American Authors Instagram Activity

In my 8th grade U.S. History class we have to touch on the American authors that reflect American culture. This is a B-R-O-A-D standard and it has always frustrated me. Plus, our textbooks usually only have ONE sentence on an author. I needed a way to expose my students to a variety of American Authors in an active and fun way.

NOTE: This is not an in-depth lesson on American Authors. It was created as a broad overview.

In this purchase, students will read a 1 page summary on an American Author (in pairs if you wish) then create an "Instagram" summary post (on paper). Students will then rotate around the classroom in stations viewing their classmates author Instagram "posts" and will add a #hashtag to each one showing their understanding of that author and their work. I've also included a summary "notes page" for students to summarize each author. If you don't need to teach all 11, you can just pull the ones you need.

Authors included in this purchase:

Noah Webster

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry David Thoreau

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Edgar Allen Poe

Walt Whitman

Emily Dickinson

Herman Melville

Washington Irving

James Fenimore Cooper

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Included in this purchase:

1 page summary of 11 different authors (mentioned above)

4 different templates of "Instagram" blank pages to choose from

Detailed Instructions for the teacher

Example of Instagram post (student made)

"Notes Page" for students to write on (optional for lesson)

Key to notes page