Curated OER
Civil War Literature Circle
Historical fiction can be a valuable asset when learning about the past. Integrate several novels written about the Civil War into your social studies unit, with groups of four working collaboratively to comprehend the novel from...
Curated OER
Bears' House Vandalized, Witnesses Say Blonde Girl Spotted Fleeing from the Scene
Students explore journalism. In this expository writing lesson, students read several newspaper articles and note common features. After reading Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Jan Brett, students work with a partner to write a news...
Curated OER
Who Tells the Story? Defining History
Seventh graders examine historical perspectives. In this historical writing lesson, 7th graders discuss their definitions of history and then discuss perspectives of history. As a culminating activity, students write narrative stories...
National Park Service
Freedom at Antietam
Explore how the issuance of the Emancipation Proclamation affected everyday individuals in the Civil War era. Learners are given the opportunity to read and evaluate primary and secondary source material, and then to compose a writing...
Curated OER
Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart: Teaching Through the Novel
Learners are introduced to Chinua Achebe's first novel and to his views on the role of the writer in his or her society. It can be used alone or in conjunction with the related lesson Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart.
Curated OER
Enjoying the Adventure
Students watch the video of "The Prince and the Pauper" and analyze, compare and contrast the characters. They write letters to a character from the point of view of another character and create a new ending to the play.
Curated OER
Tools of the Historian: Frame of Reference
Students discuss the term point of reference and describe their own point of view. They compare the relationship between sources and the historical context. They identify examples of how point of reference can affect one's interpretation.
Curated OER
Press Review
How can word choice affect a political speech? Middle and high schoolers examine the text of the 1999 State of the Union Address, and then determine how newspaper articles and television reports describe and analyze the event. Use this...
Curated OER
How the Light Bulb Gets Switched On - The Evolution of Ideas
Young scholars discuss how people are influenced by their cultures and backgrounds, make artwork that documents creative process, write character sketch of Colonel Massey from different points of view, examine issue from different...
Curated OER
Sanders of the River
High schoolers examine the British colonial attitudes towards Africa in the 1930s. They watch and discuss excerpts from the film Sanders of the River, from 1935, and answer discussion questions in small groups. Students then write a...
Curated OER
Writing - The Persuasive Essay
Students, in groups, work together to develop a five-paragraph essay that defends the group's viewpoint on an assigned topic. Each student in the group writes one paragraph.
Developing a Global Perspective for Educators
Imagine Being Me
The design of this two-day lesson eloquently exposes learners to the topic of social justice for people with disabilities. The plan is built off the reading of Are You Alone on Purpose? by Nancy Werlin. The activity introduces...
Curated OER
Exploring Prejudice and Text-to-Text Relationships
Tenth graders use the novel To Kill a Mockingbird to analyze relationships in society. In this literature analysis lesson, 10th graders participate in a shoe activity where they bring in one shoe belonging to someone they know and a...
EngageNY
Directed Line Segments and Vectors
Investigate the components of vectors and vector addition through geometric representations. Pupils learn the parallelogram rule for adding vectors and demonstrate their understanding graphically. They utilize the correct notation and...
Curated OER
Noncombatancy and the Seventh day Adventist Church
Upper graders investigate how the Seventh Day Adventists are objectors to the practice of war. The lesson covers the Civil War and examines the church's position about the practice of war. The research extends to modern wars and learners...
Curated OER
How Would You Feel?
Sixth graders put themselves in the shoes of aborigines who were displaced from their homes in the 1800s by Europeans who came in and took their land from them. They discuss the social injustices suffered by these people, and write...
Calvin Crest Outdoor School
Survival
Equip young campers with important survival knowledge with a set of engaging lessons. Teammates work together to complete three outdoor activities, which include building a shelter, starting a campfire, and finding directions in the...
Missouri Department of Elementary
The Clique
Mean girls and bully packs are favorite topic for films and TV shows that focus on the destructive power of cliques. High school freshmen are asked to reflect on both the positive and negative aspects of cliques by reading a short...
Curated OER
Slums And Re-Development
Students view excerpts from the film "Housing Problems" (1935), and examine the issues of slum living in 1930s London. They answer discussion questions as a class, complete a table using information from the film, and identify the...
Curated OER
Historical Fiction: A Wealth of Interpretations
How can understanding the genre of historical fiction help your language arts class with literary analysis? Use this lesson to help young readers learn about historical fiction. After reading a selection from the "Dear America" or "My...
Curated OER
Forty Acres? The Question of Land at the War's End
Should land be redistributed to former slaves after the Civil War? This essential question guides a lesson on the Reconstruction Era, as learners analyze primary sources (linked), recording responses on a worksheet (linked). To model the...
Curated OER
Using Multimedia to Teach Core Democratic Values
Young scholars produce multimedia presentation to fellow class members on one of the Core Democratic Values, such as patriotism or civilian control of military, that is part of State of Michigan Social Studies Framework.
Curated OER
Digging Up Facts
Pupils research a historical legend. They participate in a discussion of the legend of Kissing Kate Barlow in the novel Holes. Students then chose one of three American legends and use internet research to complete a provided graphic...
Curated OER
THE OCCUPATION OF KOREA BY JAPANESE IMPERIALIST FORCES
Students read and respond to a history of Korea. For this occupation lesson, students work in groups to research the effects of Japanese occupation and create an illustrated timeline. Students listen to a lecture and write an acrostic....