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Lesson Plan Library

Free Lesson Plans for Teachers

WHDE offers a set of free resources for teachers to help students better understand Korea. The lesson plans cover a variety of topics including geography, religion, economic development, culture, history, and the Korean War. Search our archive of lessons plans by topic, skill or grade level. You can find more teaching resources on the Korean War on the Korean War Legacy Foundation website. Visit teachingaboutnorthkorea.org to find lesson plans and activities for teaching about North Korea.

 
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Showing 31 - 40 of 84 lesson plans:

Korea and the United States: Postwar Perceptions

soldier on the march

In this lesson, students will examine how Americans and South Koreans view each other today.

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PDFWord

Author: Donald Jenkins

Grades: Middle (6-8)

Time: 90 minutes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2020

Skills: Analysis

Topics: Culture, Korean War, Perspectives

Korea and the United States: Postwar Perceptions

desolate war scene in black and white

The main topic of the lesson comes from a chapter on the Korean War Legacy Foundation website called Korea and the United States: Postwar Perceptions. Students do a close reading on the chapter, summarize the chapter, listen to one of the interviews in the chapter, and then use what they learned as a springboard to form their own research question about a topic related to the chapter. This is related to Korea because students will learn how the Korean War affected soldiers and civilians and then they will research a topic related to the Korean War or Korea today.

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PDFWord

Author: Donald Jenkins

Grades: Middle (6-8)

Time: 2-3 45 minute periods

Participation Year: Fellowship 2019

Skills: Analysis, Inquiry, Perspectives

Topics: Korean War

Korea’s Changing Demographics

Graphic of Korea's population growth and decline

Students will look at the historical trend in population in South Korea since the Korean War and will explain the reasons the population has been declining recently as well as the steps the government is taking to increase the fertility rate. Furthermore, students will predict what the population trend will be in future decades in South Korea, with or without government assistance.

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PDFWord

Author: Lisa Smith

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: 90 minutes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2024

Skills: Analysis, Comparison

Topics: AP Human Geography

Korea’s Role in American Imperialism

map

In this lesson, students will compare and contrast the Joseon–United States Treaty of 1882 and the Treaty of Portsmouth (1905) by creating a poster that summarizes their findings. This lesson will engage students with both the historical context and the modern implications of these treaties, helping them understand their significance in the shaping of U.S.-Korea relations.

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PDFWord

Author: Meaghan Rymer

Grades: Middle (6-8)

Time: 60 minutes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2024

Skills: Comparison

Topics: US History

Korean Currency

person holding Korean bills

These lessons will involve student research about famous Koreans featured on Korean won. They will research the important people featured on South Korean currency in small groups. Students will then compare their new knowledge to what they know about US currency. This may require additional research by the students.

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PDFWord

Author: Karen Krzystof-Bansley

Grades: Middle (6-8)

Time: 3 50-minute classes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2019

Skills: Analysis, Comparison

Topics: Economics

Korean Migrations: Push & Pull Factors

boy with flag at parade

Through analyzing aspects of the Hallyu in American society today, a conversation will be prompted regarding the Korean diaspora in the USA. There will be correlation to broader AP World History themes of migration, push and pull factors, and related contexts of the 19th and 20th centuries (Japanese imperialism, World War 1 and World War 2, Korean War, etc).

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PDFWord

Author: Miten Shah

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: 1 Block Period (80 minutes each)

Participation Year: Fellowship 2024

Skills: Analysis

Topics: AP World History, World History

Korean Reunification

street with houses

By investigating the issue of Korean reunification, students will make decisions about what the obstacles of the reunification are and how to give weight to each.

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PDFWord

Author: Leah Hoyle

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: Three 90-minute classes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2018

Skills: Evaluation

Topics: Economics, Politics

Korean War Chapters: Korea: Forgetting and Remembering

soldiers in battle with rifles and sandbags

This lesson focuses on the question, “Why is the Korean War considered one of the most important conflicts of the Cold War and why should we remember it?”

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PDFWord

Author: Natia Deisadze

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: 90 minutes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2020

Skills: Analysis

Topics: Korean War

Korean War Perspectives

officials signing documents at table

Using the information from “Beyond the Bridge of No Return”, Perspectives from the Korean War Legacy Foundation, and the image collection, consider the perspectives of the various people involved in the Korean War. Students will write a detailed statement and draw faces/ heads with emotions that match an aspect of their experience.

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PDFWord

Author: Raechel Bunnel

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: 2 45-minute classes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2019

Skills: Analysis, Perspectives

Topics: Communism, Korean War

Let’s Build A Home

wall decorated with banners

Students simulate the differences between Capitalism and Communism. They are tasked with working as a group to develop homes out of notecards. Only the Capitalist will have an incentive. This will build upon the previous day’s lesson revolving around students learning about the basics of the Korean War and the outcomes.

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PDFWord

Author: Matthew Cottone

Grades: Middle (6-8)

Time: One 55-minute class

Participation Year: Fellowship 2018

Skills: Comparison

Topics: Economics, Korean War, Politics

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