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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 11 - 20 of 33 lesson plans:

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

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

Metal Movable Type: The Jikji and the Gutenberg Bible

book with Korean writing

The main topic of this lesson is the place of Korea in the global history of printing technology. Students examine both video and written sources to determine the comparative importance of Korean and European moveable metal type printing.

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PDFWord

Author: Patrick Whelan

Grades: Middle (6-8), Secondary (9-12)

Time: 1- 45 minute class

Participation Year: Fellowship 2019

Skills: Comparison, Evaluation

Topics: Jikji

One Peninsula, Two Systems: Explaining the Economic Rise of South Korea

night-sky scene of city

Why do some countries develop rapidly, growing their economies and influence on the world stage while other countries struggle to achieve economic takeoff? This is a central question in Human Geography and an important question in World History. The Korean Peninsula provides a case study for the exploration of this question. This peninsula of a common people with a shared history was divided not only by a civil war but by competing ideologies and foreign alliances. In this lesson students will explore the causes of South Korea’s rise and the sharp divisions that remain between the two Koreas.

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PDFWord

Author: Matthew Sudnik

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: 2 80-minute classes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2019

Skills: Comparison

Topics: Economics, North Korea, Politics

Overlapping and Competing Religions and Cultural Traditions in Korea

ornate template roof

This lesson examines the overlap of major religious and cultural traditions in Korea. It invites students to consider the role of culture and religion in the lives of indivuals as well as the exclusivity of religious systems in Korea and East Asia. It also invites students to consider their own religions and cultural traditions and how they do or do not overlap. (In this lesson the term overlap is used, however teachers can also use the term “syncretism” when appropriate).

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PDFWord

Author: Evan Liddle

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: 2- 55 minute classes or 1- 90 minute class

Participation Year: Fellowship 2019

Skills: Application, Comparison

Topics: Confucianism, Culture, Religion, Syncretism

Population Pyramids: A Case Study

then and now scene, side by side photos

South Korea experienced a dramatic and sudden shift in economic and demographic standards during and after the Korean War. Students examining population pyramids for this same time period recognize and correlate the data in order to explain how the population of the country changed and how this impacted South Korea’s standing in the DTM.

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PDFWord

Author: Lisa Waligora

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: Two 50-minute classes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2018

Skills: Analysis, Comparison

Topics: Geography

Rethinking Economic Development Measures: A South Korean Case Study

Korean flag over photos

This lesson helps students develop a nuanced understanding of economic development, encouraging critical thinking about how we measure progress and success on a national and global scale. It aligns well with broader educational goals of promoting analytical skills, global awareness, and multifaceted approaches to complex issues.

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PDFWord

Author: Thomas Sakole

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: 60-80 minutes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2024

Skills: Analysis, Comparison

Topics: AP Economics, AP Human Geography, Economics, World History

Revolutionary Thinking: Extending Knowledge of the American Revolution through Korean History and Culture

two flags in front of wall

In order to connect the content to the district curriculum (7th grade American History), this lesson will be taught during the month of May. The timing is important because May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. Students will be provided with information about Korean history, while also linking the form of sijo poetry to the content that I’m teaching at the time, which is the American Revolutionary War. Students will compare and contrast the Japanese colonization of Korea with the American Revolution. Then students will go on to create a sijo poem about a person or event of the American Revolution.

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PDFWord

Author: Georgette Hackman

Grades: Secondary (9-12)

Time: Two 45-minute classes

Participation Year: Fellowship 2019

Skills: Analysis, Comparison

Topics: Sijo Poetry

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