students explore the Swing Era and its implications. They answer questions and listen to music from the era.
Curated OER
Dorothea Lange
Students explain that a person's experiences influence their life, write a time line of their life, and analyze Dorothea's photographs and list descriptive words.
Curated OER
President Herbert Hoover
In this President Herbert Hoover worksheet, students read a 4 page article on the history of Hoover's life and presidency and then answer 10 true and false questions.
Library of Congress
Oral History and Social History
Students examine the Great Depression. In this oral and social histories instructional activity, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the America in the 1930's.
Curated OER
Bud, Not Buddy: Anticipation Guide
Hoover flags? Hoover blankets? Hoovervilles? Drawing upon prior knowledge of the Great Depression class members respond to the prompts on an anticipation guide for Bud, Not Buddy, Christopher Paul Curtis’s tale of Bud Caldwell’s quest to...
Curated OER
The Kentucky Derby and Horse Racing Provide Literature and Math Connections
The Kentucky Derby can provide a means to discuss literature, math, and history.
Curated OER
The Search for Shangri-La
What is your idea of paradise? Middle and high schoolers share their visions of paradise on earth in this lesson, in which they view a video segment about Shangri-La. Your high schoolers can discuss and then write about their ideas in a...
Curated OER
Why is Roosevelt on the Dime?
Learners use a variety of reference resources to research the life of Franklin Roosevelt. From this research, they determine why his image was chosen to appear on the dime.
Curated OER
About Life: The Photographs of Dorothea Lange
Students use art to analyze a period in history. In this lesson about the effect of art on history, students study many different pieces of photography by Dorothea Lange. Students will observe photographs from certain time periods and...
Novelinks
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry: Concept/Vocab Analysis
Considering using Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry for book circles or whole-class study? First time teachers, and those who have used the text before, will find some interesting tidbits in this overview.
Curated OER
On the Other Side of the Color Barrier: Segregation and the Negro Leagues
Students study segregation that occurred in the past and that is currently occurring. In this equal rights lesson plan, students use primary source documents to student segregation of the past. In a culminating activity, students find or...
Reed Novel Studies
When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit: Novel Study
What a joy to see the world through the eyes of a child. When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit allows readers to see a child's perspective of fleeing Germany due to having a father the Nazis wanted. Scholars read about the adventures of the...
Curated OER
To Be Black and American: World War II
Twelfth graders research wartime conditions African American had to endure during World War II. They explain what role African Americans played in World War II and describe what life was like for African Americans in the United States...
Curated OER
Memorandum Regarding the Enlistment of Navajo Indians
Young scholars examine the Navajo dictionary used by the U.S. military in W.W. II. They role-play Navajo messengers and Marine Corp staff. They research the Battle of Iwo Jima and confirm or discount the claim that Navajos made the...
Curated OER
Coney Island: The Great Escape
Students use primary documents and film to explore the role of Coney Island recreation for New Yorker's at the beginning of the 20th century. They compare the lives of the people in their research to their own.
Curated OER
Jazz in America
Students learn vocabulary associated with the Swing Era. They also listen to music from the time period.
Brooklyn Museum
Youth and Beauty: Art of the American Twenties
While the lesson plan is lacking in procedure, it does provide a wealth of information on artist Yasuo Kuniyoshi. Information on his life, art, and inspirations can provide you with insights into creating learning activities that...
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...
Novelinks
Words by Heart: Guided Imagery
Sad, depressed, miserable, inconsolable, forlorn: so many synonyms have a lot of variety with their connotations. Through the guided imagery activity, writers explore the use of connotation and its influence on imagery and description by...
Curated OER
The Grapes of Wrath
"The Grapes of Wrath" is a great novel that can be taught in conjunction with history and other cross-curricular lessons.
Curated OER
James Brown: Life and Times
Students trace James Brown's rise from "Little Junior" in Depression-era Augusta, Georgia, to the "Minister of the New Super Heavy Funk" and create a collage that captures his impact on American music.
Curated OER
Harlem Renaissance and Toni Morrison's Jazz
Students study the historical time of the Harlem Renaissance, including key events and figures. They read literature that weaves fiction and history and survey some of the references to the Harlem Renaissance in the novel, Jazz, by Toni...
Curated OER
FDR Tries to Pack the Supreme Court
High schoolers analyze the Court Reform Bill of 1937. In this Supreme Court instructional activity, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details Frankin Roosevelt and his attempt to pack the...
Curated OER
Key Ingredients: America by Food
Students participate in a series of activities to explore the types of food Americans eat, how food choices differ in various parts of the country, and how the availability of various foods has changed over time.