Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Hamilton and Burr : Compare and Contrast

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Who were Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton? High schoolers examine the character traits of these historical figures and watch the video, The Duel. Hamilton vs. Burr: An Event that Changed History (available from PBS), to gain...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Compare and Contrast Cultures

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Using informational text to make cross cultural comparisons is a great way to build a global understanding and comparative analysis skills. With several handy worksheets and a Venn diagram the class will read to make cross textual...
Organizer
Polk Bros Foundation

Assess with Charts: Compare and Contrast

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
If you're short on time and need a quick graphic organizer to help your learners connect history to the present, check out this resource. This worksheet can be useful for a visit to a museum or in conjunction with a reading assignment,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

About Life: The Photographs of Dorothea Lange Going to the Promised Land

For Teachers 8th - 12th Standards
To better understand the migrant experience during the Great Depression, pupils analyze two primary resources: photographs by Dorothea Lange and a U.S. Map that shows the Dust Bowl. They compare and contrast Lange's images to Steinbeck's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass: A Compare and Contrast Lesson Plan

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Two great men, one time period, and one purpose; it sounds like a movie trailer, but it's not. It's a very good comparative analysis lesson focused on Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. Learners will research and read informational...
Activity
2
2
National Park Service

Hibernation-Migration-Fascination

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What's the difference between hibernation and a good nap? Find out with an engaging life science activity that compares the hibernation habits of grizzly bears and marmots. After learners read an informational passage about each mammal,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Small Actions with Big Results

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students explore philanthropy in literature. In this literature lesson plan, students read text from three different genres that all have a moral. Students compare and contrast these pieces of literature, focusing on the character traits...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Oklahoma! The Cultural Myth of America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners explore cultural myths in America by collecting images and characteristics of stereotypical Americans. They read a primary source document, discussing the views of the author in class. Next, they compare the terms used to...
PPT
Curated OER

The Five Major Religions

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Your 7th graders will have no problem understanding the similarities and difference in the tenets of the world's 5 major religions. This PowerPoint covers the history, major players, and philosophy of Christianity, Islam, Buddhism,...
Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

David Walker vs. John Day: Two Nineteenth-Century Free Black Men

For Teachers 6th - 11th Standards
What was the most beneficial policy for nineteenth-century African Americans: to stay in the United States and work for freedom, or to immigrate to a new place and build a society elsewhere? Your young historians will construct an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"The Gambler" and "The Journey": A Comparison of Worlds in Two Short Stories

For Teachers 7th - 12th
“The Gambler” and “The Journey” offer readers an opportunity to experience two very different views of Jewish life in Poland between WWI and WWII. Whether used as a part of a study of the Holocaust, or as a compare/contrast exercise, the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparison of Multicultural Literature

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Students examine three different versions of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and complete a comparison activity. Their own version of the poem is created and illustrated in this lesson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Daily Life in Kansas

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders use 'Read Kansas' cards to learn about the daily life activities of an Osage boy and a pioneer girl. In this similarities and differences lesson, 2nd graders write a paragraph and draw a picture comparing...
Organizer
Curated OER

Compare and Contrast Diagram

For Students 5th - 8th
In this compare and contrast worksheet, students complete this graphic organizer by providing the similarities and differences of 2 social studies concepts.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. and Canada: How are We the Same? How are We Different?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Get high school geographers to compare and contrast Canada and the United States. They begin by drawing a freehand map of North America, then complete readings to gain insight into Canada. The text is not provided; however, another text...
Lesson Plan
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1
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary

Franklin’s Philadelphia: Another Point of View

For Teachers 12th - Higher Ed Standards
The impressive story of Benjamin Franklin, including his rise from a printer’s apprentice to a statesman, color upper-level scholars’ understanding of the possibilities of life in colonial Philadelphia. But not everyone had the...
Worksheet
Digital History

The Age of Constitution Writing

For Students 9th - 12th
Was the United States significantly more democratic in their governing structures and laws after the overthrow of British authorities? Compare and contrast summaries of the country's constitutions under British rule and after...
Writing
Curated OER

Nov. 8, 1960 | Kennedy Is Elected President

For Students 9th - 12th
Using the presidential election of 1960 as background information, learners consider the push of electoral reform. They read about the events and issues surrounding President Kennedy's win in 1960 and compare them to the same issues...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

One Room Schoolhouse

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study pictures and artifacts of the one-room schoolhouse. For this compare and contrast lesson,students list similarities and differences in schools of today and one-room schoolhouses. Then students use this analysis to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

1984: How Much Fact in Fiction?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare and contrast the society in Orwell's 1984 with modern society. In this 1984 lesson, students research the historical climate in which Orwell wrote the novel. Students create a comparison chart of privacy issues in the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Justice?

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders discuss justice and fairness. In this equitable treatment of others lesson, 8th graders say the Pledge of Allegiance and read a passage from a blog. Students discuss the terms: fair, just, and equitable. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Treaties

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders research treaties. In this treaties lesson, 6th graders go online to build knowledge about treaties. Students read information and take quizzes. Students write a comparative essay about how the Aboriginal and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Applying Ahimsa to Traditional Stories

For Teachers 2nd - 8th Standards
Investigate the life of Mahatma Gandhi by researching non-violent lifestyles. Learners define the word ahimsa and discuss the personal characteristics that made Gandhi a peaceful warrior. They also create a poster about the story "The...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

East Asia Country Project

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Get your young historians thinking about East Asian culture and history during this partner research project, in which they analyze a variety of East Asian aspects to prepare for a presentation. After an initial "what do we already know"...