Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Massachusetts Oral History Project on the Great Depression

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders conduct interviews with a relative or a family friend who lived in Massachusetts during the Depression. They write an essay based on the interview that shows an intimate portrayal of how the lives of the individuals who...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ask An Expert

For Teachers K - 4th
Students invite community members to visit the classroom and interview them about water in the community. Students prepare for, conduct, and follow up an interview and record their responses in their Water Journals.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ask an Expert-Grade 5-8

For Teachers 5th - 7th
Students conduct oral histories about water in their community. They interview community members, create a class oral history journal, and record their findings on a school website, in the school or public library, or in another...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Water Stories

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students interpret historical accounts, stories and customs to draw conclusions about the people who populated New Mexico and their relationship to water. They describe the human and natural characteristics of places in New Mexico.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Arkansas and the Dust Bowl

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students access and use the Farm Security Administration and Office of War Information, American Memory collection and Todd and Sonkin collection for research. They develop research skills and strategies, such as key word searches to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Health and the Community

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Learners illustrate cause and effect of pollution to human health through the analysis of an image from the American Industrial Era. They investigate how industry affected rest of the community or city.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Geography: Islands and Alcatraz

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Learners, in groups, create maps of islands including map keys and compass roses. They compare and contrast their island communities with that of the island prison, Alcatraz. Students select from a series of projects, including writing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Social Studies: Heroes in American Culture

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars examine heroes and discuss their characteristics, values, and actions. They produce Powerpoint presentations on real-life and fictional heroes. Students interview veterans for an oral history project.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tall Tales: Reconstructing A Personal Tell

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders discover the ways archaeologists examine artifacts and where they are found. After being introduced to new vocabulary, they use artifacts from their own lives and discover what could be told about their life from them. ...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We are all Responsible

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners desribe the interdependence between humans and nature and positive behavior with regards to natural resources. They demonstrate respectful attitudes and behaviors with regards to the environment. Students gain knowledge of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cowboy Violence

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine images of cowboys and gunfighters in Western films and dime novels and discuss whether cowboys were really violent. They read several historical interpretations of cowboy violence. In addition, they distinguish between...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the Effects of Salt on Ice

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers explore the concept of freezing point in an experiment that shows why salt is effective at clearing ice from roadways in the winter. In small groups, they compare the process of making homemade ice cream in plastic bags...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. Possessions

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders research the United States acquisition of the Philippines and their fight for independence. They locate the Philippines on a map and brainstorm how its geography has benefits. They access the Internet and complete a student...
Activity
Curated OER

Tennis Shoe Art

For Teachers Pre-K - K
Students decorate a pair of tennis shoes. In this art lesson, students use paint to decorate a pair of tennis shoes. Students may also use fabric pens.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Surviving the Depression- 1930-1939 Lesson 1: Life During the Depression- Picture

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine and analyze primary source documents and pictures from the Great Depression Era. They consider ways in which the suffering of the Era could have been alleviated.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Encountering the American West: Ohio River Valley 1750 1820

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a PDF of the information from LOC of the exhibition of America's move to its first West, that of the Ohio River Valley. Discussion includes these topics: Contested Lands, Peoples and Migrations, Empires and Politics, Western Life...
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: African American History Month

For Students 9th - 10th
The Research Department of the LOC provides the history of the founding of African American History Month. Documents from the Legislative and Executive Branches are hyperlinked.
Lesson Plan
Library of Congress

Loc: Mexican Immigrants

For Teachers 9th - 10th
As America grew and spilled into bordering lands, people found themselves living two cultures. LOC brings us a comprehensive site that traces the history of Mexican Americans and their culture.
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: Jefferson's Legacy (Brief History of Loc)

For Students 9th - 10th
This site provides information about Thomas Jefferson's legacy, the Library of Congress. Interesting information on the establishment and growth of the Library, the collections, buildings and librarians.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Ancient Manuscripts: From the Desert Libraries of Timbuktu

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a collection of primary, historical documents from Timbuktu, Mali during the the 16th through 18th century. The documents cover all aspects of this advanced African civilization.
Activity
Library of Congress

Loc: Creating the United States

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource examines the creativity and inspiration that went into the creation and writing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Handout
Library of Congress

Loc: Obama Takes Oath on Lincoln Bible

For Students 9th - 10th
The small velvet covered Lincoln inaugural Bible served as the swearing-in Bible for Obama. Read about the history of this cherished book.
Website
Library of Congress

Loc: Revelations From the Russian Archives: Secret Police

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the Library of Congress is a brief description of the history of the secret police in the Soviet Union. Its origins are found during the time of the revolution.
Graphic
Library of Congress

Loc: Images of the Statue of Liberty

For Students 9th - 10th
Collection of historic photographs of the Statue of Liberty.