MrDonn.org - Western Hemisphere Countries, Cultures, Lesson Plans Illustration

Western Hemisphere
Free Lesson Plans, Games, Presentations

Western Hemisphere

Lesson Plans, Activities, Learning Modules, and PowerPoints
written by us

We hope you'll find something you can use!


  1. Colonial Mexico - Learning Module

  2. Daily Life in Ancient Civilizations - Incas, Mayas, Aztecs

  3. Native Americans in Olden Times

  4. The Incredible Incas for Kids

  5. The Mysterious Mayas for Kids

  6. The Awesome Aztecs for Kids

  7. Presentations in PowerPoint format:

    Native Americans
    The Hero Twins (Mayas)
    The Invisible Warrior (Woodland Indians, A Cinderella Story)
    Wise Owl (Northeast Woodland Indians, an Iroquois Myth)
    Clever Coyote (Plains Indians, a Buffalo Story)
    Child of Water & Little Blue Rock (Southwest Indians, An Apache Myth)
    How Raven Stole Crow's Potlatch (NW Pacific Indians)

    US Holidays
    Kwanzaa (African American)
    Groundhog Day (Ancient Superstitions)
    April Fool's Day
    More

  8. WW2 - The US Home Front (unit index)
    Conducting Oral Histories
    Where were you on December 7, 1941
    Symbols of the Home Front
    Ration Books, Victory Gardens, Junk Rallies
    The Ration Stamp Game
    Walking Home (original short story, written by Lin Donn)

    WW2 - Leaders in the News
    WW2 - Headlines in the News
    WW2 - More Lesson Ideas - Neutrality, National Interest, Hiroshima


US History & American Government


  1. Native Americans for Kids - See details on Mrs. Donn's special section below, or click here to reach the section index. These are free learning modules for kids with readings, games, activities, and clipart. It includes Native Americans in South & Central American and North American.

  2. Supreme Court Landmark Cases - Plessy v. Ferguson - Mr. Donn's lesson plan

  3. Civil War: Letters from the Civil War - Our lesson plan with 3 primary document handouts of letters written during the Civil War. (We have the originals.)

  4. Progressive Party - La Follette Platform - Mr. Donn's lesson plan

  5. The Great Depression - FDR's Fireside Chats - Mr. Donn's lesson Plan

  6. Great Depression - Music of the Great Depression - Mr. Donn's lLesson Plan

  7. 1930's Life on the Farm during the Great Depression - Learning Modules. Not everyone felt the effects of the depression in the same manner. People who had little to begin with had always coped. These short stories share the daily life and adventures of one such family, and the success they achieved with a mere seven acres of land in the 1930's. These are stories of the American way - where attitude is everything! Short stories written by Lin's author/artist Mom, Dorothy Jones Scalzo.

  8. World War II: The Home Front (5-7 days) World War II Mini-Unit with 7 handouts

  9. Civil Rights, Segregation, 1935 1945, 1955 (2-3 days) Lesson Plan with 3 handouts. This was truly a family effort. The lesson plan is Don's, supported by 2 original short stories - Back of the Bus and Welcome Home - written by Lin's author/artist mother, Dorothy Jones Scalzo, plus Lin's write-up on Rosa Parks & the Montgomery Bus Boycott. We hope it works as well in your classrooms as it did in ours.

  10. Symbols - Smokey the Bear & the Forestry Special Free Classroom Play, Free Smokey Bookmarks to make, Smokey Bear Radio Copy from the 1954 Campaign

  11. Visit the 1962 Seattle World's Fair - Mrs. Donn's Lesson Plan, Learning Module.

  12. Harlem Renaissance/ Poetry of Langston Hughes (3-4 days) Lesson plan


Mrs. Donn's Special Section:
Native Americans In Olden Times

Iroquois Nation
What was the job of the False Face Society? Who were the Three Sisters? What were the Snow Snake Games? Who was Hiawatha? What was the League of Nations? What was wampum? Read the story of Wise Owl

Ojibwa/Chippewa
Why did the Ojibwa hide pebbles in moccasins? What is a Charcoal Sad Face? How do you play Butterfly Hide and Seek? What is a Dream Catcher? See if you recognize this famous fairytale: The Invisible Warrior

Cherokee Nation
Why did the Cherokee Indians have a red chief and a white chief? What is a Booger Ceremony? Where is the Darkening Land? What is the Trail of Tears?

Seminole
What is the job of an animal spirit helper?
Why did the Seminole people hang baby cradles from the rafters of their homes? What are comfortables? Why were beads so important? Welcome to the Florida Everglade Seminole Indians in Olden Times.

Plains People
Why did the Plains people prefer tipis to houses?
Name 72 things the Plains people made from buffalo. Why do the elders still speak of Clever Coyote with gratitude? Why were horses called dogs? What were pictographs?

Sioux Nation
What could boys do when they reached their 10th birthday? What engagement present did the family of the bride receive? Why weren't kids given names when they were born? What did star quilts represent? What was the Seven Council Fires?

Anasazi/Pueblo/Hopi
Why did the Pueblo dig a hole in the middle of a secret underground room? Who are the giant Natackas? What are kachinas? How did the Pueblo get their name? Who are the Old Ones? What happened at a naming ceremony?

Apache
Why do Apache kids hunt for blue stones? Who are the Devil Dancers? Read an Apache myth about Child of Water and Little Blue Rock. Learn how to play Apache toe and toss games.

Navajo
When a young couple ate from the same basket, why did all their relatives lecture them? What is a Ketoh? Why did the Navajo make Sand Paintings and then destroy them before dark? What is a Blessingways? Welcome to the Southwest Navajo Indians in Olden Times.

Northwest Pacific Coastal
What made the Puget Sound Indian tribes "rich" in ancient times? Why were woven mats so important? How did totem poles get started? What could you buy with 5,000 blankets? What's a potlatch all about? Discover How Raven Stole Crow's Potlatch.

California Indians
Why was the bear doctor feared? What was the purpose of the Big Head Dance? Why did certain medicine men hunt rattlesnakes? Why did the Chumash need a ladder to get into bed?

Far North
What trick did the Kutchin people use on their enemies? How did these early people stop ghosts from entering their homes? Welcome to Alaska Natives, the Arctic and the Far North in olden times.