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Cultural and Historical Meaning: Little Johnny Brown
Young scholars perform a folk dance and discuss its cultural and historical meanings. They review the dance and perform it, beginning with four individuals who dance with confidence right from the start.
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Giggle Water & Struggle Buggies
Here is a lesson that acquaints learners with the 1920s. They will use primary source documents to create original skits. Students choose a character from the 1920s, become that character, and then share what they have learned through...
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American Indians
Students research early Indian adaptations in this lesson. They research the different American Indian tribes. They also research and compare the tribes' rituals, daily lives, and their impact on the Europeans who came later to the...
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The Many Faces of Paul Robeson
Students discuss and construct timelines based on the life of author/performer/Civil Right's activist, Paul Robeson. They view photographs of him at various times in his life and discuss the roles he may have been playing at those times.
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Early Industrialization
Eighth graders analyze primary source documents emphasizing young people in factory labor (mill workers during 1840-1860). They study hours of labor, ages of laborers, reasons for working, and working conditions. They write a poem or song.
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Sing Out Loud: The Slave Spirituals Historical and Cultural Implications during Reconstruction
Young scholars identify, summarize and present facts about cultural, educational and political inequalities of Reconstruction, explain hidden codes of slave spirituals and their importance in slaves' communication, and create poetry...
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Creating Characters
Students identify simple pictographs and ideographs from Chinese writing. They create their own images, and combine characters to communicate ideas to one another, introducing basic foundations of how elements of the Chinese writing...
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Rock Art Around the World
Students analyze rock art. In this rock art lesson, students research cultures that created rock art, analyze their art pieces, and compose essays regarding their findings.
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Time Traveler Blues: The Great Depression
Students research the Great Depression Era and its effect on the world. They create a multimedia presentation over the Great Depression from many angles.
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Dance Around the World
Students gather information about traditional dances. In this folk dance lesson, students work in small groups to research a type of folk dance, then present information and perform the dance for the class.
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Vietnam: A Divided Nation
Eleventh graders examine events leading up to and during the Vietnam War. They research assigned topics utilizing interviews, Powerpoint presentations, timelines, and collages in their presentations.
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Perception Propaganda
Eleventh graders explore the various uses of perception, propaganda, and perspective. In this Social Studies instructional activity, 11th graders distinguish between fact and fiction. Students analyze the impact of conflict...
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When Johnny Came Marching Home
Students examine the concept of gender bias. In this discrimination instructional activity, students research 1940's and 1950's America and determine how historical events shaped the changing role of women in the country.
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Picture the 60s
High schoolers consider how the 1960's impacted Great Britain. In this contemporary history lesson, students visit selected websites to discover information about the decade, popular culture, and women's rights.
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Brother, Can you Spare a Dime?
Students through song analysis and group discussion, identify the qualities representing the Great Depression. They study the Great Depression and how it affected people all over U.S. They analysis the lyrics to the song "Brother Can you...
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Teaching With the Power of Objects
Students define value of an object. In this value lesson plan, students identify reasons for collecting objects, compile a personal inventory of items they find valuable, and then define why those items are valuable to them. In step two...
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Homer's Odyssey:The Original Incredible Journey
Students study Greek culture, particularly as it relates to Homer's Odyssey. They examine how human activities shape the earth's surface and identify forces that influence a culture's beliefs and traditions. They determine that...
National First Ladies' Library
'Tis a Gift to Be Simple: The Shaker People
Students identify the difficulties and benefits of a utopian community. They examine their own ideas of utopia and research an example of one such community that has had an impact on our own culture.
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Family Life During the Great Depression
Students practice the skill of photo analysis. In this Great Depression lesson, students analyze photographs from the era and write fictitious diary entries based on the images.
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I Belong, But Why Don't You?
Students explore discrimination. In this character development instructional activity, students identify groups and organizations to which they belong and the requirements that go with each group. Students discuss inclusion and exclusion...
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The Roar of the Twenties; The Crash of the Thirties
Eighth graders, after assuming identities of prominent figures from the 1920's and looking at slides and data from the era, relate, in diary form, the cultural, economic and political changes that happened in America between 1920 and 1939.
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Map Skills
Students examine the nations, battlefields, troop movement of the Germans through Belgium and the location of both fronts during World War I by creating a map. They visualize the strength of the Germans early in the war.
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A Society of Employees!
Students differentiate the employer/employee relationship before and after the introduction of new technology through not-taking research using the Industrial Revolution as a point of reference. They explore how industry is made up of in...
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Jefferson on a Nickel
Students study our third president, Thomas Jefferson through stories and poems. They investigate the attributes of a nickel.