Curated OER
U.S. History: What Happened Here?
Students apply the global positioning system to create maps of local historical sites. By collaborating with local historical groups, they research events and relate them to broader, national history. In addition to writing essays...
Curated OER
Eden's Last Stand: Why Did Anthony Eden Resign in 1938?
Young scholars investigate the politics of England by reading historic letters. In this world history lesson, students research the Conservative British Government during the beginning of World War II. Young scholars examine...
Curated OER
Paradigm Shift: Gandhian Nonviolence and the Concept of Power
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this social justice instructional activity, students examine sources regarding the teachings of Mohandas Gandhi pertaining to...
Curated OER
Dell House Dig
Learners experience an archaeological dig exploring off the shore of Black Hawk Island and Wisconsin River. They study in the same place where the infamous Dell House once stood. Dell House and its historical significance is reviewed...
Curated OER
Bound for Britain
Young scholars discover the great immigration to the United Kingdom by examining historic photographs. In this world history lesson, students research the migration of West Indians to England in the early 1950's. Young...
Curated OER
The Gods of Ancient Egypt
Eighth graders research Ancient Egyptian gods and their functions. Using the internet, 8th graders explore Ancient Egyptian history. Using computer technology (Photo Story or PowerPoint), students create a presentation. They explain...
Curated OER
Book: Latino Economics in the United States: Job Diversity
Students, after reading Chapter 1 in the book, "Latino Economics in the United States: Job Diversity," write an essay that compares the cultural as well as the historical factors (experiences with jobs, discrimination, education, etc.)...
Curated OER
Famous Peacemakers - Creating a Declaration of Peace
Students create written reports about a famous peacemaker. In this peacemaker lesson plan, students use books and the internet to research someone who is famous for creating peace in the world and write a report on it.
Curated OER
The Landscape of Poland
Young scholars recognize and re-create the political boundaries and physical features of the nation of Poland. They create three dimensional topographic maps of Poland. In addition, they compose two journal entries written in two...
Curated OER
Greece: The Landscape
Pupils work in small groups to create a topographic map of Greece. They must include labeled line drawings of bordering countries and bodies of water. Students use salt and flour clay to make Greece three dimensional, showing the many...
Curated OER
Gandhi's Childhood Experience of Truth and Nonviolence
Fourth graders investigate philosophy by researching the life of Mahatma Gandhi. In this historical biography lesson plan, 4th graders examine the peaceful philosophy of India's most famous resident. Students participate in role-playing...
Curated OER
Youth Participation in Nonviolence
Students explore the use of nonviolent resistance. In this social justice lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as the Apartheid Movement in South Africa.
Curated OER
The Impact of the Cotton Gin
Fourth graders study Eli Whitney and the cotton gin. In this lesson on the cotton gin, 4th graders use primary and secondary sources to gather information about Eli Whitney, the cotton gin that he invented and how it changed the south.
Chicago Historical Society
Are We the People?
Taking on the roles of a fiery Boston patriot, a Philadelphia merchant's wife, and a prominent abolitionist, your young historians will consider the reactions of these early Americans to the creation of the Declaration of...
National Constitution Center
American Treasures
Just how long did it take the framers to write the Constitution? What role did the drafting process play? Scholars examine various drafts from the Constitutional Convention to gain a better understanding of its formation. Interactive...
Wells Fargo
Wells Fargo History Museum: Curriculum Guide
Learn about the California Gold Rush from an institution that has been in place since the early days of the American West: Wells Fargo History Museum. From domain-specific vocabulary review to group research projects, an expansive packet...
Mississippi Department of Archives and History
Protesting Violence without Violence
The ultimate legacy of Emmett Till's violent death is its role in the non-violent roots of the Civil Rights Movement. A lesson compares contemporaneous articles with the lyrics of Bob Dylan's "The Death of Emmett Till" and prompts...
Utah Education Network (UEN)
7th Grade Poetry: Ode Poem
Walt Whitman's "Captain, My Captain" and Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken" provide seventh graders with examples of odes. After reading and discussing these and other examples, young poets craft an ode and respond to the ode of a...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The "To Do List" of the Continental Congress
What is on your to-do list today? The second instructional activity of a three-part series on Lost Heroes of America investigates the laundry list of items in front of the second Continental Congress. Scholars research, analyze, and...
PBS
Evaluating Conflicting Evidence: Sultana
What sunk the Sultana? Scholars become investigators to uncover the facts behind the 1865 sinking just after the end of the Civil War. Through group work, videos, and primary documents, they research and analyze why 1,800 men died....
Scholastic
Lesson 1: What Are Barriers?
Scholars discuss the concept of a barrier with a short passage on Jackie Robinson. The writing process begins with a paragraph and several other sentences about Robinson's unique traits that made breaking a barrier...
Smithsonian Institution
Solomon G. Brown: Letter Writing
Personal correspondence in the form of letters is not as common as it once was. This resource presents an opportunity for you to introduce your class to letter writing and cover topics in social studies. Learners read a letter written in...
Boston Public Schools
What's in a Biography?
Reinforce research skills, close reading, teamwork, and biographical writing skills with one collaborative lesson. Groups create slide shows detailing the elements of a biography through a presentation on a famous American person. Based...
Bantam Books
The Tempest: Chalk Talk
Discussion doesn't always need to be spoken. Before you begin The Tempest by William Shakespeare, have kids connect their ideas and experiences to central questions of the play with a silent discussion activity. Once they have...