Browse lesson plans

Desegregating public schools: Integrated vs. neighborhood schools

In this lesson, students will learn about the history of the "separate but equal" U.S. school system and the 1971 Swann case which forced Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools to integrate. Students will examine the pros and cons of integration achieved through busing, and will write an argumentative essay drawing on information from oral histories.

Format: lesson plan (grade 10–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Dayna Durbin Gleaves.

Eyewitness to the flood

In this lesson, students will listen to oral history excerpts from Hurricane Floyd survivors and contrast their experiences with the experiences of the characters in Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God.

Format: lesson plan (multiple pages)

Family story with research

Using the book, When The Legends Die and a Native American story-telling unit, students gather a family story of their own.

Format: lesson plan (grade 11–12 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Eric Broer.

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.

Good medicine

Students will examine changes in technology, medicine, and health that took place in North Carolina between 1870 and 1930 and construct products and ideas which demonstrate understanding of how these changes impacted people living in North Carolina at that time. To achieve these goals, students will employ the eight intelligences of Howard Gardner's Multiple Intelligences Theory.

Format: lesson plan (grade 8 English Language Arts, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies)

By Leslie Ramsey.

Grandparent interview

Students will interview a grandparent and write a news article based upon their interview. They will also do research on historical events to develop questions to be asked during the interview.

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–7 English Language Arts)

By Jim Carson.

Looking back - An Art/English interdisciplinary unit

This is an interdisciplinary unit that incorporates research of historical events of the past century. Students learn to understand the relationship among society, art, and literature, and then draw on that knowledge when they interview an individual to develop a biographical narrative, a collage, and an oral presentation.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–12 Visual Arts Education and English Language Arts)

By Julie Osmon.

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.

Oral history through personal narratives

Students apply their knowledge of story elements to art and literature of the 1950s by developing a story, comprehending someone else's story, and diagramming the five elements of plot. Students will then create, revise, edit, and publish their own personal narrative.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 Visual Arts Education, English Language Arts, and Social Studies)

By Mary Magee.

Stories from the Holocaust

This lesson is designed to supplement a study of World War II. Students will read first hand accounts of individuals who escaped Nazi persecution and eventually settled in Asheville, North Carolina. This lesson may be used as an 8th grade Social Studies or English project(It could also be used as an integrated project), 10th grade English, or 11th grade US History. This lesson uses the NCEcho portal to access the material.

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

By Billie Clemens.

Storytelling with Cherokee folktales

This is a two day lesson pertaining to telling Cherokee folktales. This lesson can be modified and used with any folktale.

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

By Ricky Hamilton.

You ate what??

After reading the novel, All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque, students will use primary sources to relate Paul's experience to the life of a North Carolina soldier. Students will create their own primary source journal entry.

Format: lesson plan (grade 9–10 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

By Kari Siko.

Resources on the web

Exploring and sharing family stories

In this lesson from ReadWriteThink, students access their own life experiences and then discuss family stories they have heard. After choosing a family member to interview, students create questions, interview their relative, and write a personal narrative... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 6–8 English Language Arts)

Provided by: ReadWriteThink

What is history? Timelines and oral histories

This lesson from EDSITEment aims to help students understand history and recognize that the past is different depending on who is remembering and retelling it. There are four activities, in which students construct a timeline based on events from their... (Learn more)

Format: lesson plan (grade 1–2 English Language Arts and Social Studies)

Provided by: EDSITEment