Curated OER
Cultural Logo Design
Learners create a logo design to express their own identity. For this logo design lesson, students list ten words to describe who they are and choose two of them to use in a logo. Learners draw images and choose various forms of...
Curated OER
A History of the War of 1812 and The Star-Spangled Banner
Students examine the causes and outcomes of the War of 1812, and determine the chronology of the Star-Spangled Banner. In this War of 1812 lesson, students learn vocabulary and read a narrative about the War of 1812 before participating...
HISTORY Channel
The American Presidency Grades 7-9
As part of a study of the American Presidency, groups investigate five topics: Campaigns and Elections, Role and Responsibilities, Life in the White House, Assassination and Mourning, and Communicating the Presidency.
Curated OER
History of the Masons
Students are divided into groups and follow directions of their group leaders and complete a worksheet while on site.
Curated OER
How to Celebrate Kwanzaa on Your Campus
An article details everything you need to know about celebrating Kwanzaa at your school. An opening-day ceremony starts the seven-day holiday celebration followed a daily routine that includes a greeting, candle lighting, reciting an...
Curated OER
Documents and Symbols and American Freedom
Students complete a unit of lessons on the documents, symbols, and famous people involved in the founding of the U.S. government. They create a personal bill of rights, write a found poem, design a flag, conduct research, and role-play...
Curated OER
The Art of Political Cartoons in Revolutionary America
Young scholars analyze political cartoons. In this colonial America lesson, students examine the provided political cartoons and respond to analytical questions about each of them.
Curated OER
A Twist On American Symbolism
Students discover how and why flag and national anthem of the United States were created, and in what ways they represent the foundation of our national identity.
Curated OER
Count Your Pennies
Students analyze and compare imagery and symbolism in ancient Greek and contemporary U.S. coins.
Curated OER
Symbolism in China's Material Goods
Students make a generalization about the process of 'looking' and 'grouping', hoping to show that we, as Americans, show preferences and shared choices. They study examples of American art through time and create a class chart...
Curated OER
American and Patriotic Symbols
Students study the concept of symbolism. Many students know what the
different patriotic symbols are, but they do not know why these things
symbolize patriotism. They identify classic American symbols, explain why they are symbols and...
Curated OER
Nickels, History, and Peace
Second graders examine the designs on nickels before 2004 and after when the new Peace Medal nickel was minted. They research the events that preceded the new design and explore the symbols of friendship on the new coin. They work in...
Smithsonian Institution
Barn Again! Celebrating an American Icon
How do barns serve as a window to a community's past? Here are a series of lessons on the symbolism and historical context of barns throughout American history. Topics include community-building, in-depth primary and secondary...
Curated OER
Buffalo Hide Paintings
To the Native American people living on the plains, the buffalo represented culture, art, sustenance, and survival. Explore the history of the buffalo with a social studies lesson, in which learners create a buffalo hide painting in the...
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Narrative Prompt
Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...
Curated OER
South Carolina Jeopardy
One of the better PowerPoints I've come across is a "Jeopardy"-style game whose focus is South Carolina. Some excellent photographs and maps make the slides especially good. The "Final Jeopardy" clue is especially challenging. An...
National Gallery of Canada
A Unity Wall Drawing
Build class community with an art project. Learners first examine and discuss works of art. They then contribute to a class mural by tracing their hands and decorating them in relation to their own cultures. The final mural...
PE Central
Celebrating St. Patrick’s Day with Dance
Erin go bragh! Enliven your St. Patrick's Day celebration by teaching your class members some of the combinations found in traditional Irish step dancing.
National Gallery of Canada
Make a Parfleche
Examine American Indian art and culture by observing contemporary art and creating original pieces. Class members discuss artwork included in the plan and use these images to help inspire their own work, which should represent...
National Gallery of Canada
A Cultural Portrait
Explore heritage and identity through an examination of art and a related project. The featured art, related to the African diaspora, includes several types of art created by different artists. Pupils consider their own backgrounds and...
US National Archives
The Royal Seal What Can It Tell Us?
Analyze the images and details of the Great Seal of Queen Elizabeth I, and discover clues that reveal how one of the greatest monarchs in the history of England wished to be seen and respected. This is a great way to discuss how even to...
National Museum of the American Indian
To Honor & Comfort Native Quilting Traditions
"Native American history leaps boldly off the colorful quilts and patchwork designs." Learners discuss Native American identity and symbolism by reading about a variety of Native quilters and their unique art process, and participate in...
Curated OER
World War I
Eleventh graders investigate propaganda used during World War I. In this World War I instructional activity, 10th graders examine propaganda from the war and analyze war posters. Students then create their own propaganda posters on...
Curated OER
The Greatest Educational Change America Has Ever Seen
Young scholars connect the symbols from the design of the United States Mint Fifty State Quarters Program to our country's history in this five-lesson unit. The culture, unique heritage, and geography of the individual states are probed.