Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration to the Golden Land: Jewish Life in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine waves of Jewish immigration during three time periods and analyze a variety of primary sources, including letters, memoirs, and laws, to gain insight into both the American immigrant experience and American society...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Virtual Colony Project

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students develop strategies to create a successful colony by analyzing the environment, individual rights, and responsibilities. They gain an understanding of the challenges faced by colonists.
Worksheet
K12 Reader

An Independent Nation

For Teachers 2nd - 3rd Standards
If your kids are curious about the American Revolution, help them understand more about its background with a reading passage and comprehension questions. Kids use context clues to answer each question, some of which require more...
Lesson Plan
US Citizenship and Immigration Services

Thanksgiving 1—Pilgrims and American Indians

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
The Pilgrims first arrived in America in order to gain religious freedom. Here is a instructional activity that takes the class on this journey with the Pilgrims, stopping to look at how they got here, who they met when they arrived, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Decolonization and Self-Determination

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students define and discuss colonialism and self-determination. After reading the European's view on the topic, they analyze a map of imperialism in 1914. They watch excerpts of a video and take notes on various United Nations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Africa Review

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders trace the major events in African history. In this social studies lesson students, create a flowchart depicting the things they learned during this lesson. Students understand the chronology of major events that took...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Affects of Environment on Native American Culture

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students research the culture of the Native Americans.  In this U.S. History instructional activity, students are given the major geological areas where the Indians lived prior to the arrival of the Europeans, then they create a...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

The American Revolution and Its Heroes

For Teachers 1st
Students, through a variety of activities, discover historical aspects of the American Revolution. They make maps and create timelines to track significant events. They create a book about the American Revolution and re-enact Paul...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Mayflower Compact

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the events leading up to the Mayflower Compact. In this government lesson, 4th graders have a teacher-led class discussion on the importance of government, then complete a worksheet on the topic.
Lesson Planet Article
Curated OER

Celebrate World Holidays with Hanukkah Lesson Plans, Kwanzaa Activities and More

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Every year millions of people around the world celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and other holidays.
Worksheet
Curated OER

4th Grade Social Studies

For Teachers 4th
In this social studies learning exercise, 4th graders answer multiple choice questions about colonies, the Revolutionary War, geography, and more. Students complete 25 questions.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tintin and I: Primary and Secondary Sources

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Mickey Mouse, Elmo, and Tintin? Belgian cartoonist Georges (Herge) Remi’s famous comic character launches a study of primary and secondary source material and the impact these sources have on storytelling. Class members also examine the...
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

European Explorers

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
To compare how the Spanish, French, and English approached the exploration of North America, class groups examine primary source documents and become experts on one of four explorers: Francisco Coronado, Robert LaSalle, Samuel de...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson: Looking Closer: The Artwork of Wangechi Mutu

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Social issues of gender and media stereotypes, begins with a multi-sensory experience. Learners view the painting Backlash Blues and make critical comments based on what they see. They then read the Langston Hughes poem and listen to the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Birth of a Nation

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders portray one of the actual framers of the Constitution. They summarize each class period with a journal entry and culminate the experience with the actual framing and signing (or not signing) of the Constitution.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dos mapas de Florida, el Caribe y parte de Sur America

For Teachers 7th - 12th
What can maps tell us about the past? Find out with a Spanish lesson that incorporates geography. After examining maps individually, comparing two old maps of Spanish Florida and writing notes in the provided Venn diagram, pupils pair up...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

My Place In Time

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders interpret Franklin's style, his ease of writing and content, using this to inspire, motivate and guide them to do more writing. They list Franklin's civic accomplishments and political accomplishments. They name 4...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

America Established Because of Protest

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Students explore events and causes that led to American Revolution and examine popular pro-Patriot renderings and texts of these issues created both at that time and in later years. Students then prepare and deliver oral presentations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Colony is Born : Lesson 3 - Marking Time

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders refer to text and timeline to fill in a graphic organizer and timeline from 1492-1607. They participate in a class discussion that allows for speedy accumulation of events and fill in their own timelines. They work in small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Four Enlightenment Thinkers

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine lives, philosophies, and political beliefs of four Enlightenment Thinkers: Baron de Montesquieu, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, and John Locke. Students then work with partner to write short speech from...
Lesson Plan
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Military Advisers in Vietnam: 1963

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How did the beginning of the Vietnam War factor into the Cold War with the Soviet Union? As part of a study of American involvement in Vietnam, class members read a letter address to President Kennedy and his response in which...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Pioneer America

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders research pioneers who had a strong influence on westward expansion. In this westward expansion activity, 4th graders write an essay about four pioneers and an interview script about one. Students work in pairs to present...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Choosing Sides: The Native Americans' Role in the American Revolution

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students analyze the different roles assumed by various Native American tribes during the American Revolution. They examine the issues involved for Native Americans in choosing the British or the American side of the conflict, such as...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Reconstruction of Iraq: A Lesson of Historical Precedents

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view a video clip about the reconstruction efforts in Iraq. They work together to compare and contrast the reconstruction plans after the Spanish-American War and World War II. They compare those results to the situation in Iraq.