Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Studies of the Eastern Worlds: Cultural Maps

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders look for similarities and differences in the culture of Eastern World countries by looking at the art from each country. They test their hypothesis and assumptions through further research in the media center. Finally...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who Are Our Greatest Presidents?

For Teachers Pre-K - 6th
Learners create criteria to evaluate U.S. Presidents. In this presidential legacy lesson, students determine criteria to rank presidents. Learners research the presidents, then evaluate the current president and assess how they will be...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Historical Figure: A Monologue

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders develop their speaking skills. In this monologue lesson, 4th graders watch their instructors model a monologue regarding Abraham Lincoln. Students apply these skills as they research a historical figure from their state...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Through the Eyes of Al McIntosh

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine World War II through the eyes of local journalists such as Al McIntosh. As a class, they discuss how stories about the war affects the public back at home. In groups, they compare and contrast how newspapers reported...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Weapons of World War I

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders discover the weapons of World War I. They compare and contrast the weapons used during that time period with the weapons that are used in warfare today. They create a digital slide show with the history, uses, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coal Mine Industrial Picture Analysis

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners observe coal mine pictures. In this US history lesson, students analyze the pictures realizing that history is shown in pictures and then write a newspaper article about life in a coal town using the pictures as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Word Play

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine the history of Chinese American artist Xu Bing. In this multicultural lesson, students collaborate in small groups to identify letters in the artist's work, and brainstorm how they would create their own images from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Westward Expansion

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore the Westward Expansion Movement of U.S. history. In this Westward movement lesson, students use primary and secondary source documents research personal accounts of those who travelled west during the era....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Government and Natural Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to some basic ideas the Framers used in creating the kind of government they thought would best protect the natural rights of each individual and promote the good of all. At the conclusion of the lesson, they know...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Invasion of Iraq

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the war in Iraq. They use videos, newspapers, and other media to examine the circumstances leading up to the invasion, the war's major battles, and the post-war situation on the ground. Students read letters from Iraq...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring US Foreign Policy after WWII--The Cold War

For Teachers 11th
Scholars explore U.S. Foreign Policy and Cold War ideologies adopted after WWII. They conduct Internet research on a topic or issue related to the Cold War Era, watch two films, and compose a time line and a multimedia presentation to...
Activity
Whitewater Valley Railroad

Teaching and Learning with The Polar Express

For Teachers 1st - 3rd
Use a series of extension activities to enhance your class reading of Chris Van Allsburg's holiday classic, The Polar Express. From a biography of the author to filmed book reviews and research about the railroad, kids can take...
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Military Advisers in Vietnam: 1963

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How did the beginning of the Vietnam War factor into the Cold War with the Soviet Union? As part of a study of American involvement in Vietnam, class members read a letter address to President Kennedy and his response in which...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Depression and the Arts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students engage in a dialogue about the Depression, the impact of the New Deal, the role of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the survival of Democracy, and the resiliency of the American spirit.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Revolving Door: U.S. Immigration

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students compare current cultural perceptions of the immigrant experience with ones of the past. They will relate current immigration stories as seen in the PBS documentary "The New Americans" to those of the historical past.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Entertaining Vancouver's Youth During World War II.

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Young scholars investigate relevant period documents and artifacts and have the opportunity to replicate a 1943-44 entertainment experience by viewing a program of World War II era motion pictures on site at Vancouver's historic...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A "State of the Arts" Coin K-3

For Teachers K - 3rd
Students recognize the U.S. penny, nickel, dime, and quarter by design, size, and denomination and that the portraits and other images depicted on the coins were designed by artists. They study common Texas symbols and choose one to draw...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Egyptian Culture and Pyramids

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students access a variety of Egyptian Culture and pyramid related resources on the Internet. They explore various websites, read articles, create an Egyptian art figure, construct a model of a pyramid, and describe the mummification...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Amazing Americans

For Teachers 1st
First graders research amazing Americans during the first 100 years of American history. After a lecture/demo, 1st graders use a worksheet imbedded in this plan to write 2-4 sentences about 4 of the Americans presented in class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mobile Phones

For Teachers 5th - 11th
Investigate how mobile phones impact their lives through this technology lesson that has students discuss the history of the cell phone and research how cell phones are being used in third world countries. Students create a blog for new...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Revolutionary War People and Events

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research events, institutions, and individuals that influenced history during the American Revolution. They create a four-frame cartoon depicting the information they have studied.
Unit Plan
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

The Progressive Era: Muckrakers

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Using Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, guide your class in the process of identifying unknown terms using context clues and formulating text-based answers. The lesson plan includes a useful worksheet incorporating scaffolding questions on an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Progressive Era: Muckrakers Grade 8

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
As you explore an excerpt from Upton Sinclair's The Jungle with your class, discuss how his descriptions of the meat-packing industry caught the public's attention and helped to promote change in the Progressive Era.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Charles Lindbergh: Against The Wind

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students study the life of Charles Lindbergh, one of the 20th century's most famous men. This aviator became an American hero when he successfully crossed the Atlantic in his plane, The Spirit of St. Louis.