Curated OER
Telegram from Senator Joseph McCarthy to President Harry S. Truman
Students research the McCarthy hearings to determine the following: time frame of hearings, how they were broadcast, how the press reacted, and how the American people reacted in light of the Korean Conflict and the Cold War.
Curated OER
Another Prospective on Events in the Annex
Middle schoolers read "The Diary of Anne Frank". They write their own diary entry from the point of view of someone else who was hiding with Anne Frank. They share their prospectives with the class.
American Museum of Natural History
Dress Up a Horse
Walk, trot, gallop! Young equestrians have an opportunity to learn all about horses with an engaging resource that lets them select tack to dress up a horse, create flip books that illustrate the various gates, have questions answered by...
Curated OER
Native Americans During the 19th and 20th Centuries
Learners explore major events in Native American history in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. In this American history lesson, students listen to lectures, examine photographs, and analyze music regarding Native American history...
Curated OER
From the Four Corners 1
Learners view a film looking at government propaganda during WWII. They look at the portrayal of Commonwealth tropps in "From the Four Corners." Students are asked to evaluate the utility of the film as evidence of why Commonwealth...
Curated OER
The Truth Shall Set Them Free?
Pupils consider the notion and purpose of truth commissions, They work in groups to predict the commission's effectiveness in its efforts to promote peace and reconciliation among Liberians. Finally, students create found poems that...
Curated OER
The Active Learner: "Dia's Story Cloth" Literature Guide
Students discuss pre-reading focus questions and complete a KWL chart. In this language arts lesson, students mark passages or words they are unsure of with post-it notes to discuss later and answer comprehension questions after reading....
Curated OER
Henry Luce: Turn Me Luce
Learners research the life of Henry Luce, Time Magazine's founder, and examine the impact his magazine has had on the way American's see the world. They create a photo-essay, magazine or video to present their research.
Curated OER
Urban Concentration and Racial Violence
Students research one of the many urban race riots in U.S. history, from the New York City riots during the Civil War to the "Red Summer of 1919" or the hate-strikes of 1943. They present their findings in the form of a newspaper's front...
Curated OER
Presentation of Pilgrims
Students are given a category to research (clothes, life before the New World, the voyage, etc.) about Pilgrim life. s Students, in groups, create presentations using software program such as PowerPoint.
Curated OER
Nebraska: Using Pictures
Students create a scrapbook about Nebraska history focusing on Post Office murals. They choose their favorite murals and write a story to go along with the mural. In groups, students present their murals to the class and visit the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Understanding the Context of Modernist Poetry
Learners examine the historical, social, and cultural context of modernist poetry. They explore websites, complete a chart, compare/contrast rural and urban life, watch a video of early New York, and complete a writing assessment...
Curated OER
Elementary Reading: Five Passages with Questions
Five brief readings with questions support practice with various literacy skills. In some cases, learners identify whether underlined words are spelled correctly. Other times, they answer reading comprehension questions about the text or...
Curated OER
Afro-Caribbean Americans and the Sugar Economy
Pupils read the narrative, Caribbean Immigration and examine how sugar production and migration of people of African origin have been intertwined for centuries. Working in three groups, they present oral reports on the three eras of the...
Curated OER
Iraq: The Challenge of Securing the Peace
Students, in groups, are assigned a policy option. One of the other groups assumes the role of the President and his advisors or of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Guest-Worker Program
The U.S. Guest-Worker Program and the H-2A visa are the focus of a social studies activity. First, class members assume the role of advisors who must present the president with four proposals that would amend the visas given to...
Curated OER
Life in a Coal Patch
Young scholars study life in a coal patch town. In this American History instructional activity, students read material about life for coal miners and their families. They answer questions, create a poster, and complete a creative...
Curated OER
The Pennsylvania Turnpike: Then and Now
Students study the history of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. For this Pennsylvania history lesson plan, students use primary documents to study the history of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. In a culminating activity, students create an...
Curated OER
Learning Lessons from Letters
Writing personal correspondence offers children a chance to learn many skills beyond simple format.
Curated OER
Social Studies: In Search of Al Qaeda
Learners discuss the themes in the documentary In Search of Al Qaeda. following a class discussion, they write responses to the statement, Information about Al Qaeda will never be completely accurate.
Curated OER
Altoona Horseshoe Curve: A Vital Link
Students explain the significance of the Horseshoe Curve. For this railroad instructional activity students reconstruct elements of a German plot to destroy the Horseshoe Curve.
Curated OER
Lord of the Flies Introduction
Twelfth graders, as an introduction to a unit on The Lord of the Flies, participate in an activity in which they demonstrate how good people can do things that they know are wrong. They discuss peer pressure and "why good people do bad...
Curated OER
Jim Thorpe: The Greatest Athlete of the Century
Students discuss what makes a sports legend. In this Jim Thorpe activity students analyze both the triumphs and tragedies of Jim Thorpe's sports career. Students then write a letter persuading their representative to name Jim Thorpe the...
Curated OER
Baseball Cards
Learners read a short story on baseball cards and reflect on Honus Wagner's decision to withdraw his card. In this baseball cards lesson plan, students study how children used cards in the 1930's and express their understanding of Honus...