History Lesson Plans

The Opper Project, Using Editorial Cartoons in the Classroom - These standards-based, teacher-created, primary source lessons are based on editorial cartoons covering more than a century of American history.

The Opper Project, Using Editorial Cartoons in the Classroom: These standards-based, teacher-created, primary source lessons are based on editorial cartoons covering more than a century of American history.

Teaching History with Historic Clothing Artifacts

Teaching History with Historic Clothing Artifacts: The History Teaching Institute in conjunction with The Ohio State University Historic Costume & Textiles Collection provides lesson plans to teach history using historical clothing artifacts.

Cold Cases: Lessons in Historical Skills and Methods

Cold Cases: Lessons in Historical Skills and Methods: These standards-based, teacher-created, primary source lessons feature primary source materials from the Byrd Polar Research Center archives at Ohio State—all organized around the theme of polar exploration.

United States History

United States History Lesson Plans: Here you will find a variety of lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school grades. Most of these use primary sources, and all were prepared by teachers.

The Great War in Global Context

The Great War in Global Context includes teacher created lesson plans, bibliography, and links to online resources that address the military, diplomatic, political, and cultural aspects of World War I.

Women students at Ohio State, 1890Ohio Chautauqua 2007: World War II

World War II Lesson Plans were created by participants at a summer institute for educators (Ohio Chautauqua).

The Scientific Revolution

The Scientific Revolution: These lesson plans examine science, society, and culture from the 16th to the 18th centuries.

Ohio Chautauqua 2008: Inventors and Innovators

Inventors and Innovators Lesson Plans were created by educators at a summer institute (Ohio Chautauqua).

European History, 1450 - Present

European History, 1450 - Present: These lesson plans include several primary-source based lessons.

Central Asia in World History

Central Asia in World History: These are lesson plans in World History, World History AP, Geography, Family and Consumer Science, English, Journalism, Media Studies, and Global Studies for teaching Central Asia in World History.

Back to History: American History Lesson Plans

Back to History: American History Lesson Plans created by educators

Back to History: American History Primary Source Activities

Back to History: American History Primary Source Activities created by educators

Current Events Lesson Plans

Lesson Plans Based on Current Events: These lesson plans are related to content from the "Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective" web site.

The Holocaust

The purpose of this lesson plan is to place a human face on the Holocaust, by focusing on survivor's testimony, letters and journals from survivors and those who were killed, and poetry.

The French Revolution

This lesson plan focuses on the French Revolution and how it challenged political, social and cultural norms in European society.

Current Events Lesson Plans

This lesson plan addresses the effect the Industrial Revolution had on people and industry.

American History

These lesson plans focus on American history and integrate a variety of primary sources.


The Slavic Center at Ohio State University also has many K12 teacher resources, including some online teaching modules by some of our History Department faculty and graduate students. Check out their website here.

Direct links to the online teaching modules: