Ball State University Lesson Plans
1st Grade
Students will learn how community and social life has changed from late 1700s to present day by comparing and contrasting clothing, toys, household arrangements, and roles of individuals in the home and through a hands-on experience of working in an early 1800s kitchen.
Students will learn about the services and characteristics funeral homes provide, the meaning of symbols on gravestones, the materials used to make gravestones, and compare maps of local cemeteries.
2nd Grade
Students will learn about museums and job duties of museum curators, including how they benefit the community.
3rd Grade
Students will learn about the culture of the Middle Mississippians by exploring their social classes, how they worked together as a community, their trading patterns, and their artifacts.
Students will learn about the culture of the Middle Mississippians by examining their artifacts, communication styles, trading patterns, and how the community protected itself from warfare.
Students will learn about societies, utopias, and how communities function by exploring the Harmonists and George Rapp.
Students will learn how communities function by exploring the ideas and principles of the Owen Community at New Harmony, Indiana, between 1825 and 1827, and how the community's advancements in education, science, and politics impacted New Harmony's development.
Students will learn how the Owen Community at New Harmony, Indiana, between 1825 and 1827, changed over time by examining the ideas and principles on citizenship, science, education, women, slavery, establishment of libraries, and working conditions held by individuals in the community.
Students will learn about the modes and methods of transportation in southeastern Indiana prior to 1865.
Students will learn about the cultural mourning differences between Hispanics and Americans by comparing and contrasting mourning beliefs and rituals, gravesites, and cemeteries, and also will learn about the Day of the Dead.
4th Grade
Students learn about the culture of Native Americans prior to the arrival of Europeans in Indiana by exploring ancient burial mounds and discovering the culture, characteristics, and decline of the Middle Mississippians.
Students will learn how the cultures, geographic locations, and trade of the Adena, Hopewell, and Middle Mississippian communities impacted the development of Indiana and the creation of Indiana State Parks.
Students will learn about Native American cultures in prehistoric Indiana by comparing and contrasting the cultures of the Hopewell, Adena, and Mississippian communities and by exploring how geographic locations and the environment affect where individuals settle.
Students learn about the history of Native Americans in Indiana, prior to the arrival of Europeans, by exploring the culture, ancient burial mounds, evolution, and decline of the Adena, Hopewell, and Middle Mississippians communities.
Students will discover the fur trade's impact on Indiana's development by learning about Native Americans in Indiana, including the Miami, Potawatomi, Algonquin, and Iroquois tribes, important fur traders, and the economic impact the fur trade had on establishing routes, posts, and permanent settlements in Indiana, such as the current cities of Valparaiso and Fort Wayne.
Students will explore how the impact physical landscape and environment, interactions with European settlers, and the fur trade affected the culture and lives of Native Americans living in Indiana.
Students will draw connections between society and environment by learning about the cultures of Potawatomi, Miami, Delaware, and Shawnee tribes, how they adapted to their environment, and their interactions with Europeans, including the importance of the fur trade.
Students will understand the differences between primary and secondary sources by learning about Native American tribes in Indiana, with a focus on the Potawatomi Indians, and the Trail of Death.
Students will learn about the daily life of settlers in Indiana during the early 1800s by examining their food sources, modes of transportation, relations with Native Americans, and adaptation to the physical landscape and environment.
Students will explore why people moved west in the late 1700s/early 1800s by learning about George Rogers Clark's early life, the decision making process to relocate, travel routes, and the importance of surveying the land prior to relocating.
Students will learn how the Revolutionary War influenced Indiana's development by exploring George Rogers Clark's contributions to the War in the West, including his 210 mile march to recapture Fort Sackville, Indiana, his leadership qualities, and how he was able to rally a large group of individuals to work together for a common goal.
Students will learn how the Revolutionary War affected Indiana's development by exploring the interactions between Native Americans and Europeans prior to 1778, the interactions between Native Americans and George Rogers Clark, and the Northwest Ordinance.
Students will learn the definitions and characteristics of citizen, values, loyalty, authority, and leadership and then apply their knowledge to analyzing George Rogers Clark as a citizen and as a military officer.
Students will learn about George Rogers Clark, including his accomplishments and leadership qualities, to understand the short and long-term consequences of someone's actions.
Students will explore how key events and individuals, such as the Revolutionary War, the Battle of Tippecanoe, George Rogers Clark, William Henry Harrison, influenced Indiana's development after the Revolutionary War.
Students will explore how Indiana's physical regions and key individuals and events, such as the Revolutionary War, George Rogers Clark, William Henry Harrison, Tecumseh, and Tenskwatawa, influenced the creation of Indiana State Parks and Indiana's steps toward statehood.
Students will explore the causes of the removal and resettlement of Native Americans in Indiana by learning about the Treaty of Fort Wayne, the Trail of Death, and the Battle of Mississinewa. Students will distinguish fact from opinion and fact from fiction by reading narratives from early Indiana settlers, including Abraham Lincoln, explore about the daily challenges and social issues of early settlers, such as building houses and schoolhouses, and learn how people in Indiana evolved over time by examining cultural and environmental changes.
Students will learn about societies, communal societies, and utopian societies and then apply their knowledge to New Harmony by exploring how the roles of individuals within a society, including key individuals, such as George Rapp, influenced the development of New Harmony in the early 1800s, and by comparing and contrasting the rights of citizens as stated in the Indiana Bill of Rights to those living in the Harmonist and the Owen communities.
Students will delve deeper into Indiana's history by learning the history of the Huggart Settlement, events prior to the Civil War, the decision making process in both the public and private spheres, voting rights, and comparing and contrasting Indiana State's constitutions from pre-Civil War to present day.
Students will learn about the Civil War and Indiana Historical Markers, including what they are and why a site would receive a historical marker.
Students will learn about the powers and role federal and state governments have during wartime by examining how, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln removed powers from the legislative branch and how Governor Oliver P. Morton violated the Indiana State Constitution by enacting a military draft, suppressing freedom of speech, and illegally arresting and detaining political enemies.
Students will learn the causes of the Civil War, the differences between the Union and the Confederacy, Indiana's involvement in the war, the Battle of Corydon, and John Hunt Morgan, including who he was, reasons for his raid across Indiana, and his capture and death.
Students will learn about the Civil War, including its causes, main battles, President Abraham Lincoln's influence, and reconstruction, and then play a game to assess their knowledge.
Students will learn about slavery in the United States during the mid-19th century by exploring the differences of living in the North and the South, Abraham Lincoln's stance on slavery and whether his childhood home influenced his views, and the stance political parties, including the Whig Party, held on slavery.
Students will learn about the Underground Railroad, including what it was, famous conductors, such as Harriet Tubman, the transportation options slaves used to escape to freedom, and stations along the path where slaves hid, including the Levi Coffin Home.
Students will learn about slavery and the Underground Railroad, including families in Jefferson County, Indiana who were stops along the path to freedom and the Levi Coffin Home in Fountain City (formerly Newton), Indiana.
Students will learn about the slavery in the United States, including the slave trade from Africa and the Caribbean in the colonies, living conditions of slaves, events that led to abolitionism, including how northern states began to change their opinions on slavery, influential abolitionists, the Underground Railroad, and reconstruction after the Civil War.
By exploring Indiana State Parks, students learn how the development of Indiana's agriculture, industry, politics, and businesses in the 19th century affects the state's economy today.
Students will learn the small and large scale implications of conflict and conflict resolution and then apply their knowledge by exploring the contributions and participation of Indiana citizens in the Civil War, World War I, and World War II, and by learning the history of the Jefferson Proving Ground.
Students will learn about the history of Indiana State Parks, major events, and individuals who shaped life in the early 20th century.
Students will learn about events and the economy of the early 20th century by examining how Colonel Richard Lieber fought to keep the Indiana State Parks open, including his decision to charge an entrance fee at state parks.
Students will learn about Gene Stratton-Porter, including her achievements, her two houses, and her car, and transportation in the early 20th century.
Students will understand how life in the early 1900s differs from today by learning about city life, country life, economy, and women's suffrage from the 1910s and 1930s and by watching the 1915 movie, Man Haters.
Students explore how natural disasters affect land, population, and the economy by learning about the Farm at Prophetstown, a 1920s farm at Prophetstown State Park, Rose Island Amusement Park and the Iron Bridge at Charlestown State Park, and the projects completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration during the Great Depression.
Students will learn about the history of the Great Depression and indoor games that were played during the 1930s.
Students will primarily learn about the history of games and entertainment in the 1930s, but will also explore the causes and effects of the Great Depression and the overall climate of the 1930s.
Students will research the history of Indiana State Parks, nature preserves, and environmental movements to understand the impact events in the late 20th century affected Indiana State Parks.
Indiana State Parks and Environment in the Late 20th Century
Students will research major events and environmental movements and organizations of the latter half of the 20th century, such as the Baby Boom after World War II, the Indiana Nature Preserve Act of 1967, the Indiana Heritage Trust, the Natural Resources Foundation, and the creation of Earth Day to understand how events and people directly or indirectly affected Indiana State Parks and the environment.
5th Grade
Students explore the early settlements, culture, and community of Middle Mississippians by examining their artifacts, settlement patterns and travel routes, transportation options, shelter, and sources for food and clothing.
Students will learn about the fur trade between Europeans and Native Americans during the United States Colonization and Settlement Period, 1607-1763.
Students will learn about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War and George Rogers Clark's role in the development of the United States of America prior to the Revolutionary War, including the end of the French Indian War, the Royal Proclamation of 1763, the Quebec Act, and the history Fort Sackville at Vincennes, Indiana.
Students will learn about the causes of the American Revolution by examining the Declaration of Independence, the Currency Act of 1764, conflict between the British and the colonists, and the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
Students will learn about the Northwest Ordinance, the differences in how the Revolutionary War was fought in the East and the West, and George Rogers Clark's role in the West, including settling disagreements between the British and Americans, French, and Piankashaw Indians.
6th Grade
Students will learn the history of geographic regions around the world and examine artifacts to understand how each society's cultural norms, religious beliefs, political institutions, economic systems, and technological advancements contributed to the development of modern Europe and America.
By examining the causes, effects, and sequence of major events of World War II, students will develop a clearer definition of "conflict," including what causes conflict and how conflict can affect individual communities, countries, and the entire world.
Junior/Senior High School
Students will learn how living in during the Great Depression affected the personal lives of Americans by exploring the popular leisure activities and pastimes of the era and the impact the Stock Market Crash of 1929 had economic and living standards.
Educator Tutorials
A brief tutorial on searching this free, online resource
A brief tutorial on searching this free, online resource
A brief tutorial on searching this free, online resource
A brief tutorial on searching this free, online resource
A brief tutorial on searching this free, online resource
A brief tutorial on searching this free, online resource
A brief tutorial on searching this free, online resource
Students at Ball State University created lesson plans for use with Indiana Memory collections with LSTA grant funding. The lesson plans are organized by grade level and then historic time period. The lesson plans were created over multiple semesters; therefore, some cover the same subject and have similar names, but they have different projects.
See Also
This project is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.