Smithsonian Institution
Dia de los Muertos: Honoring our Ancestors Through Community Celebration
Oral storytelling has been an important part of every culture. The time-honored practice uses stories as a conduit for a culture's values and customs from one generation to the next. Keep the tradition going with a family interview...
Curated OER
Oklahoma! The Cultural Myth of America
Learners explore cultural myths in America by collecting images and characteristics of stereotypical Americans. They read a primary source document, discussing the views of the author in class. Next, they compare the terms used to...
Curated OER
Using Primary Sources: Letters from the Presidents
Young scholars find out about the minds and thoughts of presidents through reading their actual letters. They explore the personal lives of presidents. They answer questions about a primary source. They write essays.
Curated OER
Create a Research Book
Students use the internet to research the production of manuscripts and books. Using this information, they create a research book full of tips to research effectively. They share their new book with the class after organizing the material.
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People Who "Think Different"
Students conduct Internet research on one famous person to explore his/her important contributions to society.
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Jack London's The Call of the Wild: "Nature Faker"?
Pupils examine how Jack London tells a story from the point of view of an animal. They read and discuss primary source documents, analyze text and excerpts, complete a chart, and explore various websites.
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Poet James Whitcomb Riley: Famous in His Own Day
An engaging biography of "Hoosier" poet James Whitcomb Riley serves as a springboard for study of his unique dialect-based verse. Several activities illuminate differences between spoken vernacular and formal language. Learners record...
Curated OER
Researching Equality and Justice
Choosing from a list, researchers investigate topics that range from the women in the American Civil Rights movement to the quest for equal rights in Iraq and Afghanistan. Although the plan is not detailed, a link to a PBS site that...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Issues of Asylum in the U.S.
Who gets to come to the United States? Examine cases of individuals seeking asylum with an informative reading passage that includes examples, statistics, and representations of public opinion regarding asylum. Groups then go on to...
Curated OER
Voyages of Discovery
Students create individual "travel logs" for a world explorer whom they studied in history class. This activity is an interdisciplinary activity for the Language Arts and History classroom.
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Presentation of Pilgrims
Students are given a category to research (clothes, life before the New World, the voyage, etc.) about Pilgrim life. s Students, in groups, create presentations using software program such as PowerPoint.
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New Perspectives
Students examine maps that are designed to give different perspectives. They create mental maps that illustrate their own perspectives and those of people from other parts of the world.
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Fujiyama
Students examine and discuss Mt. Fuji (Fujiyama) and its effect on the culture and philosophy of Japan. This high school lesson plan is ideal for a Social Studies, Humanities, or Asian Studies class.
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Top Secret Revealed
Young scholars analyze the relevance of newly-uncovered, revealing C.I.A. document from the 1950's to people today. They explore the details and impact of a secret history of the C.I.A. in Iran by reading and discussing "How a Plot...
Curated OER
Geography: Mapping Newspaper Coverage
Students examine the locations of stories appearing in newspapers and determine where to assign reporters. Using various maps, they connect the stories to the correct maps and create charts of the story locations. Students explain their...
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Celebrating Diversity
Students gain a better understanding about cultures. They find similarities and differences between cultures. Various resources ranging from web sites to trade books to email addresses of people are provided. This lesson plan...
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Kansas in the Movies, the Cold War Period
Students are instructed using a cross curricular type of lesson. The time period that they focus upon is the founding of the Soviet Union as a superpower in the world after WWII. The rise of communism is also taken into consideration.
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We Are People of the Cross
Seventh graders explore the cross as a symbol of redemption and of the Trinity. They become aware of Jesus' crucifixion and the history of the crucifix.
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Los Angeles Throughout the Years
Fourth graders study the history of the city of Los Angeles, investigating its variety of cultural traditions. They develop expertise on one specific decade in LA history.
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Getting Oriented
Students explore the geography, culture, and philosophy of Asia using all five senses and information about China and Japan. This lesson plan is detailed and may take several days of in-class activities to complete.
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Loud and Clear
Students brainstorm various forms of protest, examine the context for President George W. Bush's visit to Britain, and research protests throughout history. Students use the information gathered to create informative posters and diary...
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Life During the Industrial Revolution
Seventh graders present information about the Industrial Revolution. In this Industrial Revolution lesson plan, 7th graders work in groups research inventions and prepare an information poster for the invention. Students present their...
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Lifestyles of the Tribe, or Tomorrowland?
Eighth graders identify with and analyze through writing various Indian cultural values and how they fit in the modern world. Students organize data utilizing Educational software programs and present their opinions and inferences in a...
Curated OER
Anne Frank: One of Hundreds of Thousands
Middle schoolers show on a map territorial changes to Germany as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, then identify European countries that came under German control before and during World War II.