Making of Milwaukee Original Curriculum (2006) Grades 1-4
Social Studies Content Themes
A wide variety of lesson possibilities as they relate to specific content areas of Milwaukee’s history. Take a look below at the various categories and locate the Social Studies Content Theme that is most pertinent to your grade level or curricular area. Materials provided as downloadable PDFs. ENJOY!
Native Americans
Discover learning activities that will help your students create a catalog of items traded with Milwaukee’s Native Americans, draw or paint elements of early Native living in Milwaukee, and more.
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Immigration
Discover learning activities that will help your students compare immigration to Milwaukee in years past to today, analyze quotes from immigrants, write immigration letters home, and more.
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Economics
Discover learning activities that will help your students take a field-trip to learn more about downtown businesses, discuss economic sacrifices people make during times of war and economic depression, and more.
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Social Justice
Discover learning activities that will help your students design a monument in Milwaukee dedicated to women who made contributions during World War II, discuss challenges and possible solutions to problems of city life, and more.
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Early Milwaukeeans
Discover learning activities that will help your students analyze photographs of early Milwaukee, create a commercial about the role of grain in Milwaukee’s early years, and more.
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Milwaukee Buildings & Architecture
Discover learning activities that will help your students analyze a photo showing the change in Milwaukee over 100 years and visit places related to ethnic Milwaukee.
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Civics/Government
Discover learning activities that will help your students discuss leadership traits, positive and negative attributes of cities, and more.
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Sports/Leisure
Discover learning activities that will help your students create a flyer for one of Milwaukee’s many magnificent festivals, prepare a speech about watching baseball in Milwaukee in the past and present, and more.
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Labor
Discover learning activities that will help your students discuss the experience of work and analyze a photograph of an industrial worker in Milwaukee.
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Business/Industry
Discover learning activities that will help your students write a newspaper article about industrial change in Milwaukee and create an advertisement for a Milwaukee company and more.
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Leadership
Discover learning activities that will help your students use Milwaukee history to list traits of leaders and write a vision statement.
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The Great Depression
Discover learning activities that will help your students write diary entries about the lives of people who lived during the Depression, act out missing events from the timeline, and more.
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1920’s
Discover learning activities that will help your students create a textbook about Milwaukee’s history, use clues to make guesses about famous people and places in Milwaukee, and more.
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World Wars
Discover learning activities that will help your students analyze a quote about women who worked in factories during World War II, visit sites in Milwaukee that memorialize those who fought in World War II, and more.
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African Americans
Discover learning activities that will help your students map out The Great Migration and visit a museum dedicated to preserving African American heritage.
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Post World War II
Discover learning activities that will help your students solve mysteries related to poverty and prosperity in Milwaukee after World War II, create a pictorial collage of struggles Milwaukee’s inner city, and more.
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