Lesson Plan
PBS

Cardboard History

For Teachers 3rd - 11th
A PBS clip focused on collecting sports memorabilia launches this research project lesson. Class members then read Dan Gutman’s Honus and Me in which Wagner’s baseball card is used to time travel. The lesson ends with researchers...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Notable "Texans" of the Texas Revolution

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate why and how certain historical figures became famous in relation to the Texas Revolution. They view and discuss a variety of images, then in small groups record the names of individuals involved in the Texas...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students

For Teachers 2nd - 6th
Learners of all ages solve historical mysteries. Elementary learners research historical topics by organizing information presented by their instructor, formulating hypotheses, and considering solutions to mysteries presented about...
PPT
Curated OER

Poverty Point Indians Leave Their Mark

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Poverty Point is a historical landmark in Louisiana that was inhabited by Indians. Students will learn about the large mound the Poverty Point Indians created called Bird Effigy Mound in this nine-slide PowerPoint. Slide eight includes 8...
Lesson Plan
Media Smarts

Defining Popular Culture

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What part does media play in creating, defining, and perpetuating popular culture? High schoolers chart their encounters with fads, trends, and icons and reflect on the media's influence on popular culture.
Lesson Plan
Vermilionville

Mardi Gras Elementary

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
You don't have to visit Vermilionville to experience the Cajun traditions of Mardi Gras. After examining pictures and hearing stories about these colorful traditions, learners create their own Courir de Mardi Gras masks.
Lesson Plan
PBS

Written in Stone

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students explore history through a tour of a local cemetery. Students investigate tombstones for historical information, make stone rubbings, and use this secondary source reference to obtain primary sources.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Take Only Photos and Leave Only Bubbles: Learn About American History from a Sunken Spanish Galleon

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students simulate the research process of investigating a shipwreck. In small groups, they conduct Internet research, and develop and write a proposal for excavation of the archaeological site.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Torah Tells...

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students extract and interpret information about the Torah text to draw conclusions about ancient Hebrew life. In this Torah lesson plan students research facts and complete worksheets about the Torah. Then as a class the students form a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Titanic Disaster

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders explore the titanic disaster.  In this geography instructional activity, 7th graders research basic facts about the Titanic.  Students create Titanic scrapbooks. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Egyptian Fairy Tale

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students explore ancient Egyptian culture and government. In this social studies lesson plan, students compare the legal system from ancient Egypt to our current American legal system. Links are included for web searching Egypt and the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Artifacts

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students learn that articles used by a culture reveal much about life and people's values. They learn the Japanese word to identify some artifacts and some simple games using Japanese toys.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ghana Artifacts

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students study to artifacts from Ghana and discuss how these aid in understanding the civilization.
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Artifact Exploration

For Teachers 11th
Students develop an understanding of the ways in which different people can use, relate to, and understand an object. Students look at each artifact collected in this lesson plan. For each artifact, the students describe how members of a po
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Artifact Ethics

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders examine their own values and beliefs about archaeological site protection and evaluate possible actions they might take regarding site and artifact protection.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Classifying Artifacts

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine pictures of pottery and classify them. They work together to create a list of characteristics for each piece. They share their findings with the class.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration and Urban Life

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders research the impact of immigration. For this social studies lesson, 5th graders discuss how immigration affected the economy. Students discuss the living and working conditions of immigrants in the 1800s.
Organizer
Curated OER

The Stories They Tell -- Graveyard Data Collection Worksheet

For Students 6th - 9th
In this folk culture research worksheet, students use the form to record data about a graveyard that they visit to show that graveyards reflect how cultures change and differ from each other.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ecuadorian Highlands Lesson

For Teachers 7th - 10th Standards
Indigenous peoples resided in the highlands of Ecuador as far back as 5,000 B.C. To learn about the lives of these people, class pairs research the farming and the building methods, the arts and crafts, and the beliefs of the early...
PPT
Curated OER

The Earliest Americans

For Teachers 7th - 10th
The topic of the peopling of the Americas offers the opportunity for a fascinating discussion. Give your class the knowledge they need to understand the migration across Beringia, the hunter-gatherer lifestyle, and the impact of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching with Poster Art: World War I Posters

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. For this World War I lesson, students examine World War I posters. Students investigate the use of propaganda strategies in the posters and discuss the visual metaphors.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Power of the Image: Understanding Symbols in Buddhist Art

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students discuss symbolism in art, examine various images of compassion in Buddhist tradition, analyzing components of the concept, and then produce their own images of compassion through art.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Sam Houston for President...Again

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders discover the political career of Sam Houston. In this Texas history lesson plan, 4th graders research primary resources and create a modern-day version of Sam Houston's political campaign of the 1840s.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration Connections: The Squamish Nation and Bainbridge Island Filipino Americans

For Teachers 8th - 12th
High schoolers explore ancestry and immigration. In this Canadian immigration activity, students interview their family members to identify their cultural history. They compose an essay that compares Filipino immigration stories to those...