Curated OER
Why Milton Hershey Chose Derry Township to Build His Factory
Middle schoolers determine how push/pull factors convinced Milton Hershey to build his chocolate factory in Derry Township. In this geography skills lesson, students complete an anticipation guide, read about push/pull factors, and...
Curated OER
The Odyssey and The Morte Darthur: Reading and Making Observations for Writing and Discussion
Young scholars read "The Odyssey" and "The Morte Darthur". In groups, they research the gods and goddesses of Greek mythology and the history of the places mentioned in the stories. Individually, they are to write a paper about a hero...
Curated OER
Time and Earth History Socratic Questions
Students develop a sense of geologic ("deep") time and the ways in which Earth scientists construct the geologic time scale. They study he major events that shaped Earth, including the origin and evolution of its lithosphere, atmosphere,...
Curated OER
Why Does Delaware Have Such A StrangeShape?
Students examine the events and history surrounding the boundaries of Delaware. They participate in a class discussion and analyze a map, then create a floor map using masking tape. Students also participate in a play about the...
Curated OER
Trade in the Ancient Mediterranean
Students begin the lesson plan by locating cities and other points of interest in the ancient world. In groups, they use the internet to research the types of ships used during this time period and discuss the reasons why trade was used....
Curated OER
Wright Brothers Centennial: North Carolina, Geography and History
Fourth graders identify symbols, people and events associated with North Carolina history. Using this information, they focus on the Wright brothers and their first flight. They answer questions related to the event and discuss how...
Curated OER
Investigating Immigration and Settlement in Wisconsin
Fourth graders identify the origins of their own ancestors and possible reasons for immigration. They research immigrant groups of Wisconsin, including origins and daily life, and then create timelines depicting their settlements.
Curated OER
Vaccines--How and Why?
Twelfth graders study the history, progression and current uses for vaccines in the prevention of disease. They simulate an epidemic and experiment with pathogens.
Curated OER
Why is rice a remarkable grain?
Second graders research rice and its health benefits. In this rice lesson, 2nd graders discuss the popularity of rice in the world and its history. They make "rice squiggles" by sprinkling colored rice on a squiggle of glue. This lesson...
Curated OER
Why Are Volcanoes Dangerous?
Students investigate the causes and characteristics of volcanic eruptions including pyroclastic eruptions. They study the effects of natural disasters.
Smithsonian Institution
Mary Henry: Journal/Diary Writing
A great way to connect social studies with language arts, a resource on Mary Henry's historical diary reinforces the concepts of primary and secondary sources. It comes with an easy-to-understand lesson plan, as well as the reference...
Curated OER
The Presidential Quotation Report
Famous quotations by American Presidents are the focus of this Six Trait writing activity, which could be used in a U.S. History class or in language arts. After reading the picture book Theodore by Frank Keating, have your 7th graders...
Curated OER
Undercover-ed
Have your class engage in critical-thinking activities using this resource. Learners discuss a variety of topics they think get too much, or too little, attention from the press. They analyze why these topics are over or underrated....
Speak Truth to Power
Abubacar Sultan: Children’s Rights
This is an excellent resource for introducing and exploring the topic of child soldiers. Ethics, history, or theology classes will benefit from the high-quality information. This includes detailed instructions for an introductory...
Curated OER
What Kind of Vessel Are You?
This is a strange question; but what kind of vessel would you be and why? After examining images of a large Inca jug, the class sets to writing a creative narrative that answers that very interesting question. They start by researching...
Curated OER
Trekking to Timbuktu: Restoring the Past
Middle schoolers investigate the environmental factors that threaten Timbuktu. Students investigate what measures are being taken to restore their mosques, and the condition of their ancient manuscripts. Middle schoolers discover...
Curated OER
The Progressive Era
Eighth graders utilize the SOAP method to analyze a work of art and relate it to what they know about the Progressive Era and the reasons why cities changed and the ways in which cities changed during the end of the 19th century. They...
Curated OER
Coming to America
Through this set of three lessons about Ellis Island, class members will learn about why immigrants came to the United States, find out about the difficulties that went along with coming to America, become familiar with the immigration...
Curated OER
Respect for Girls
Students gain a greater appreciation of women's contributions to history and culture. They product an iMovie based on the contributions of women.
Middle Tennessee State University
John Brown: Hero or Villain?
"Love it or leave it." "You're either for us or against us." Rhetoric and it's polarizing effects are the focus of a instructional activity that uses John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry as an exemplar. Groups examine primary source...
Carolina K-12
Affrilachia
What makes a culture unique? Learners research life in the Appalachia region of the United States. Poetry, music, and oral history create Affrilachia, the term used to describe the lifestyle of the area. African-American mountain culture...
Minnesota Courts
Inside Straight: the Third Branch
Learners use the worksheet as they view the film Inside Straight: the Third Branch. Multiple case studies and the history of the judicial branch of the US government are included via hyperlink and act as the topics of discussion...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Democracy Wall
How free are people in the United States, or in the world for that matter? The class reads and compares two articles that discuss levels of freedom enjoyed by different people around the globe. They discuss why some people have more...
Tennessee State Museum
An Emancipation Proclamation Map Lesson
Did the Emancipation Proclamation free all slaves during the Civil War? Why was it written, and what were its immediate and long-term effects? After reading primary source materials, constructing political maps representing information...