Browse lesson plans

African American English

In this activity, students learn about the history of African American English and the meaning of dialect and linguistic patterns. Students watch a video about African American English and analyze the dialect's linguistic patterns.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Hannah Askin.

Connecting folktales and culture in North Carolina and beyond

Students will explore connections to North Carolina culture as they engage in reading and analyzing three folktales of North Carolina Literary Festival author, William Hooks. After comparing these stories to other versions of the traditional tales, students will become authors and storytellers themselves as they rewrite a tale from a new cultural point of view. Opportunities are also included to extend this study to world cultures and folktales.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Jeanne Munoz.

The Craft Revival and economic change

In this lesson plan, originally published on the Craft Revival website, students will interpret photographs and artifacts as representations of western North Carolina’s economy at the turn of the century. They will also analyze historical census data and produce a visual web that will represent the changing nature of the economy of western North Carolina.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–12 Social Studies)

By Patrick Velde.

Culture everywhere

In Intrigue of the Past, page 1.3

In their study of culture, students will use a chart to show the different ways that cultures meet basic human needs and recognize that archaeologists study how people from past cultures met basic needs by analyzing and interpreting the artifacts and sites that they left behind.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 and 8 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Dynamic dialect: Horace Kephart and Our Southern Highlanders

Students will read an excerpt from Horace Kephart's Our Southern Highlanders and explore how language and dialect have changed over the years.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8–10 English Language Arts)

By Billie Clemens.

Folklife

Students will learn North Carolina folklore, traditions, war activities, local legends, superstitions, food preparation traditions, art, songs and dances which are unique to the area.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Carolyn Early.

Graphic organizer: From Caledonia to Carolina

Graphic organizer designed to aid students' comprehension as they read an article about the immigration of Highland Scots to North Carolina in the colonial era.

Format: chart/lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Pauline S. Johnson.

Home is where the hearth is: Using photographs to discuss traditional family roles

In this lesson students will examine pictures of hearths (fireplaces), which used to be the cornerstone of the home and family life. These images, from the Built Heritage Collection at North Carolina State University, will help students use observation skills and inference to draw conclusions about the culture of family life at various points throughout the history of North Carolina and the United States.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Loretta Wilson.

Language change in North Carolina's cities

In this activity, students view a video about the changing dialects of North Carolina's urban areas and then respond to a series of questions.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Hannah Askin.

Native American music: Two North Carolina tribes

In this lesson plan, students will listen to songs from two North Carolina tribes. Students will learn about the music through listening, analyzing, singing, moving, and playing instruments.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 Music Education and Social Studies)

By Merritt Raum Flexman.

North Carolina American Indian stories

In this lesson students will select and read stories from some of the North Carolina American Indian tribes. They will compare and contrast two stories of their choice and complete a Venn diagram. Students will use the information on the Venn diagram to write three paragraphs. After reading several American Indian tales or legends, students will then create their own legend using the narrative writing process.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Janice Gardner.

North Carolina Cherokee Indians: The Trail of Tears

In this two week unit, students will study the Cherokee by participating in literature circles, learning about Native American story telling, writing a letter to Andrew Jackson to protest against the Creek War, and more.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Gina Golden.

Of earth, water, and fire: World pottery traditions

In this lesson, a photo analysis activity helps students learn about pottery traditions from around the world. Students discuss how these traditions are similar to and different from one another.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 Visual Arts Education and Social Studies)

By Eric Eaton.

One man's home

In this lesson students will examine house plans from the Built Heritage Collection at the North Carolina State University. They will use their knowledge of history, observation skills, and inference to draw conclusions about how the functionality of homes has changed over time to meet the needs of the homeowners.

Format: lesson plan

By Loretta Wilson.

Outer Banks English

In this lesson plan, students view a video about the dialect of North Carolina's Outer Banks and develop an understanding of linguistic patterns.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Hannah Askin.

Quilts

This lesson plan in designed to be one part of a fourth grade social studies unit on the Appalachian Mountains. It is based on the mountain custom of quilt making. This plan uses the book The Quiltmakers Gift by Jeff Brumbeau. It also uses the book internet site and other related sites. Enrichments of this lesson would be to display quilts, have a real quilt maker visit, have the class create their own paper quilt, etc.

Format: lesson plan (grade 3–4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Barbara Waters.

Spanish and Hispanic English in North Carolina

In this lesson, students will listen to audio recordings and view a video clip in order to gain an understanding of the Hispanic English dialect.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 Social Studies)

By Hannah Askin.

Storytellers in the Mountains of North Carolina

Students will study five famous North Carolina storytellers: Jackie Torrence, Ray Hicks, Donald Davis, David Holt, and Sheila Kay Adams. They will research how their stories were collected and how they developed their storytelling styles that distinguish them from other tellers.

Format: lesson plan (grade 4 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Martha Hayes.

Resources on the web

artNC

Images and background information on works of art, classroom activity ideas and lesson plans, and program listings. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan

Provided by: North Carolina Museum of Art

North Carolina Museum of History

The Museum offers visitors a divers assortment of exhibits and resources to include in classroom instruction or actual visists to the museum. Find lesson plans, information on history in a box kits, professional development workshops, and much more. (Learn more)

Format: website/lesson plan