Source: American Experience

Compare the route of the Alaska Highway with the earlier proposed route, and judge whether the correct decision was made. Examine the literature of Jack London for descriptions of the landscape of Alaska in the 1890s.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies

Topics: Literature: American. Geography. Transportation.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Create a timeline of Eugene O'Neill's life, connecting events of his life with events happening around the country. Explore his relationships with his family, and examine his plays for the elements of Greek tragedy.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies

Topics: Literature: American. Vocabulary. Historical Perspective.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Perform two of the most powerful scenes from O'Neill's plays, and use them to analyze the lead characters. Research other Pulitzer Prize winning playwrights, and explore the experience of performing on the stage.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, The Arts

Topics: Drama/Dramatics. Literature: American.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Explore activities that highlight the careers and writing styles of American authors Ralph Ellison, Katherine Anne Porter, Maurice Sendak and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Explore their literature and review timelines of their lives.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts

Topics: Literature: American.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Research changes in the geography of Boston since the Parkman-Webster murder trial. Explore our ability to investigate accuracy of historical events by searching well-known paintings, films or stories for inaccurate information.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies, The Arts

Topics: Literature: American. Journalism. United States History: 1801-1861. Visual Arts.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Conduct a mock version of the final part of the trial, preparing summations for a jury and predicting jury reactions. Research the detective fiction of Edgar Allen Poe and write a fictional detective story of the Harvard murder case in his style.

Grade Level: 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies

Topics: Literature: American. Writing: Composition. Civics: Civil and Human Rights. United States History: 1801-1861.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Report the events of the Battle of Lexington and Concord through the eyes of a present-day journalist, using visual aids such as maps. Illustrate a poem immortalizing Paul Revere's famous ride.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies

Topics: Journalism. Literature: American. United States History: 1754-1820s.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: Concepts Across the Curriculum

Examine poems written by different authors. Write poems that describe ideas, observations or memories of an event or experience.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts

Topics: Literature: American. Writing: Composition.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Identify 15 inaccuracies in a narrative of Walt Whitman's life. Rewrite the paragraph, correcting the misinformation.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies

Topics: Literature: American. Poetry and Poets. United States History: 1850-1877.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Explore the evolution of Whitman's poetry through a comparison of four specific poems, each added to one of the four printings of Leaves of Grass. Consider contemporary events that influenced each poem's mood and theme.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts, Social Studies

Topics: Critical Thinking Skills. Literature: American. Poetry and Poets. United States History: 1850-1877.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project

Source: American Experience

Research and report on the lives and works of 19th-century poets and compare their poems to those written by Walt Whitman.

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12

Subjects: Reading & Language Arts

Topics: Critical Thinking Skills. Literature: American. Poetry and Poets.

Resource Type: Offline Activity/Project