LEARN NC

K–12 teaching and learning · from the UNC School of Education

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 and 11–12 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)
The forest people
In Intrigue of the Past, page 3.3
Paleoindian culture died out across North America by 8000 BC. Archaeologists say this was bound to happen. The Ice Age had ended, the megafauna were extinct, and the boreal forests faded as deciduous ones spread across the East in the warmer climate. Faced with significant environmental changes, the Native Americans adapted. Archaeologists call their way of life and the time in which they lived Archaic.
From Caledonia to Carolina: The Highland Scots
In Colonial North Carolina, page 5.5
Many Scots immigrated to North Carolina due to growing population, changing methods of farming, and the defeat of the Highland Scots by English and Scottish forces in 1746. The first organized settlement of Highland Scots was in Cumberland County, where 350 people moved to in 1739.
Format: article
By Kathryn Beach.
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.
It's in the garbage
In Intrigue of the Past, page 1.9
In studying archaeological concepts, students will analyze garbage from different places demonstrate competence in applying the concepts of culture, context, classification, observation and inference, chronology and scientific inquiry.
Format: lesson plan (grade 4–5 English Language Arts and Social Studies)
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.
Olaudah Equiano remembers West Africa
In Colonial North Carolina, page 4.4
Excerpt from a book written by a freed slave in the late eighteenth century, with memories of his boyhood in Guinea. Describes the government, culture, religion, architecture, and agriculture of the region. Primary source includes historical commentary.
Format: book
Commentary and sidebar notes by Shane Freeman.
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.
Shadows of a people
In Prehistory, contact, and the Lost Colony, page 2.3
Archaeologists divide North Carolina's prehistory -- the time before contact with Europeans -- into four periods: Paleoindian, Archaic, Woodland, and Mississippian.
Format: article