Teacher-Created Lesson Plans
Feel free to browse the following lesson plans created by teachers for teachers. They are organized by subject. Credit has been given to the wonderful teachers that contributed.
Check back often for more lesson plans and classroom activity ideas!
Social Studies/Cold War
Winston Churchill's Iron Curtain Speech and the Cold War
Created by: Mary Laurentius
Grade Level: 6th
Lesson Objectives:
- By the end of the lesson students will be able to place events of the Cold War in chronological order.
- They will be able to describe how events of the Cold War were related.
- Students will be able to identify countries and cities located in communist vs. non-communist areas.
- Students will be able to describe leadership traits possessed by different leaders at the time.
- They will explain how Winston Churchill's background impacted his future leadership skills.
The Cold War-It's Origins & History from 1945-1991
Created by: George Plokorus
Grade Level: 9th-12th
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will understand the status of the world as described by Winston Churchill in his 1946 speech the "Sinews of Peace". The overall objective is to determine if Churchill influenced the beginnings of the Cold War policies which began from 1946-1950.
- Accomplish a thorough review of the Sinews of Peace Speech by Winston Churchill, to enable each student to become familiar with the ideas expressed by Churchill on the condition of the world at the end of WWII; the threats that faced the world; and what must be done to prevent the scourge of war as the world suffered from 1939-1945.
- Each student will be assigned a group and a portion of Churchill's speech to review. Each group will summarize to the class the important opinions contained in their portion of the speech. The instructor will summarize findings of each group on a visual aid to assist the class. (Student worksheets provided).
- Each student will prepare a summation of the problems and solutions proposed by Churchill that would insure peace and promote democracy in the world. Secondly, each student will list possible cold war actions, between 1946-1950, that could have been influenced by Churchill's opinions.
The Era of the Iron Curtain
Created by Melissa Quint and Alicia Walker, Park Hill South High School
Lesson Objectives
- Identify the major causes and effects of the Cold War
- Compare and contrast the speeches of Reagan and Churchill concerning the Cold War and its outcomes
- Create a timeline of the major events and time periods of the Cold War
PowerPoint presentation to accompany lesson
The Era of the Iron Curtain For College classes and All Field Trips
Created by Melissa Quint and Alicia Walker, Park Hill South High School
Revised by Mandy Plybon, Education and Public Programs Coordinator, National Churchill Museum
Lesson Objectives
- Identify the major causes and effects of the Cold War
- Compare and contrast the speeches of Reagan and Churchill concerning the Cold War and its outcomes
Social Studies/Geography
Where the Iron Curtain Drops
Created by: Lyndsey Bittle
Grade Level: 5th and 6th
Lesson Objectives:
Students will be able to:
- List 3 political orientations that divided Europe.
- Locate the nations on a map that were referenced in Churchill's "Iron Curtain" speech.
- Apply skills to working with an atlas.
Drawing A Map
Created by: Chris Galvin
Grade Levels: 4th-8th
Lesson Objectives:
- Have students understand how to draw a map and show landmarks
Winston Churchill Timeline
Created by Hayley Christensen
Grade Level: 1st
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will identify Winston Churchill and be able to locate when and where he gave his speeches by organizing and designing a timeline and map.
Churchill Memorial Lesson Plan
Created by Vanessa Lauterwasser
Grade Level: 7th
Lesson Objectives:
- To identify 5 main battles and events of WWII.
- Have students write a research paper.
- Create an accurate map.
- Compare and contrast 6 major events of WWII.
- Learn about the past and formulate an opinion about the events of WWII.
Churchill and the Places he Went
Created by Meaghan Barron
Grade Level: 4th
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will describe where Churchill was and why he was there.
- Students will transfer the places Churchill visited to a map.
- Students will create a timeline of Churchill's visit using the map, plotting the points, and connecting them in the correct order.
Missouri Unit for 4th Grade
Created by Pamela Rooney, Thomas B. Chinn Elementary School
Lesson Objectives
- To introduce students to people and places in Missouri
- Students will understand the importance of Winston Churchill and his visit to Missouri.
Creative Activity: Sir Winston Churchill Bobble Head
Walls Are a Part of Life
Created by Tina Shaginaw, Lafayette High School
Lesson Objectives
To introduce students to different cultural barriers
- Students will compare and contrast the Berlin Wall to modern-day Iraq.
- Students will understand the importance of using primary sources.
- Students will apply their knowledge of 20th century wars to discuss governmental systems, types of leaders, and styles of leadership.
- Students will understand the differences between fact and opinion, bias and points of view.
PowerPoint presentation to accompany lesson
Social Studies/World History
Leadership Qualities of Winston Churchill and Ulysses S. Grant
Created by: Nancy Muller, St. Peter School, Kirkwood, MO
Grade Level: 8th
Lesson Objectives:
- By the end of this lesson students will be able to compare the leadership qualities of Churchill and Grant.
- Students will create an essay comparing the two men.
Churchill's Leadership in WWII
Created by: David Gale
Grade Level: 9th-12th
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will identify key leaders in WWII.
- Students will complete a project that supports Winston Churchill's leadership during WWII by naming him the first inductee into a WWII Hall of Fame.
- Students will compare Churchill's leadership in WWII to other leaders of the war by contrasting their contributions with Churchill's.
- Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of WWII and identifying the key players of the war while explaining their challenges or accomplishments.
Winston Churchill and the Berlin Wall
Created by: Monte Gibbs
Grade Level: High School (9-12)
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will be able to understand that period in History and the feelings of individuals around the world when the Berlin wall fell.
President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill
Created by: Ashley Coffman
Grade Level: 8th-9th
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will be learning about President Roosevelt and Winston Churchill while looking at documents in which they were involved.
- The students will look at the New Deal Network and compare and contrast the Atlantic Charter and the Fourteen Points Speech.
- Afterwards we will visit the Churchill Museum.
Conference at Yalta
Created by Derek Frieling, Lafayette High School
Lesson Objectives
- Students will understand how a world leader gathers evidence from his experiences and uses it to help shape the world's future.
- Students will be able to evaluate problem-solving processes, consequences of actions, and effectiveness of solutions
- Students will identify, research, and defend a point of view/position
Expression of the Four Freedoms: Inspiration and Art
Created by Sandra Cordes-Vaughan, The Sage School, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Grade Level: 7, 8, and above
Lesson Objectives
- Students will develop an appreciation of the trauma of the Depression through appeal to emotion.
- Students will continue to recognize the importance of primary source documents in the study of history.
- Students will apply their understanding of the era to its influence on an artist of the day and its timeliness and continuing influence on contemporary artists.
Cultural Studies
Winston in Words and Pictures
Created by: Bridget Overton
Grade Level: 5
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will be able to learn more about Winston Churchill and the remarkable life that he led.
Exploring Rationing Cards
Created by: Brittany Noroian
Grade Level: 5th
Lesson Objectives:
- Based off the rationing system from World War II, students will create their own rationing cards for what they consume.
- Students will be able to communicate what they have learned about rationing cards and people in World War II.
Your Piece of Time
Created by Jacquie Sanders
Grade Level: 4th
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will identify and analyze appropriate resources, within the National Churchill Museum, as defined by Missouri Grade Level Expectations.
- Students will compare resources from the WWII period with present day resources.
- Students will employ techniques, language, styles, and ideas from resources in the National Churchill Museum as a model or base from which to create their own resource and tell their own story.
An Introduction to Winston Churchill
Created by Bryan Blomenkamp, Marissa Jr/Sr High School and George Haldaman, Mascoutah High School
Lesson Objectives
- Students will understand the importance of Winston Churchill and his visit to Missouri.
- Students will learn and understand the importance of using primary sources.
Language Arts/Communication Arts
Teaching Winston Churchill
Created by: Steve Welch
Grade Level: 11, 12
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will understand Winston Churchill's era through music and lyrics.
Winston Churchill: Political Philosophy Through Maxims
Created by Carl Florczyk, Freeburg High School and Katie Florczyk, Breese Central Community High School
Lesson Objectives
- Students will understand the term maxim and understand its importance in persuasive writing and oration.
- Students will understand the importance of using primary sources.
- Students will understand the beliefs and ideals of Churchill and the impact that it had on his political decisions
- Students will then apply similar philosophical principles to current world events (i.e. - War in Iraq)
Expression of the Four Freedoms: Inspiration and Art
Created by Sandra Cordes-Vaughan, The Sage School, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Grade Level: 7, 8, and above
Lesson Objectives
- Students will develop an appreciation of the trauma of the Depression through appeal to emotion.
- Students will continue to recognize the importance of primary source documents in the study of history.
- Students will apply their understanding of the era to its influence on an artist of the day and its timeliness and continuing influence on contemporary artists.
Fine Art
The Photograph as a Literary Text
Created by Wayne Zade
Grade Level: 10th and above
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will analyze the true meaning of photographs.
- They will develop and appreciation for how photographs can impact literary work.
- They will analyze the creative interactions between photographic works and literature.
Expression of the Four Freedoms: Inspiration and Art
Created by Sandra Cordes-Vaughan, The Sage School, Foxboro, Massachusetts
Grade Level: 7, 8, and above
Lesson Objectives
- Students will develop an appreciation of the trauma of the Depression through appeal to emotion.
- Students will continue to recognize the importance of primary source documents in the study of history.
- Students will apply their understanding of the era to its influence on an artist of the day and its timeliness and continuing influence on contemporary artists.
Social Studies/Science
Technology Scavenger Hunt
Created by: Corwin Ryck
Grade Level: 4th-5th
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will represent changes in technology between the years of 1912-1940 by means of Powerpoint, collage, or timeline.
Reading
Perseverance and Winston Churchill
Created by: Pickett Lema, EdD, Pattonville School District
Grade Level: 4th-6th
Lesson Objectives:
- Students will understand and analyze concepts related to "perseverance".
- Students will comprehend and analyze text to understand and relate text to self and text to world.