Curated OER
Using Primary Sources to Study the Holocaust
Engage your middle schoolers with Pastor Martin Niemoller's famous poem that begins, "First they came for the communists." Now that you have their attention, send learners to the various work stations you created to have them explore...
Curated OER
Primary Sources and Protagonists: A Native American Literature Unit
Introduce your middle schoolers to the lives of past Native Americans. First, learners work together to put photographs in a sequence. Then, using their sequence, they create stories to share with the whole class. No matter how old your...
Curated OER
Letter from Leonardo da Vinci to Sforza
Expose your class to words directly from Leonardo da Vinci with this primary source document. Learners analyze the document, a letter from Leonardo da Vinci to Ludovico Sforza, the Duke of Milan, and respond to 3 short answer questions....
University of Chicago
Using Artifacts for Clues About Identity
Learn about the ancient Near East through a close examination of ancient artifacts. Lead your class into analysis by first observing an artifact as a class. Pupils can then work in pairs to analyze the other artifacts and compile a list...
PBS
The Harlem Renaissance
A reading of Walter Dean Myers' "Harlem" sets the stage for studying the literature, art, and music of the Harlem Renaissance. The lesson begins with a review of the social, political, and economic conditions of the 1920s and 1930s that...
Curated OER
Woody Guthrie: Life and Art
Woody Guthrie will capture the imagination of even your most reluctant learners. Using his work, your class will develop their skills in non-fiction reading comprehension, interpreting primary source material, and use of multiple forms...
Maryland Department of Education
Our Children Can Soar
Amazing efforts of African American leaders are celebrated in a lesson on civil participation. The engaging resource focuses on primary and secondary sources to analyze the impact of African American leaders such as Ella Fitzgerald....
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin Franklin: Master Diplomat for One Last Time
At 81, Benjamin Franklin was the oldest delegate to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, where he exercised significant influence in shaping key elements of how the United States operates. The class examines his role, using “The Scene at...
Brooklyn Museum
Lorna Simpson: Gathered
Lorna Simpson is a photographer who has put together a collection of photos from the 1950s in order to challenge the idea that primary source documents are objective in their portrayal of history. Learners are introduced to Ms. Simpson's...
Curated OER
Be a Sourceerer's Apprentice
Students examine and discuss various primary and secondary sources. They bring in an example of a primary source, explain how it is a primary source, and complete a worksheet about interviewing a primary source.
Curated OER
The Three Faces of William Penn
Students analyze art depicting William Penn. They analyze three different paintings discussing the symbolism, artistic elements, and depiction of Native Americans in each painting.
Curated OER
Presidential Picture
Students create miniature portraits of George Washington using a primary source image, watercolor pencils, colored pencils and white drawing paper. This Art lesson can be used as an introductory lesson on George Washington in a U.S....
Curated OER
A Dream of Classic Perfection
Students look at how Greek classical art and philosophy influenced the French Revolution. In this French Revolution lesson, students use primary sources, Neoclassical art, to look at how they show what society was like during this time...
Curated OER
Conflict in the Frontier town of Deerfield
Students use primary sources to investigate, explore and represent varying perspectives on the 1704 Deerfield Raid. They consider the reasons Deerfield was at the center of English, French and Native American conflicts in the early 18th...
Curated OER
Town Meeting with Class
Students discover civic responsibility and the purpose of town meetings. In this U.S. Government lesson, students investigate how the government is involved with almost every decision made in a city, no matter how big or small....
Curated OER
Biomimicry, Nature: Architecture of the Future
Students explore the relationship between nature and architecture. In this cross curriculum history, culture, and architecture lesson, students observe and discuss structures visible in nature. Students view websites in which Native...
Curated OER
Understanding the Music of the Civil Rights Movement
Students examine protest music and songs from the Civil Rights movement. In this music of the Civil Rights era lesson plan, students listen to selected music before working in groups to determine who the music was directed at, what...
Curated OER
You Wouldn't Understand...It's a Slang Thang
Fourth graders study a decade in history through its slang. They analyze a slang dictionary from the 1920's and read a primary source letter making use of the slang. They decipher the language and compare and contrast 1920's language...
Curated OER
Shakespeare: Standing on the Bookshelves of Giant
A phenomenal lesson on Shakespeare! Middle and high school learners create WebQuests about the texts and authors that Shakespeare himself studied when he was in grammar school. They use a variety of media in order to create dramatic...
Curated OER
Mixing Colors With Beams
Student learn about color changes through the use of light beams. In this color mixing lesson, students discover the difference between mixing colors with light and mixing colors with paint. Students gain understanding of how the eye works.
Curated OER
The Minerva Mosaic of the Library of Congress
Students analyze the Minerva mosaic. In this Library of Congress lesson plan, students conduct primary source analysis of the mosaic as they interpret the symbolism and mythology featured in the mosaic.
Curated OER
Student Newspaper Project
Writing teaches us so much. One can identify the many characteristics of a newspaper, use the Internet to gather information, and communicate with others. Primary students create a class newspaper for publishing and dispersal.
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
Commemorations Across Cultures
Students explore how different cultures commemorate people and events. They research how commemorations are created through music, painting, sculpture, photography, architecture, and poetry. In collaborative, students create a...