Curated OER
Lesson: More Than a Dollar's Worth of Meaning
The Chinese, Dish with the Eight Buddhist Emblems contains symbols and visual references for learners to explore. They search for Buddhist symbolism on the dish and then they use their observation skills to locate and explore...
Curated OER
How Do Artists Effectively Relate Historic Events?
Students explore African American migration. In this black culture and history activity, students use a map to identify northern and southern states in which African Americans lived in the 1900s. Students observe and describe objects and...
Curated OER
From The Great War To The Great Depression
Discover details about 1920's America. In this American history lesson, students read From the Great War to the Great Depression. Students then research famous Americans from the time period and present their findings to their classmates.
K20 LEARN
Voices from the Past: History and Literature
Art can enhance the understanding of history. That's the big idea in a lesson that has young scholars read Randall Jarrell's poem "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" and an excerpt from John Hersey's Hiroshima, which provide a...
Curated OER
Giving Voice to History
Learners examine the plight of Japanese Americans during World War II. In this World War II lesson plan, students participate in a mock evocation simulation, research primary and secondary documents about internment camps, and share...
Smithsonian Institution
Arts of the Islamic World
Learn more about the history and five pillars of Islam with an extensive resource that focuses on the religion's connection to art. Focusing on calligraphy, textiles, and architecture, the packet illustrates the beauty of the artistic...
Curated OER
Ancient Aztecs
Is it a calendar? A religious symbol? A political statement? One thing for certain is that Aztec sun stone designs remain an important symbol in Mexican cultural art. Young artists craft their own Aztec Sun design incorporating ideas...
Global Oneness Project
Flamenco: A Cross-Cultural Art Form
Notes of pride and persecution, exclusion and isolation resonate in flamenco. Introduce this musical art form to your social studies or Spanish language classes with a resource that follows a young flamenco guitarist as he...
Curated OER
To Be Black and American: World War II
Twelfth graders research wartime conditions African American had to endure during World War II. They explain what role African Americans played in World War II and describe what life was like for African Americans in the United States...
Curated OER
United States Entry into World War I: A Documentary Chronology of World War I
Learners identify several important events that led to U.S. involvement in World War I. They examine different explanations, form an opinion about the evidence for each rationale and then create a slideshow to present their findings.
Curated OER
Boogie Woogie with a B: Using Alliteration while Exploring Patriotic Tunes
Are you looking for a way to bring writing into your history instructional activity - or history into your writing instructional activity? This cross-curricular activity is helpful and fun, no matter what class you're teaching! Using...
Curated OER
Seeing the World in New Ways
Learners examine their own history to expand how they examine the world. They research being a Peace Corps volunteer in Morocco. They also examine Muslim culture.
Curated OER
Realistic Impressions: Investigating Movements in the Visual Arts
Learners explore the idea of movements in the visual arts and differentiate between some of the most well known movements in Western art. The lesson focuses on what makes a painting an example of a particular movement.
Smithsonian Institution
Braiding Rhythms: The Role of Bell Patterns in West African and Afro-Caribbean Music
Africans transported to the Caribbean as part of the transatlantic slave trade brought with them a rich tradition of music and dance. Four lessons teach young musicians the rumba clave rhythm, cascara rhythm, and the 6/8 bell patterns...
Curated OER
Lesson 2-Profiles in Courage: To Kill A Mockingbird and the Scottsboro Boys Trial
Review one of the most memorable cases in the history of the United States. After reading To Kill A Mockingbird, young scholars read and select court transcripts and other primary source material from the Scottsboro Boys Trial of 1933....
Curated OER
Foods and Languages of the World
Students study world cultures with an emphasis on languages and cultures. For this world cultures lesson, students study the countries of Spain, China, Italy, and the United States. Students read the story Everybody Cooks Rice and move...
Curated OER
World War II on the Home Front: Civic Responsibility
Students explore World War II. In this World War II lesson, students discover how volunteerism demonstrates civic responsibility. The lesson uses World War II-era posters to appeal to the learners and help them to understand the...
Curated OER
Japanese-American Internment: The Art of Gaman
Students explore Japanese-American internment. In this World War II lesson, students view a PowerPoint lecture that features the art of Gaman and determine what the art reveals about the experiences of the interned Japanese-Americans.
Curated OER
Where Did Foods Originate? (Foods of the New World and Old World)
What do papayas, peanuts, pineapples, and potatoes have in common? Why, they are foods explorers brought back to the Old World. Young researchers use the Internet to investigate how New World explorers helped change the Old World's diet....
Curated OER
World War I Art and Artists
Learners examine the art of World War I. In this World War I art instructional activity, students research paintings and artists of the era. Learners role play the artists they research and explain their lives and paintings to their...
Curated OER
Read All About It! California History of the 30s and 40s
Explore the Great Depression! Discover the challenges people experienced during the time period. Learners investigate photographs from the Dust Bowl and WWII era and create a story line about the photographs, writing a newspaper article...
Curated OER
Referencing the Classical Past
Students explore the concept of myths conveyed through art. In this art history activity, students examine "Three Goddesses" and discuss the state of the world at the time that Nollekens created the sculptures as they analyze the...
Curated OER
Collage and Photomontage
Tenth graders discuss collage and photomontage techniques and artists, and how the art form can convey cultural or current issues. They research a collage artist, then design a topical or personally symbolic collage. Present their...
Curated OER
Storytelling: Oral Traditions Learning Center
Students explore the oral traditions. In this storytelling instructional activity, students compare and contrast stories from the cultural traditions of Alaska and Hawaii.