Curated OER
Tracing Our Own Family Pilgrimages
The Pilgrims may have arrived in North America by way of the Mayflower, but chances are, your class members' ancestors came to the United States in another way. Guide them through an exploration of their own heritage, countries of...
Curated OER
Classical Greece
Studying ancient Greek culture, literature, and architecture is a great way to begin a unit on world cultures - or to start reading Antigone or other Greek dramas. Detailing the social aspects of ancient Greek life, this...
US Institute of Peace
Organizations Working for Peace
We're all in this together! Show young scholars that peace is a process and having the support of like-minded people can make it happen. 13th in a series of 15 peace building activities, groups conduct research on a peace organization,...
Curated OER
Ancient Egypt: Life After Death and Mummies
Oh my! Life after death, but how? Learn all about the ancient Egyptian custom of mummification. Each colorful slide provides a how and why related to burial customs, Egyptian religious beliefs, and the process of mummification. A great...
Reed Novel Studies
Jacob Have I Loved: Novel Study
Twins always have double the fun, right? Sara, in Jacob Have I Loved, always is in the shadows of her twin sister. Scholars identify synonyms, answer comprehension questions, foreshadow, and create alliterations as they read about how...
Planet e-Book
A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
True passion can drive you mad. Stephen Dedalus, the main character in James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man straddles many lines, including those between sanity and insanity, piety and sin, and individuality...
Curated OER
Reflections of Ancient Greece
Students study ancient Greek civilization. In this World history instructional activity, students locate Greece on a world map and review what the ancient Greeks did when they developed new ideas for government, science,...
Curated OER
Mystic Lands: Maya: Messages in Stone
Students explore an ancient Mayan city. In this world history lesson, students watch a video about the ancient Mayan civilization, discussing information prior to and after watching the video. Students then come to understand more about...
Curated OER
Debating the Bomb
Learners research the repercussions of the development of the atomic bomb. In this history lesson, students read, reflect and discuss nuclear warfare and how it affected the population when it was introduced, as well as how it...
Curated OER
Made in China
Students create a power point presentation. In this Chinese inventions and discoveries lesson, students view sample products that are the product of ancient Chinese civilizations and their innovations and discoveries. ...
Curated OER
Philately
Students examine the history of stamps, the working of the postal system, and how stamps are used in our lives. They create a collage using stamps. They create a new stamp honoring a special event, person, etc.
Curated OER
Journey
Students complete a variety of enrichment activities that focus on the book, Journey, by Patricia MacLachlan. They create a photo album that shows their own family history.
Curated OER
The Treaty Trail: U.S. - Clothing That Talks: Meaning and Material Culture
Young scholars investigate the cultures of Native Americans and Euro-Americans through their clothing. In this photograph analysis lesson, students observe historic photographs and analyze the style of clothes people wore and how...
Curated OER
Taking the Witness Stand
Learners identify a pivotal event in world history that they would have liked to have witnessed. They then research this event and write a first-person account of it as if they had been present. Their first-prerson account is modeled...
Curated OER
Historical Comparison of Anti-War Music
Students explain that, how in this world of increasing awareness and interdependence, music can act as a magnet to draw people together. They research and compare anti-war songs from many different generations.
Curated OER
Talking Rocks
Third graders consider the differences between pictographs and petroglyphs. They create symbols from a story about their worlds. They make pottery art.
Curated OER
Being There: Exploring China And Japan
Students discover the culture, society, geography, and history of Asia through games, food, art, and literature in this multi-day instructional activity about China and Japan. An exciting instructional activity for upper-elementary or...
Curated OER
Experiencing Japanese Feudalism
Students identify that a system of feudalism similar to that of medieval Europe developed in Japan by 1300. Students identify the social hierarchy of feudal Japan. Students identify what the cultural basis for the relationships among...
Curated OER
What is Gyotaku
Third graders make a T-shirt. In this fish printing lesson, 3rd graders learn about Gyotaku and the history of fish printing. The teacher demonstrates how to do a fish printing for a T-shirt and then students make their own T-shirts and...
Curated OER
Carnival Celebrations: Masks and Vejigantes
Learners explore Carnival. In this Puerto Rico Carnival activity, students discover the history of the cultural celebration as well as the significance of the elaborate masks worn for the festivities. Learners create their own Carnival...
Curated OER
Conflicting Views
Students complete a Venn diagram comparing the United States and Afghanistan. They research the history of the Taliban and how they relate to the United States and its foreign policy. They write a paper on possible solutions.
Curated OER
Role Playing in North America: Mid 1600s-Mid 1700s
Eighth graders apply their knowledge of North American history from the mid 1600's through the mid 1700's to a role-playing scenario. In small groups they plan, write, and perform a dramatic skit of a group that was affected by events in...
Curated OER
Cultures and Cuisines WebQuest
Students create and present a powerpoint presentation. In this cultures and cuisines research lesson, students select a country, interview someone from that country and visit a restaurant from that country. Students complete...
Curated OER
We Are What We Remember
Young scholars engage in research, small-group discussions, whole class discussions, family interviews, and interaction with multimedia resource material as they explore the relationship between memory and history.