418 history-culture-americas results | sort by:
Memorial Day Lessons - Congressional Medal of Honor Society
Grades
K to 12tag(s): holidays (274), memorial day (26), veterans (37)
In the Classroom
Have students watch a short video about a Medal of Honor recipient included in the lesson. Pause at key moments and ask students to jot down traits like courage, sacrifice, and perseverance. Follow with a class discussion or turn-and-talk to build comprehension and empathy. Have students learn about the National Moment of Remembrance and plan a simple class observance. Assign small groups to explore symbols of Memorial Day (poppies, flags, the White Table). Students can create a mini-poster or digital slide using Canva Edu reviewed here explaining the meaning and historical significance, then present them to the class.You must be registered and logged in to add items to your favorites.
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Memorial Day Activities That Take Ten Minutes or Less - Literacy in Focus
Grades
4 to 8tag(s): holidays (274), memorial day (26), poetry (194), veterans (37)
In the Classroom
Introduce students to the poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. Students can identify imagery, tone, and theme, then discuss how the poem connects to the purpose of Memorial Day. Have students create a Venn diagram using the Interactive 2 Circle Venn Diagram by ReadWriteThink, reviewed here comparing Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Provide students with a short informational passage about Memorial Day. Have them annotate for key ideas, unfamiliar vocabulary, and important details.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Reading Trek: They Called Us Enemy - TeachersFirst
Grades
7 to 12tag(s): 1940s (70), immigrants (50), japan (62), world war 2 (169)
In the Classroom
Have students design an infographic using Infographic Presentation Templates, reviewed here that raises awareness about Japanese American incarceration. They can include quotes, historical facts, and a message about justice and the importance of remembering history. Have students script and record a podcast episode with Podomatic, reviewed here as if interviewing George Takei or another person from the camps. Encourage connections to modern-day issues of civil rights and identity. Using comic templates from the Free Comic Maker by Adobe, reviewed here, students can recreate or extend scenes from camp life.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Cinco de Mayo | All About the Holidays - PBS LearningMedia
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): cinco de mayo (29), cultures (289), holidays (274), mexico (70)
In the Classroom
After viewing, have students create a simple timeline of the Battle of Puebla using the Timeline Tool by ReadWriteThink, reviewed here, sequencing key events and explaining why the victory was important. Have students identify causes (the French invasion, Mexican resistance) and effects (the victory at Puebla, cultural celebrations) to deepen their comprehension of historical relationships. Facilitate a class discussion comparing how Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Mexico and the United States, encouraging students to consider cultural perspectives and avoid stereotypes.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Festive Cinco de Mayo Recipes for Kids - I'm a Chef Too!
Grades
K to 8This site includes advertising.
tag(s): cinco de mayo (29), cooking (34)
In the Classroom
Create a virtual cookbook using Padlet, reviewed here. Have students create a timeline to share the steps in a recipe. Use Turbo Timeline Generator, reviewed here to create step-by-step directions for each recipe. Students can use ScreenPal, reviewed here to record themselves cooking.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Recipe Theme: Cinco de Mayo - Healthy School Recipes
Grades
K to 12tag(s): cinco de mayo (29), cooking (34)
In the Classroom
Create a class cookbook using Book Creator, reviewed here. Have students use ScreenPal, reviewed here to record themselves preparing the recipe. Have students use Mentimeter, reviewed here to describe the taste of the food with one adjective.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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The 39 Clues: Online Field Trip - National Museum of American History
Grades
4 to 7tag(s): mysteries (27), virtual field trips (137)
In the Classroom
Pair the video with a close reading of an excerpt from The 39 Clues, asking students to identify how historical facts weave into the fictional plot. Show short clips from the video and pause to have students predict how each artifact connects to historical events or clues in a mystery. Challenge students to create their own clue based on a real historical figure or artifact, including a short explanation of its significance, and create a similar video webcast-style experience using Adobe Express Video Maker, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A VISUAL HISTORY national archives and records administration 1940-1963 - National Archives and Records Administration
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): 1940s (70), 1950s (33), 1960s (55), civil rights (219), cold war (37), comics and cartoons (61), kennedy (26), primary sources (125), world war 2 (169)
In the Classroom
Show students one historical photo from the collection and have them write what they notice, wonder, and infer. Students can discuss what the image shows, what time period it might be from, and what questions they still have. Give students a historical image without the description and have students write their own caption explaining what they think is happening. Assign students different events from 1940 to 1963 and have them create a timeline using images from the site and MyLens, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Beyond the Battlefield: A Virtual Field Trip - Museum of the American Revolution
Grades
2 to 8tag(s): 1700s (36), american revolution (87), battles (19), virtual field trips (137)
In the Classroom
Watch the virtual field trip as a whole class, pausing to discuss artifacts and asking students to predict each object's use during the American Revolution. Have students write a short journal entry from the perspective of a child living during the Revolutionary era using details from the virtual tour. Create the journal digitally using Book Creator, reviewed here or Write Reader, reviewed here. Create a vocabulary station using terms from the classroom kit to build background knowledge and reinforce content-area language.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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MapMaker - National Geographic
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): critical thinking (168), data (210), map skills (68), maps (222)
In the Classroom
Have students create a personalized digital map of their local community. They can mark locations such as their school, library, parks, and cultural landmarks with pins, shapes, and labels. Explore global climate patterns by turning on different data layers (e.g., temperature, precipitation, vegetation). Students can compare regions, make observations, and write claims backed by map evidence about how geography influences climate. Have students research a historical event or time period (e.g., westward expansion, ancient civilizations, migration routes) and create a map showing locations from that time, with modern overlays to compare past and present geography. Have students choose a topic (such as a natural disaster, an explorer's journey, or a cultural region) and create a digital map that tells a story using pins and custom labels. Each pin includes facts, images, or student-written summaries to encourage research and multimedia integration.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native Americans' Complex Contributions to Military History - American Battlefield Trust
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): battles (19), native americans (131)
In the Classroom
Have students create a map using Google My Maps reviewed here showing locations of key battles or military sites involving Native American tribes, identifying which tribes were involved and their roles in the conflict. Assign students to research key individuals mentioned, such as Lt. Col. Ely S. Parker or the Navajo Code Talkers. Students can present short biographies using Sutori reviewed here explaining their contributions to US military history. Provide students with primary source quotes or documents related to Native American military service and ask them to analyze the perspectives, motivations, and consequences reflected in the text.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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A Juneteenth Gathering - Morningside Center for Teaching Social Responsibility
Grades
5 to 8tag(s): holidays (274), Juneteenth (21)
In the Classroom
Students can create a word cloud using WordClouds, reviewed here to describe Juneteenth. Students can use Time Graphics Timeline Maker, reviewed here to create a timeline of how Juneteenth became a national holiday. Students can learn more about Juneteenth by using Kidrex, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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America's Chinatowns - Google Arts and Culture
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): asia (137), china (80), cross cultural understanding (177), cultures (289)
In the Classroom
Explore this site and share highlights with your students, or share the site with students to explore and share items of interest with their peers. Use an online canvas for sticky notes such as Lino reviewed here for students to share information learned and questions for further follow-up. Use MyLens reviewed here to extend learning by creating timelines and mindmaps of the content found on this site. Use Google My Maps reviewed here to create custom maps featuring Chinatowns across the US and adding images and videos from each location.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Reading Trek: Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry - TeachersFirst
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): great depression (33), racism (80)
In the Classroom
Investigate many suggested classroom uses for this resource in the Instructional Guide (PDF). With older students, use Gravity, reviewed here as a video response platform for students to share what they learned and what surprised them about racism in the 1930s.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native American Inventions That We Still Use Today - San Diego2
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): inventors and inventions (87), native americans (131), STEM (353)
In the Classroom
Set up small stations where students explore simplified versions of Native inventions (e.g., bridge-building with string and sticks, examining plant-based remedies). Have them rotate and reflect on how each item serves a purpose today. Have students compare one Native American invention with a similar invention from another culture. Create a Venn diagram using Whimsical Mind Maps, reviewed here and discuss what materials were used, why the invention was needed, and how culture shaped the design. Students choose one invention from the article and create a display poster showing its origin, the problem it solved, and its modern-day equivalent or use.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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10 Native American and Indigenous inventions that changed the world - Vincent Schilling
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): inventors and inventions (87), native americans (131)
In the Classroom
Have students create a visual timeline using Sutori, reviewed here showcasing each of the ten inventions featured in the video, including the Indigenous group it originated from and its modern counterpart. In small groups, have students select one invention (e.g., syringes, lacrosse, hammocks) and create posters comparing its original form to how it is used today, including function, materials, and impact. Inspired by Indigenous creativity, challenge students to invent a new tool or concept that solves a modern problem.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Contributions of Native Americans - Indigenous Achievements That Shaped Today - Miacademy & MiaPrep Learning Center
Grades
4 to 12This site includes advertising.
tag(s): cultures (289), native americans (131)
In the Classroom
Create cards with Native American inventions on one set and their modern uses on another. Have students match them and explain how the original idea is still relevant today. Ask students to write a creative first-person journal from the perspective of a Native American who developed an innovation, describing the problem they solved and how others reacted. Have students compare Native American contributions to similar innovations from other cultures, discussing how different societies solve similar problems. Create a Venn diagram with Canva's Venn Diagram Creator, reviewed here.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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10 Revolutionary Native American Inventions That Changed Modern Life - Bryan University
Grades
4 to 12tag(s): inventors and inventions (87), native americans (131)
In the Classroom
Challenge students to design a modern tool inspired by an invention (such as a water-resistant pouch based on early feeding devices or a sun visor inspired by snow goggles). They can build prototypes using simple materials. Create a classroom timeline using Timeline Infographics, reviewed here showing when and where each invention originated. Include maps and note which Indigenous group developed each innovation. Have students compare each Native American invention with its modern equivalent. For example, compare early syringes with today's medical tools or traditional kayaks with modern sports models.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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Native American Contributions - Virginia Association of Soil & Water Conservation Districts
Grades
3 to 8tag(s): inventors and inventions (87), native americans (131)
In the Classroom
Create cards featuring items or ideas listed in the PDF (e.g., corn, hammock, tug of war, Iroquois government). Assign students to sort items into categories such as food, games, language, and government. Have students select a word from the PDF (such as "barbecue" or "hurricane") and research its Native American language root and meaning. They can illustrate the word and present a "word card" to the class with its origin, meaning, and modern usage. In small groups, students design a mini-exhibit using a poster board or a digital tool like Canva Edu reviewed here highlighting different categories of Native contributions.Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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National American Indian Heritage Month - Library of Congress
Grades
6 to 12tag(s): native americans (131)
In the Classroom
Using links in the Library of Congress guide or other primary sources from LOC.gov, assign students to locate and summarize one presidential proclamation or congressional resolution related to Native American Heritage Month. Students create a digital poster using DesignCap Poster Creator, reviewed here or a paper poster that honors Native American Heritage Month, incorporating quotes from proclamations, historical facts from the site, and symbolic imagery. These can be displayed around the school or shared in a class gallery walk. Have students create a timeline using Canva's Timeline Infographic Templates, reviewed here or MyLens, reviewed here showing key milestones from the website, such as legislative acts, presidential proclamations, and name changes (e.g., from "American Indian Week" to "Native American Heritage Month").Add your comments below (available only to members) | Become a Member
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