Curated OER
Mark Twain, Volume 1
Students read and answer questions about the life of Mark Twain. In this biography lesson, students read about the life and work of Mark Twain. Students complete a worksheet about the reading.
Curated OER
The Pioneer Experience
Tenth graders consider the move westward. In this Westward Movement lesson plan, 10th graders compare and contrast the experiences of 2 pioneers by creating t-charts. Students analyze diaries, photographs, and political cartoons that...
Curated OER
The Guy Behind Kinko's
Students explore the concept of starting a business. For this starting a business lesson, students read an article about the founder of Kinko's. Students discuss how Kinko's expanded and tried to avoid centralization and homogenization.
Curated OER
Night by Elie Wiesel
Tenth graders explore WWII by reading a book with their class. For this Holocaust research lesson, 10th graders read the book Night, and discuss the horrors of the concentration camps and Nazi brutality during WWII. Students complete...
Curated OER
Memior: The Stuff of Our Lives
Fourth graders reflect upon the significance of remembered events and to keep a "notebook" of their thoughts and feelings. They read books that exemplify memior writing. They write their memiors, taking it through the writing process.
Curated OER
Kid Lit Crit
Students explore different types of student literature; they then write their own fiction pieces, in either fantasy/adventure or memoir/realism style.
Curated OER
When I Was Puerto Rican
Learners are read passages from When I Was Puerto Rican and asked to respond to the passages in their journals. They decide on a topic for researching and they use this topic to develop their own memoirs.
Curated OER
Daily Life in Pennsylvania's Historic Cloistered Religious Communities
Study the daily life of three religious communities from Pennsylvanian history. Learners research the religious communities of the Ephrata Cloister, Bethlehem, and Harmony. They study primary sources for each community and complete...
Curated OER
Children of Long Ago
Young scholars complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Children of Long Ago. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, answer short answer questions, have...
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The Final Word
Students research biographies of Americans who advanced science. They create an obituary for the person to share what information they have gathered. They discuss the importance of the obituary as the "final word" of a person to complete...
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Japanese American Baseball in the Camps
Students study Japanese American internment camps. In this American history lesson, students compare and contrast the camp internees' experiences with with team sports-related challenges students have encountered. Students discuss team...
Curated OER
Letters From The Diaspora
Students investigate the concept of mass migration and conduct research using a variety of resources. The information is used in order to create letters written from the perspective of a person who may have migrated during the time period.
Curated OER
Wild Swans
Students, watching the movie, "Wild Swans," explore a writer's journey of discovery about her mother, grandmother, and herself. They also study the Chinese culture and history of the last 50 years.
Curated OER
The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
In this online interactive reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 6 short answer and essay questions based on The Things They Carried. Students may also access an online quiz on the selection using the link at the...
Curated OER
Traits of Nonfiction
Here are some lesson ideas for teaching students about the traits of nonfiction text.
Briscoe Center for American History
Mary Maverick and Texas History - Part 2
To conclude their investigation of the life of Mary Maverick and to demonstrate their ability to analyze primary source documents, groups use the SOAPS questioning method to examine Maverick's account of events in early Texas history.
Curated OER
Let the Truth Be Known
Learners explore authenticity in written works and the responsibilities of the media. They read two Holocaust accounts, one that is factual and one that was fabricated. They further examine, the importance of authenticity in the media.
Curated OER
When Johnny Went Marching Off...
Eighth graders decide whether to join the Union or Confederate army. Then decide under which General you serve and in which battles you fight. Finally students create civilwar documents in assigned roles.
Curated OER
When Johnny Went Marching Off...
Eighth graders explore Civil War campaigns. In this Civil War instructional activity, 8th graders collaborate and conduct research to create presentations that focus on specific Union or Confederate generals and battles. Students...
Peace Corps
Starting Off the Day (and School Year) in Ukraine
Students compare the first day of school in Ukraine with the first day of school in the United States, including the challenges students and teachers both face in each country. They respond in class, in their journals, to the following...
Curated OER
Lone Stars and Gun Smoke
Seventh graders assess the significance of the Texas Ranger Frontier Battalion Company 'D' in maintaining law and order along the Texas-Mexico border. They study the importance of Ranger actions and utilize primary sources and maps to...
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Great Migration 2002
Ninth graders compose journal entries that relate to interview topics working in pairs interviewing each other. They create ten interview questions on their own as well as deliver presentations about their interviews of one another. Each...
Curated OER
Vocabulary Review #136
In this vocabulary review #136 worksheet, students interactively complete 10 sentences by selecting the correct word with immediate online feedback.
Writing Fix
Writing Fix: Suggestions for Writing a Memoir: Memoirs About Moving Away
The book Leaving Home with a Pickle Jar by Barbara Dugan relives the story of moving from one state to another through the life of Ernest P. and his sister, Ella Jean. They take with them their most prized possessions; Ernest's being his...