Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Representation of the Common Citizen From Declaration of Independence to Present

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create working definition of common citizen, and investigate and discuss important sections of Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and other Amendments. Students demonstrate...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War and Viet Nam are they Related?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify and explain Civil Rights as they relate to the Civil War and Viet Nam eras. They explore civil rights through literature, artworks, news coverage, video and Internet sites. Students work in a group to develop a concept...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Elements and Electron Configuration

For Teachers 9th - 12th
It's electronic! Pupils uncover elements and their electron configurations as they explore mass, groupings, correct charges, and sliding theory. Young scientists learn creative ways to remember various elements and correctly...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Planet Line-Ups

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Should Pluto be considered a planet or a dwarf planet? Scholars research planets in our solar system to understand their similarities and differences. It also includes memory activities related to the order of the planets. 
Lesson Plan
Channel Islands Film

First Contact: Lesson Plan 4 - Grades 5-6

For Students 5th - 6th Standards
After watching Treasure in the Sea, a documentary about Channel Islands National Park and the video First Contact, about the voyage of Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo to the Channel islands, groups research and then compare the...
Unit Plan
ReadWriteThink

Beyond the Story: A Dickens of a Party

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's time to party like it's 1899! Incorporate a research-based celebration of the Victorian Era into your unit on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. After learners read the novella or view a production of the play, they craft a...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Piecing Together the Story of Glenn Cunningham: A Kansas Champion

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Learners use primary and secondary sources to conduct research about Glenn Cunningham. In this Glenn Cunningham lesson plan, students tell why he was a hero, and tell facts from what they learned.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Digging Into the Past

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders research their subjects using a variety of sources and they develop a project to share their learning with their peers.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Forced to Flee: Famine and Plague

For Teachers 6th - 7th
Students examine events the lead people to emigrate. In this Irish Potato Famine lesson, students research primary and secondary sources regarding the Irish Potato Famine and collaborate to create a classroom mural depicting the famine...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who is Who in the Old West?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Pupils consider the backgrounds of those who settled the Old West. For this Westward Expansion lesson, students participate in a simulation that requires them to role play miners, ranchers, Native Americans, Chinese, African...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cabeza de Vaca Meets the Coahuiltecans

For Teachers 7th
Seventh graders examine Cabeza de Vaca's journal and differentiate between primary and secondary sources. They, in groups, design posters that portray the culture of the Coahuiltecan Indians in Texas during the 16th century.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Information Sensation!

For Teachers 3rd
Third graders, in groups, choose a research topic and generate questions to narrow their focus. They research the answers to their questions and develop correctly cited source cards that display appropriate bibliographic format.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rebellions

For Teachers 10th
Tenth graders explore the causes and effects of the rebellions of Upper and Lower Canada and whether rebellion is an effective means of political change. They research and analyze the impact of the 1837-38 rebellions using primary and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Essay/WebQuest Ideas

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Young scholars use the ECO Exploration, the Fur Trade and Hudson's Bay Company, the ECO database, as well as other sources identified to complete a report or essay on some aspect of Hudson's Bay Company and life in what would one day...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

VA Statute for Religious Freedom, III

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars analyze the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedoms and consider its implications. In this governing principles lesson, students explore primary and secondary sources regarding the document penned by Thomas Jefferson.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Age of Exploration: A Comprehensive Research Project

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine reasons for exploration, the outcomes, and various explorers. In this age of exploration lesson plan, 5th graders create a flipbook with timeline and images to showcase their knowledge. 
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Convention

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders investigate Constitutional Convention debates. In this early American history lesson, 8th graders analyze speeches delivered by Benjamin Franklin at the convention and then research Franklin's life. Students also...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Civil War in Henry County

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils consider how the Civil War impacted their community. In this Civil War lesson, students use primary and secondary sources to research the Civil War in Henry County, Georgia. Pupils use their findings to create multimedia...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Creating a Government of the People

For Teachers 5th - 6th
Students research Penn's model for the government of Pennsylvania. Through assessment of this framework, students create a class constitution and working government.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Your Place in Time Scavenger Hunt

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders divide themselves into groups of 3 or 4, research 4 different generations, and answer the questions on the handout provided. They then work in cooperative groups to create a poster illustrating their generation.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

President Jackson, the Cherokee and Indian Removal

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Indian Removal Act lesson, students examine the act and discuss the implications of moving the Cherokee. Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Making of a Spy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students study the life of a woman spy for the Union. They study archival photographs of Pauline Cushman and examine her life. They create a key with symbols representing her activities (e.g., a baby bottle for her birth in 1833 in New...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Origins of American Government

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students create an advertising campaign to persuade the Founding Fathers to adopt a particular political philosophy. Working in groups, they conduct research about a certain political philosophy. Students create a pitch to be made to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Town Directories: Life in Griswold during the 1870's

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore what the city of Griswold, Connecticut, was like in the 1870's.  In this American history lesson, 8th graders research what the city of Griswold was like in the past and compare it to the present, then share...