Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Perspectives on Civil Rights

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine speeches of the Civil Rights Era. In this American history lesson, students listen to speeches delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. Students respond to guiding questions as they listen to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We're All The Same on the Inside

For Teachers K - 5th
Students discuss prejudice around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. They use brown and white eggs to discover that they are both the same on the inside even though they look different on the outside.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Jazz in America Lesson Plan 7

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students survey free jazz and fusion. They explore how free jazz and fusion reflected American culture and society in the 1960s and 1970s.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cesar Chavez Biographic Timeline

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Pupils discuss Cesar Chavez. They watch as the teacher demonstrates making a KWL chart. Students make a chart, filling in their answers under the headings. Pupils watch a video about Cesar Chavez. The teacher demonstrates making a time...
Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Who Were the Foremothers of the Women's Suffrage and Equality Movements?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young scholars complete a unit of lessons on the women who contributed to the early Women's Rights Movement in the U.S. They conduct Internet research, examine images online, develop a list of women, complete a worksheet, and create a...
Lesson Plan
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US Institute of Peace

What Does It Take to be a Peacebuilder?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
In a world of conflict, choose to be a peacebuilder. Young scholars research a chosen peacebuilder from the past or present before creating a billboard project with that person's name, accomplishments, and prominent quotes. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

We Have a Dream....

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students examine Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In this community-building lesson, students utilize camcorders to create a montage of the dreams of students in their community.
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Birmingham, Fall 1963

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Can any good come from acts of evil? The 1963 bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama, and the eventual outcomes of the tragedy, are the focus of a lesson plan that asks groups to examine primary source...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

I Can Be Whomever I Wish

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Famous people who have overcome obstacles are the focus of this language arts and social studies lesson plan. Pupils are introduced to the concept that they have the ability to overcome obstacles in life. They read selections embedded in...
Lesson Plan
Ahisma Summer Institute

The Power of One - Math in a Different Angle

For Teachers 5th - 7th Standards
In this 2-day lesson focused on exponents, middle schoolers will cross the curriculum by engaging in science, history and language arts activities. Exponential growth will be explored using grains of rice on a chess board. Exponential...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wall of Philanthropists: King Day (7th)

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students recognize the importance of justice, tolerance, equality, and historical figures. In this philanthropic actions activity, students study the philanthropic actions of historical figures, and learn about the concepts of fairness,...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Shirley Chisholm: Unbought, Unbossed and Unforgotten

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A 13-page packet introduces high schoolers to a lady of amazing firsts. Shirley Chisholm was the first Black woman elected to Congress, the first Black woman to run for President of the United States, and a leader of the Women's Rights...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reaching the Clouds for Equality

For Teachers K - 2nd
Learners listen to Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech. They create their own cloud and write a dream they have for the world inside. They write journal entries on how to treat others fairly.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Music of the Civil Rights Era

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners summarize the major events of the Civil Rights Movement. They examine leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X and what they did for the movement. They also listen to music from the Civil Rights Era and their...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Roll Of Thunder, Hear My Cry

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students read the novel "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry". Using the text, they gather information on how and why the Civil Rights Movement began. They use excerpts from Martin Luther King Jr's speeches to discuss the issue of equality....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"We few, we happy few": Motivational Speech in Henry V

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore how to write and deliver a motivational speech by examining King Henry's in "Saint Crispin's Day".
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Observing Human Rights Day

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How much intervention is appropriate for America to take in cases of human rights violations? Class members ponder a question that has lingered since the birth of America with a series of primary sources that reflect the degree to which...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Courage: Hero Traits

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What does it mean to be a hero? Who qualifies as a hero? In groups, middle and high schoolers brainstorm a list of heroes and create a list of characteristics that a person must possess in order to be a hero. Extend this lesson by having...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The African-American Experience During the Vietnam Conflict

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the experiences of African-Americans in the Vietnam War. They illustrate their experiences showing how these events related to the Civil Rights movement. They compare and contrast the views of sailors and officers aboard...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Models of American Citizenship

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders investigate the concept of American citizenship by pretending to time travel. They travel back in time to visit the eras of Thomas Jefferson, Hellen Keller, Harriet Tubman, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and community heroes....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civics: The Rule of Law

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine key concepts pertaining to the rule of law. They explore how Civil Rights leaders such as Martin Luther King, Jr. used it to oppose discrimination practices. They examine Supreme Court decisions demonstrating the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Attracting an Audience With Purpose

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers discuss the attributes of a good speech and a bad speech, and listen to Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, I Have A Dream. They rewrite a speech, directing it to a different audience than it was intended for.
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Acting for the Common Goods

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
The first of a three-part series on bullying, this plan has class members present skits about bullying, write and sign an anti-bullying pledge, and complete a service project. For the skit, learners use information from previous lessons...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Sixties: Dylan Plugs in and Sells Out

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Before Woodstock, there was Newport. Get plugged in to the social changes of the 1960s with a lesson that looks at Bob Dylan's performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival as a symbol of the radical changes that marked the era.