Curated OER
Conditions of City Life in the Late 19th Century
Students examine tenement life. In this lesson on early urbanization, students research the role of journalism for social change in early American cities. Students write a journal article for themselves that demonstrate an understanding...
Curated OER
Understanding Tenement Life
Learners look at life for immigrants in the 19th century. In this immigrant lesson, students discuss how the poor German, Irish, Italian, and Jewish immigrants lived in tenement housing. They research the reasons they came to America...
Avi Writer
City of Orphans: Teaching Guide
"Amazing things happen" in Avi's City of Orphans, and the suggestions in this teacher's resource will guide readers through through the many stories of the different characters living in the tenements of 1893 New York.
Curated OER
The Immigrant Experience In America
Students study immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. Each student create an identity of an immigrant and write an essay in the first person. Essays describe what they found when they arrived in New York City.
Curated OER
Gateway to America
Fifth graders study about immigration, Ellis Island, and tenement life from 1890 to 1924. They create an identity of a fictitious immigrant and describe what they find when they arrive in New York.
Curated OER
Lesson on Superlatives
Students practice basic Internet navigation skills, find and summarize information on a Web site, and explore tenement life in the 19th and early 20th Century.
Curated OER
A Lens into the Past
Explore the history of immigration through photographs. Scholars will view and discuss photographs depicting the culture and lifestyle of late 19th and early 20th century immigrants. They take pictures of current examples of culture in...
Curated OER
Primary Sources
Materials provided by The Lower East Side Tenement Museum, located in New York City, offer researchers an opportunity to examine primary sources and use these sources to understand the past. Class groups analyze different documents to...
Curated OER
Everyone Has Interesting Stuff Teaching With Objects in the Classroom
Students determine what objects tell about a person. In this historical object lesson plan, students share an object that they feel tells a lot about themselves. They pass the object around a class circle, while others comment on what...
Curated OER
The House at 97 Orchard Street
Young scholars examine the living quarters and belongings of immigrant families living in one tenement building spanning the years from 1830 to 1940. They explain how the national background of immigrants added to the "melting pot" of...
Curated OER
History Telling
Tenth graders examine the different parts of history that make up people's lives. In this American History lesson, 10th graders explore how historians learn about events that happened in the past by looking at events that happened in...
Curated OER
Immigration and Urban Life
Fifth graders research the impact of immigration. In this social studies lesson, 5th graders discuss how immigration affected the economy. Students discuss the living and working conditions of immigrants in the 1800s.
Curated OER
Powerful Poetry Presenting the Writer's Soul
Students research Langston Hughes poetry for his use of figurative language. In this poetry analysis instructional activity, students research the life and poetry of Langston Hughes and his use of vivid words. Students complete 23...
Curated OER
Glasgow - A Case Study 2
Students are asked to weigh up the potential advantages and disadvantages or re-housing people from inner-city Glasgow in new housing estates on the periphery of the city and explore the impact of new, high-density housing schemes on...
Curated OER
Frederick Law Olmsted
Pupils explore life in New York and the creation of Central Park. After reading a picture book about Frederick Law Olmstead, they discuss the expectations and evolution of New York's Central Park. Next, students describe a park near...
Curated OER
The Turn of the Nineteenth Century: Lifestyles and Cultures
Student reflect on the differences between the life of children in the early
nineteenth century and their lives in the present. They demonstrate these differences by creating a drawing of "then and now." In addition, they create a...
Curated OER
Everyone Has Interesting Stuff: Talking Objects Teaching with Objects in the Classroom
What fun! Have your class compose a narrative piece from an object's point of view. They research the object, its origin, and its history, then write their story. Stories can be shared with the class or read to children in a younger grade.
Curated OER
Everyone has Interesting Stuff
Students examine a random collection of artifacts. In this deductive reasoning and cultural awareness lesson, students will pair up and examine a given artifact. Each student will attempt to use the artifact's attributes and apparent...
Curated OER
Reading A Historical Photograph
Students examine a historical photograph to gather information and draw conclusions.
Curated OER
How Did the Other Half Live?
Students study the conditions under which immigrants lived. They determine what it means to make it in America. They observe the connection between immigration and unionization and how immigration changed the City of New York. They...
Curated OER
Immigration; The New Colossus
Seventh graders explore The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. In this The New Colossus lesson, 7th graders read the poem and analyze its meaning. Students discuss what the poem means about American culture and why it was engraved on the...
Curated OER
The Victorian Age: A People in Search of Themselves as Seen Through Their Architecture
Students develop an appreciation and understanding of the people, their attitudes, values and beliefs as reflected in their architecture. They use slides and or a walking tour showing the various styles of architecture, in New Haven,...
Curated OER
Immigration
Eighth graders examine the American immigration experience. In this immigration lesson, 8th graders watch a video about Ellis Island and discuss the processing that took place there. Students write letters in the voice of American...
Curated OER
Diseases Are Real
Eleventh graders research industries that contribute to sanitation and pollution problems. They investigate the direct result of unhygienic practices including disease outbreaks or specific illnesses. They create a Power Point...