United States History Lesson Plans

Learners reflect on what it was like to be a slave. Learners participate in a class discussion about slavery, then create a timeline of what a slave's daily life might have involved. They also evaluate primary documents including the Emancipation Proclamation. 

Compare and contrast old and modern historical accounts of the life of Thomas Jefferson. Learners begin by evaluating the responsibilities of history textbooks in reporting on historical events, people, and eras, and discuss how new information should be used to enhance the information contained in standard texts. This could be a a critical-thinking activity for your class.

Have you class engage in critical-thinking activities using this resource. Learners discuss a variety of topics they think get too much, or too little, attention from the press. They analyze why these topics are over or underrated. Then, they write critiques of their U.S. history textbooks  with respect to the attention given to particular topics.

Learners review all the information they gathered in their first United States history class. They identify the major contributors to early American history and how they have affected America today. In groups, they create a newspaper on one topic and share it with the class.

Have your U.S. history class engage in pre-assessment activities at the beginning of the school year. They use prior knowledge to answer questions. They also use information about particular topics to fill in a graphic organizer. This could be a great lesson to start the year off right.

Have your class explore U.S. history by discussing religion in the colonial era. Learners review the history of Pennsylvania and the conformist views placed upon immigrants to the country. Then, they read a letter Benjamin Franklin wrote regarding the influx of German immigrants to the U.S. during the 1700's. This is a great way to promote critical-thinking skills.

Explore events throughout United States history with this resource. Learners select four significant historical events to examine. Then, they pair off and conduct library research which culminates in a three minute oral presentation.

Students investigate human rights.  In this U.S. History human rights lesson, students view a film about the internment camps in which Japanese Americans were sent during World War II. Students work in groups to examine a section of The Bill of Rights. Students summarize and share what they have read. Students write a reflection including opinions about whether or not the U.S. government was justified in any of its actions toward Japanese Americans during World War II.

Students share their knowledge of Lewis and Clark, then read a news article about the redesign on the U.S. nickel to commemorate Lewis and Clark's expedition. For this U.S. history and current events lesson, the teacher introduces the article with a discussion and vocabulary activity, then students read the news report and participate in a class discussion. Lesson includes interdisciplinary follow-up activities.

Students examine the historical structure, as well as the purposes and functions of the United States monetary system. They utilize a "scavenger hunt" model to compare U.S. currency notes from specific eras in U.S. history. They identify the key security features in newly designed $10 note.