World History Lesson Plans

World History
Lesson Plans and Resources

This page was scanned for broken links and updated on 12-18-2023
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Go to U.S. history lesson plans.
 

 


Site Index: Collections of World History Lesson Plans, World History Resources, Prehistory, Ancient History, Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation, Age of ExplorationEuropean History,
Canadian History, Mexican/Latin American History, African History, Middle Eastern History, Australian and New Zealand History, Asian History.

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Collections of World History Lesson Plans
HistorySimulation.com
Engaging and interactive lesson plans. History simulations for the American Civil War, Imperialism, World War One, World War Two, the Cold War, and more!

World History
Many lesson plans from PBS


World History for Us All
An entire curriculum from UCLA.

Middle School World History and Geography

Free lesson plans, worksheets, activities, Power Points, and notes from a middle school social studies teacher.


World History Lessons
More than 20 lesson plans from the Stanford History Education Group.

AP World History Course Home Page
Many resources including "lesson plans and teaching strategies from your AP colleagues."

Global Issues
Lesson plans from the N.Y. Times.

World History for Teachers
Scroll down the page to find lesson plans and activities, including many created by Mr. Donn.

World History Lesson Plans
From TeAchnology.

Women in World History Curriculum
Biographies, reviews of classroom resources on women's history, and 7 lesson plans.

World History Resources for Teachers
Teaching World History: An Idea Guide
From Teaching History.

World History Archives
A collection of online documents.

Teach with Movies
Information for creating world history lesson plans using movies and film.

Historyteachers.net
All sorts of resources and information.

World History Sources
From George-Mason University

Prehistory Lesson Plans and Resources
Prehistory Internet Links
Links to sites related to the stone age.

The Old Stone Age and The New Stone Age
A 6th-grade lesson plan.

Stone Age
A 1st-grade lesson plan.

Ancient Cliff Dwellers
A lesson plan from Reading a-z.com using this book about the people who inhabited the area that is now Mesa Verde National Park from prehistoric times to the present.

Cave Art: Discovering Prehistoric Humans through Pictures
A K-2 lesson plan from Edsitement.

Prehistoric Native American Lesson Plan: Pottery-Making Methods
A lesson plan for grades 3-12 from the Illinois State Museum.

Pastel and Charcoal Cave Painting
A lesson plan for grades 7-12.

Neanderthal
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Discovery Education. See also The Life and Culture of  Neanderthal Humans,

Hunting and Gathering: Finding Evidence about Neanderthals,
A lesson plan from the NY Times. See also The Human Spark and Modern Family.


Migration Theories
Lesson ideas and background information regarding the land-bridge and coastal-route theories. For similar lesson plans, go to
Earliest Americans and Their Environments. For background information, go to Jeffers Petroglyph Site and Lake Agassiz: The Ultimate Fishing Spot?

Investigating Human Descent: Formulating Explanations and Models
A lesson plan for grades 9-12 investigating the misconception that humans evolved from apes.

How Did Humans Evolve?
A teacher's guide from PBS.

Human Evolution
A high school lesson plan from Discovery Education examining the evolution of the human species.


What Does It Mean to be Human?
Lesson  plans on human evolution from the Smithsonian.

Prehistoric Climate Change and Why It Matters
A high-quality lesson plan from Smithsonian Education.


Mammoth Mystery
An interactive resource Wisconsin Historical Society.

"Ardi" Lesson Plan (Ardipithecus Ramidus)
A lesson plan for grades 7-8 that introduces students to the discovery of genus Ardipithecus, and to common terms used when discussing prehistory and early humans.
 



Ancient History Lesson Plans and Resources
Bring Ancient History to Life!
Five lesson plans from Education World.

The Ancient World
Five lesson plans from Thirteen Ed Online.

Ancient History Lesson Plans
Four lesson plans from Time Maps.

Ancient Civilizations Lessons
Lesson plans and more from Pinterest. Membership is required to view all content, but it's free.

Mr. Donn's Ancient History
Great source for lesson plans on many topics related to ancient history.

Ancient Times
A K-5 lesson plan from Discovery Education.

Internet Ancient History Sourcebook
Great source containing hundreds of local files as well as links to source texts throughout the net.

The Role of Women in Ancient Mesopotamia
A lesson plan from The University of Chicago. See also Migration into Ancient Mesopotamia: A Mapping Lesson and The Question of Identity: Ethnicity, Religion, and gender, before Islam - Mesopatamia.

The Cuneiform Writing System in Ancient Mesopotamia: Emergence and Evolution
An elaborate lesson plan from EDSITEment.

Power in Ancient Mesopotamia
Am elementary/middle grade lesson plan from the metropolitan Art Museum.

Life in Babylonia: The Importance of Trade
A high-quality lesson plan from EDSITEment. See also Hammurabi's Code: What Does It Tell Us About Old Babylonia?

Laws and Government: Hammurabi's Code
A 7th-grade lesson plan from Learn NC.

Ancient Babylonia History Lesson
For grades 5/6.

Ancient Canaan: The Exodus and Babylonia
A middle school lesson plan.

Ancient Persia
A teacher's guide from Kid's Discover.

Ancient Persian Empire for Kids and Teachers
From Mr. Donn.

Classical Greece: Battle of Marathon 490 BCE
A lesson plan for grades 11-12.

Daily Life in Ancient Greece
Learn about life in ancient Greece.

Reflections of Ancient Greece
A K-5 lesson plan from Discovery Education.

Daily Life in Ancient Rome
Find out what the ancient Romans did all day!

Ancient Rome for Kids and Teachers
From the authors of the above site.

The Roman Empire in the First Century
Eight lesson plans from PBS.

Ancient Rome
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Discovery Education. See also Rome's Influence for another middle-grade lesson plan.

Ancient China for Kids
More from Mr. Donn.

Six Paths to China
Web-based activities for learning and teaching about ancient China.

Egyptian Symbols and Figures: Scroll Paintings
A K-2 lesson plan from Edsitement. See also Egyptian Symbols and Figures: Hieroglyphs.

Egypt's Pyramids: Monuments with a Message
Another elementary lesson plan from Edsitement.

The Hidden History of Egypt
A lesson plan fro grades 6-8 from Discovery Education.  See also Daily Life in Ancient Egypt.

Neferchichi's Tomb
Lesson plans and information on ancient Egypt, including Hieroglyphic Writing.

Guardian's Egypt
Take a cyber tour, print a map, learn about the Sphinx, etc.

The Story of India
Five lesson plans for AP high school students from PBS. The lessons plans cover ancient to modern times.  See also Daily Life in Ancient India.

Aztec Mythology
A unit for grades 4-5.

Aztec Codex
A 7th-grade lesson plan in which students learn about and demonstrate an understanding of Aztec culture by making a replica of an Aztec codex.

A Classical Mayan News Report
A high school lesson plan in which students learn about Mayan city-states and what archaeologists can tell us about an ancient civilization. See also Daily Life in the Maya Empire.

Discovering the Maya of Yesterday
An interdisciplinary unit for grades 5-8.

Collapse: Why Do Civilizations Fall?
Interesting lesson plan on the fall of ancient civilizations.

Middle Ages Lesson Plans and Resources
The Middle Ages
Twelve activities from Education world.


Medieval
Eleven lesson plans from the Stanford History Education Group's Reading Like a Historian curriculum.

Dark Ages
One lesson plan from the above source.   

Middle Ages for Teachers
A long list of lesson plans and units from Mr. Donn's pages.

Middle Ages
A K-5 lesson plan from Discovery Education.

Not Everyone Lived in Castles During the Middle Ages
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 from Edsitement.

Medieval Europe
A unit for the grade 4.

Mythical, Magical, Magical Middle Ages . . . Not!
A 4th-grade unit from Core Knowledge. See also Gargoyles, Black Death, and Scary Music, Europe in the Middle Ages, and Feudalism for other 4th-grade units from this organization.

From Medieval Times to Today
A lesson plan for grades K-8 from Discovery Education.

Medieval Life: Squires, Maidens and Peasants
An elaborate 7th-grade unit from Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute.  

Medieval Plainchant
A 7th-grade lesson plan in which students learn about the contributions of medieval composer Hildegard of Bingen and about the characteristics of plainchant.

Marker Medieval Tessellations
A middle school lesson plan from the Incredible Art Department.

Where in the World is Camelot?
A high school lesson plan.

Feudalism
A WebQuest.

The Great Schism in the Medieval Church
A high school lesson plan from Hub Pages.

East Meets West: Effects of the Crusades
Another 7th-grade lesson plan.
See also Letters from the Crusades.  

The Path of the Black Death
A high school lesson plan.

Be a Viking!
A 3rd-grade lesson plan.

Leif Ericsson (Leif "the Lucky") an Unsung Discoverer
One more 3rd-grade unit from Core Knowledge.

The Vikings: Sea Raiders, Land Raiders
A lesson plan for grades 6-8. See also Viking Discoveries for a high school lesson plan from this same source.

BBC-Vikings-Lesson Plans
"Six learner guides, 16 classroom videos."

Early and Medieval African Kingdoms
A 4th-grade unit.

Medieval China: How to Put Some "Tang" in Your Medieval Dynasties
A 4th-grade lesson plan from Core Knowledge.

The Role of Women in East Asia in the Middle Ages
A 7th-grade lesson plan from the USC US-China Institute. See many their other lesson plans.

Tradition, Religion, and Culture in Medieval Japan   
An elaborate unit from the above source.

On the Road with Marco Polo
An eight-lesson unit for grades 3-5.

Genghis Khan
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Scholastic.


Renaissance Lesson Plans and Resources
The Scientific Revolution: Science & Society from the Renaissance to the Early Enlightenmen
t
Many lesson plans for various grade levels from
the History Teaching Institute at The Ohio State University.

The Renaissance: Rebirth of Ideas
A 5th-grade unit.

The Renaissance:
A WebQuest on the Time Period and Its Art

Four Armed Men from the Renaissance
A unit for grades 5-6.

Leonardo da Vinci: Creative Genius
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from EDSITEment.

Leonardo da Vinci Activity
A multidisciplinary lesson plan for grades 6-8.

Reformation Lesson Plans and Resources
The Ideas and Ideals of Man, From the Renaissance to the Reformation
An extensive unit from The Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. See also The Protestant Reformation and The Catholic Reformation.  

The Reformation
A 5th-grade unit from Core Knowledge. See also The Reformation: Revolt and Redirection for another 5th-grade unit.

Introduction to the Reformation
A 9th-grade lesson plan. See also Martin Luther, the Reformation.

Martin Luther
A lesson plan from
the Stanford History Education Group's Reading Like a Historian curriculum.

Simulation of the Trial of Martin Luther
An AP history activity.

Age of Exploration
Land Ho: Early Exploration and Settlement of the Americas
A 1st-grade unit in pdf format. See also Columbus and the Conquistadors.

Columbus Day or Indigenous People's Day?
A high school lesson plan.

1492: An Ongoing Voyage
An on-line exhibit from the Library of Congress. See also Exploration and Explorers for more lesson plans from the Library of Congress.

New World Explorers
Lesson plans and activities from Mr. Donn. Scroll down the page for teacher resources.

What Was Columbus Thinking?
A lesson plan from EDSITEment in which students read excerpts from Columbus's letters and journals, as well as well as recent considerations of his achievements to learn about the motivations behind Columbus's explorations, his reactions to what he found, and the consequences, intended and unintended, of his endeavor. See also
Other Worlds: The Voyage of Columbus.

Explorers
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 focusing on
Dutch, French, Spanish, and English explorations on the east coast of North America during the 1500’s and 1600’s.

Vikings in Vinland
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 from the NY Times Learning Network. See also Discovery Channels.

Leif Ericsson (Leif "the Lucky") an Unsung Discoverer
A 3rd-grade unit from Core Knowledge.

Viking Discoveries
A high school lesson plan from Discovery Education.

Who Really Discovered the Americas?
A 5th-grade lesson plan.

Evaluating the Validity of Information -  Did the Chinese Discover America in 1421?
A lesson plan for grades 6-8.
 



European History Lesson Plans and Resources
Lesson Plans for AP European History
Ten lesson plans from AP Central.


European History, 1450 - Present
Several lesson plans organized by topic from
the History Teaching Institute at The Ohio State University.

Simulation of the Trial of Martin Luther
An AP history activity, but not from the above site.

Martin Luther
A lesson plan from
the Stanford History Education Group's Reading Like a Historian curriculum.

Where in the World is Camelot?
A high school lesson plan. See also King Arthur's Family Tree for another high school lesson plan using the Internet.

The Scientific Revolution: Science & Society from the Renaissance to the Early Enlightenmen
t
Many lesson plans for various grade levels from
the History Teaching Institute at The Ohio State University. Scroll up the page for other lesson plans about the Renaissance and Reformation.

Industrial Revolution
A high-quality lesson plan on the Industrial Revolution in England.

The Victorians
From Teaching Ideas.

Victorian Web
The ultimate source for anything and everything Victorian, including history, religion, philosophy, science, and literature.

Witnesses to Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years' War
A high school lesson plan from Edsitement.

Is Freedom Really Free? A Closer Look at the French Revolution
A 6th-grade unit in pdf formant from Core Knowledge.

Marie Antoinette and the French Revolution
A high school lesson plan from PBS.

The French Revolution: "Those who have and those who have not"
A 9th-grade lesson plan from LearnNC.

French Revolution
An Internet-based secondary lesson plan from the History Teaching Institute at Ohio State.

Napeleon Becomes a Man of Destiny
A lesson plan for grades 7-12 using the PBS video.   

Napolean
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Discovery Education. See also Napoleonic Guide: The Trial of  Napoleon Bonaparte.

Causes of WWI
A 6th-grade lesson plan.

World War I and Its Aftermath
A high school lesson plan from the Discovery Education. For more information on World War I, go to World War 1.com, Also take a look at the WWI Document Archive.  

The Great War: Evaluating the Treaty of Versailles
A secondary lesson plan from Edsitement. See also Treaty of Versailles Simulation.

German History - All Facts and Events
A very good resource. See also Who Wants to Be A German Historian? for a German history quiz.

Claiming Responsibility: Understanding the Rise and Popularity of Hitler
A lesson plan from the NY Times.

Holocaust Lesson Plans and Resources
Many lesson plans from my U.S. history page including the Holocaust Teacher Resource Center Lesson plans.

Documents Related to Churchill and FDR
A lesson plan from the National Archives and Records Administration.  

World War II
A high school lesson plan in which students research daily life for women in Britain, the U.S., or Germany during the war.

Victory and the New Order in Europe
A high school lesson plan.

The Nuremberg Trials
A lesson plan from the Truman Library.

The Marshall Plan: Teaching with Primary Sources
A lesson plan from PBS. See also Marshall Plan Oral Histories and Marshall Plan: Convince the American. People,

The Origins of the Cold War: 1945 -1949
Three lesson plans from Edsitement including the Formation of the Western Alliance, 1948-1949.

Berlin Airlift
Eleven lesson plans from the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.

The Cold War

A lesson plan from the Stanford History Education Group. See also How to Teach . . . the Cold War

Making the History of 1989: The Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe
Many resources including teaching modules.

The Berlin Wall

A "Simulation for the Social Studies Classroom." See also The Fall of the Berlin Wall 1989.


From Concrete to Memory: Scrapbooking the Berlin Wall
A lesson plan from the NY Times. See also Chronicle of the Berlin Wall.

Forced to Flee: Famine and Plague
A lesson plan about the Irish Potato famine for grades 6-8. 

Russian Revolution: The Fate of the Romanovs
A high school lesson plan from Discovery Education.

Joseph Stalin and the Industrialization of the USSR
Background information, a timeline, and a worksheet.

The Inquisition: Looking into the Human Soul
A great deal of information and teaching activities from the Constitutional Rights Foundation.

Spanish Armada: God Blew and They Were Scattered
A lesson plan based on original documents.

Canadian History Lesson Plans
The Canadian Social Studies Super Site
This annotated list of web sites for Canadian social studies teachers should also be useful for U.S. teachers and students.

Historica Canada
Another site with many lesson plans.

Black History in Canada
An Education Guide from the above site.

Canada's History
One more Canadian site with a large collection of lesson plans.
   
Canada: A People's History
Teacher resources for grades 5-9 from the CBC. See also their Elementary School Resources.

Specific Resources for Teaching Canadian History
From the History Education Network.

Teaching Canada
Instructional resources from the University of Maine.

Canadian History from a First Nations Perspective
A unit plan for grade 10.


Canadian and American Tension
A 7th-grade lesson plan about relations between Canada and the U.S. during the War of 1812.


Mexican/Latin American History Lesson Plans

A Classical Mayan News Report
A high school lesson plan in which students learn about Mayan city-states and what archaeologists can tell us about an ancient civilization.

Maya Empire for Kids -  Daily Life

A great deal of information from Mr. Donn.

The Aztecs - Mighty Warriors of Mexico
A lesson plan for grades 3-5, also from Edsitement.

Colonial Mexico
Great site for information on 19th century Mexico, also from Mr. Donn. See also MexConnect - History & People for a wealth of information.

Mexico
Links to lesson plans, games an activiies.

Mexican History Lesson: Cinco de Mayo
A lesson plan for grades 3-5.

Mexican-American War
An educator guide from National Geographic.

The Monroe Doctrine: President Monroe and the Independence Movement in South America
A high school lesson plan from Edsitement.

Mexican Culture and History through Its Holidays
One lesson plan for grades 6-8 from the above site.

Latin American Studies
Curriculum materials form the University of Arizona.

Flags of Latin America
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Discovery Education.  

Teaching About Haiti
Teaching ideas from Teaching for Change.

Caribbean Migration
Five high school lesson plans.

The Heritage of Cuba and Puerto Rico
A four-lesson unit. See also Puerto Rico . . . Its Land, History, Culture, and Literature.

U.S.-Cuba Relations
A high school lesson plan from Discovery School.

Cuban Exile and Immigration
A lesson plan for high school students..

The Missiles of October: Cuban Missile Crisis - 1962
A high school lesson plan from Edsitement.

Dividing the Spoils: Portugal and Spain in South America
A secondary unit.


Brazilian Culture through Music
A 5th-grade unit.

Peru History
A KWHL lesson plan. See also Peru lessons.

The Way to Venezuela
A lesson plan for grades 6-12 that
examines Venezuelan culture, politics, history and current events.

African History Lesson Plans
Early African Kingdoms
A high school lesson plan. See also Kingdoms of Ancient and Medieval Africa.

Trekking to Timbuktu: Trade in Ancient West Africa
A lesson plan for grades 6-8.

What is Currency? Lessons from Historic Africa
Three lesson plans for grades 3-8.

Atlantic Slave Trade
Five activities. See also Voyages Slave Trade Lesson Plans and
Economy vs. Humanity: Exploring the Triangle Trade and The Middle Passage.


Following the Slave Trade Route

Teacher's resources with lesson plans, units, study guides, and research projects. See also Museum of the African Diaspora.

Anglo-Zulu War 1879

An excellent resource.

South Africa after 10 Years of Freedom
A lesson plan from PBS.

Remembering Nelson Mandela
Lesson plans from PBS. See also Twelve Disciples of Nelson Mandela and From Rebel to Statesman: Teaching about the Life of Nelson Mandela.

South Africa's Desmond Tutu
An intermediate-grade lesson plan on this famous South African.

Living Pictures Representing the History of Black Dance
A middle school unit with five lesson plans.


Middle Eastern History Lesson Plans
Center for Middle Eastern Studies
An alphabetical index of their many lesson plans.

Teaching the Middle East
A resource for educators from the University of Chicago offering teaching modules and lesson plans for grades 9-12.

The Golden Age of Islam
One module from the above resource.

Exploring the Middle East - Hands-On Approaches
Three lesson plans developed during the 2002 Yale-New Have Teachers Institute.

The U.S Recognition of the State of Israel
An excellent lesson plan using historical documents available from the National Archives.

Middle East WebQuest
See also Modern Middle East WebQuest.

Peace in the Middle East
A lesson plan from the World Peace Society.

Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: Classroom Simulation
An excellent 7th-grade activity.

Israel and Palestine: Roots of the Conflict
A high school unit.

Iran Hostage Crisis
A high school lesson plan.

Iraq War: 10 Years Later
A high school lesson plan from PBS. See also The Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq: Teaching resources and Essential Questions.


Desert Dwellers
A high school lesson plan from Discovery School.


A lesson plan from The Choices Program. See also From Spring to Winter: Explaining the Egypt Elections.

The ISIS Threat: Teaching about the Complex War Raging in Iraq and Syria
Teaching ideas from the NY Times. See also ISIS: A New Threat, ISIS (PBS), and ISIS/ISIL/ Islamic State Resources.

Teaching about the Syrian Refugee Crisis
See also I Am Syria (Teacher's Guide and Toolkit).


Australia and New Zealand History
Australian Aboriginal Art and Storytelling
A lesson plan for grades 3-5 from EDSITEment.

Australian History
Many lesson plans and resources.

Australian Convicts Lesson
One lesson plan from the above source.

Historical Enquiry - Transportation to Australia
Two lesson plans and a worksheet from the U.K.


New Zealand History Online
Activities for all grade levels from NZ History.

Asian History Lesson Plans and Resources
Feudal Japan and the Geography of Japan
A 5th-grade lesson plan.

Early/Medieval Japan
From the USC US-China  Institute. You will have to open the lesson plan as a docx.

Life in the Floating World: Ukiyo-e Prints and the Rise of the Merchant Class in Edo Period Japan
A high school lesson plan from Edsitement.

 Lesson plans about Japan
Many lesson plan from the
National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. Scroll down the page to find their history lesson plans.

History of Japan.
Links to many resources.


Chinese Inventions
An elementary-grade lesson plan.

Following the Great Wall of China
A middle-grade lesson plan from Edsitement.

Medieval China: How to Put Some "Tang" in Your Medieval Dynasties
A 4th-grade lesson plan from Core Knowledge.

Lesson plans on China
Many lesson plans from the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. Scroll down the page to find the history lesson plans.

China's Cultural Revolution

A lesson plan from the Stanford History Education Group. See also Chinese Propaganda During the Cultural Revolution.

Marco Polo Takes a Trip
A k-2 lesson plan from Edsitement. See also On the Road with Marco Polo for an elementary-grade unit.

Genghis Khan
A lesson plan for grades 6-8 from Scholastic.

Trade Along the Silk Roads
An interdisciplinary lesson plan for grades 6-12. See also Treasures Along the Silk Roads for a secondary lesson.

Korean History
Many lesson plans by time period from the Korea Society.

Lesson Plans on Korea
Many lesson plans organized by topic from National Consortium for Teaching about Asia. Scroll down the page to find history lessons.

Picturing Vietnam
A 7th-grade lesson plan
lesson plan "intended to introduce students to Vietnam’s geography, climate, culture, history, natural history, arts, economics, and government."

Vietnam War Lesson Plans

Many lesson plans from my U.S. History Page.


Angkor What? Angkor Wat!

A middle school lesson plan in which students learn about Angkor Wat and its place in Cambodian and Southeast Asian history.

Thematic Units/Lessons (India)

Many lesson plans from the Teach India Project.

The Story of India
Lesson plans from PBS covering ancient to modern times.

India Partition
A lesson plan from the Stanford History Education Group. See their other World History Lessons.

Kashmir in the Crossfire
A lesson plan from the NY Times.

Mohandas Gandhi: The Art of Nonviolence
A high school unit.

Lessons of the Indian Epics: Following the Dharma
A high school lesson plan.


 

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Please let me know if you find a link on this site that no longer functions. My name is
Edmund J. Sass, Ed.D.
You can reach me at
esass@csbsju.edu