Lesson Plans

325 Result(s)
Grade Range
K-5
What Was Columbus Thinking?

Students read excerpts from Columbus's letters and journals, as well as recent considerations of his achievements in order to reflect on the motivations behind Columbus's explorations.

Grade Range
K-5
Cave Art: Discovering Prehistoric Humans through Pictures

By studying paintings from the Cave of Lascaux (France) and the Blombos Cave (South Africa), students will discover that pictures can be a way of communicating beliefs and ideas and can give us clues today about what life was like long ago.

Grade Range
6-8
Tales of King Arthur

As an iconic anchor in the British literary canon that has inspired the works of many more British storytellers, the tales of King Arthur have a unique place in literary history. In this lesson, students will discover how historical events gradually merged with fantasy to create the colorful tales we still enjoy today.

Grade Range
6-8
Colonial Broadsides and the American Revolution

Drawing on the resources of the Library of Congress's Printed Ephemera Collection, this lesson helps students experience the news as the colonists heard it: by means of broadsides, notices written on disposable, single sheets of paper that addressed virtually every aspect of the American Revolution.

Grade Range
9-12
The Beauty of Anglo-Saxon Poetry: A Prelude to Beowulf

After encountering visually stunning examples of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts and engaging with the literary conventions of Anglo-Saxon poetry, students will be prepared to study Beowulf. Dispelling stereotypes about the so-called “dark ages,” this lesson helps students learn about the production of early manuscripts and the conventions of Anglo-Saxon poetry, solve online riddles, and write riddles of their own.

Grade Range
6-8
Benjamin Franklin's Many "Hats"

Ben Franklin, a signer of the Declaration of Independence and of the Constitution was also a philanthropist, a community leader, patriot, and Founding Father. Students create hats illustrating some of the many roles that Franklin played in his life—statesman, politician, scientist, father, community activist, printer, publisher, writer, and inventor.

Grade Range
9-12
Place-Based Learning: Creating Clio Entries

Clio, partially funded by the NEH, is a free resource allowing users to learn about the history of the landscapes they inhabit, and to contribute to those historical narratives. This lesson plan walks through the steps involved in creating a Clio entry about an historic place or event.

Grade Range
K-5
The Meaning Behind the Mask

Students explore the cultural significance of masks, discuss the use of masks in stories, and then investigate the role masks play in ceremonies and on special occasions in various African cultures.