Curated OER
Ethical Dilemmas in Teaching the Holocaust
Learners are exposed to a variety of readings about the Nazi Party and concentration camps. Using the readings as a guide, they identify moral issues that we all face studing the Holocaust. They decide to work together to end bigotry...
Curated OER
Immigration; The New Colossus
Seventh graders explore The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus. In this The New Colossus lesson, 7th graders read the poem and analyze its meaning. Students discuss what the poem means about American culture and why it was engraved on the...
Curated OER
Introducing the Narrative Account Web Page
Students complete a narrative writing assignment by critiquing a sample webpage. In this narrative writing lesson, students view the sample webpage and take notes. Students create a similar webpage that contains a narrative account based...
Curated OER
Aesop's Fables (Grade 3)
Third graders develop a presentation based on Aesop's Fables. In this Aesop Fables and presentation instructional activity, 3rd graders examine the characteristics of fables and how to interpret them. They choose one of Aesop's Fables to...
Curated OER
A Visit to Aunt Louisa's
Fourth graders write a diary entry. In this journaling lesson students examine a 1880's primary source document. Students read about a young girl visiting her Aunt in rural Indiana. Students write about what they did in the last day.
Curated OER
Peace and Perspective through Poetry: The Dream of Peace in the Middle East
Middle schoolers use poetry to understand conflict in the Middle East. In this poetry instructional activity, students read persona poems and use the poetry and a novel as mentor text to guide their own poem about peace in the...
Curated OER
The Immigrant Experience: Down the Rabbit Hole
Students relate the immigrant experience to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. In this immigration experience instructional activity, students read Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and relate it to the...
Curated OER
Take Me Back to the Ball Game!
Students examine the role of sports in American society, analyzing both positive outcomes and its exclusive nature. They reflect on how the lessons that they participate in as students may carry with them into their adult lives.
Curated OER
Raising the Titanic
Ninth graders research the history of a person who was aboard the Titanic and write about the part he/she played in the world's greatest maritime disaster.
Curated OER
Nature in a Flick of the Eye
Students explore the visual information a diorama artist provides by thinking of all the details for the background of a location described by their teacher. They investigate diorama artists and their importance in creating the illusion...
Curated OER
The Family: Louisiana Family Folklore
Students explore and identify family treasures and research the history to each one. They also organize a variety of artifacts into various categories and research traditional Louisiana artifacts online. Each student draws inferences...
Curated OER
Travel Through Time with a Family Member
Students interview a family member. In this interviewing lesson, students choose a family member to interview and write about. Students create a PowerPoint about the person including a timeline, photographs, and a narrative about their...
Curated OER
Music To My Ears: The District of Columbia Quarter
Students practice identifying different genres of music by creating posters. In this music appreciation lesson, students research Duke Ellington and complete worksheets based on his style of music, Jazz. Students collaborate...
Curated OER
Thanks Be To You
Students research U.S. history by completing a worksheet activity in class. In this historical figure lesson, students identify the contributions and risks taken by the former African-American leader Martin Luther King Jr. Students read...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Anne Frank: Writer
Middle schoolers explore the writings of Anne Frank. They discuss how Anne did or did not change during her two years in the Secret Annex. Students take a stand on how much Anne has in common with contemporary young people.
Curated OER
Drawing on Terror
Students assess the ways in which editorial cartoons offer insight into events that shape our world, specifically focusing on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States.
Curated OER
To Tell the Tale
Students explore how themes common to the human condition can be found in literary and oral traditions across cultures. They compile traditional folk tales around these themes and write their own tales to reflect their own cultural context.
Curated OER
African American Poetry: Family and Traditions
Learners are introduced to the elements of African-American poetry. As a class, they are read different types of poems to discover there are different styles of poems and practice rhyming words. They share information on their family...
Curated OER
"The Faberge Eggs: Mementos of a Doomed Dynasty"
Students discuss the importance of the Faberge Eggs. In groups, they discuss the way various treasured items reflect the personal values and culture of a specific time period. They create their own exhibition to show their own family's...
Curated OER
Tapokadooa: How the Dawes Act Affected Northern Paiute Children's Lives
Young scholars investigate the Dawes Act and understand its effects on the Paiute Indians. In this Paiute lesson, students recognize that many Native Americans lost their land and money after the Dawes Act. Young scholars dissect a...
Curated OER
Exploring Philanthropic Motivations
Students understand the reasons people give to those less fortune. For this philanthropic lesson, students read Passing the Dream by Penny Caldwell. Students respond to the poem by making a list of things they would like to change...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Examining an Important Battle in WWII
In this military history assignment, research provides a foundation for a report on the United States' strategy for a specific battle during World War II. This resource does not include recommended sources of information or a rubric....
Curated OER
It's All Greek to Me!
While the ideas for Ancient Greek research are solid, there is little detail to help make your job easier. The focus here is familiarizing your class with online databases and print resources in their school library. After direct...
Curated OER
Repetitive Song Form
Eighth graders discover different concepts for identifying musical structure and song form. In this Music History lesson, 8th graders compare and contrast a Red Hot Chili Peppers song to an Andrea Bocelli's song.