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Unit Plan
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Curated OER

Unit 1: Building Historical Background Knowledge: The Road to Revolution 1754–1776

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
What were the conditions that led to the American Revolution? What are the conditions that lead to revolution in other times and places? Class members examine primary source materials and use evidence drawn from these documents to craft...
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Activity
2
2
National WWII Museum

World War II in Photographs

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
A picture is worth a thousand words, and this activity is worth so much more! Learners closely analyze a series of photographs from World War II, matching them with their appropriate captions and sequencing them into a correct timeline. 
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Lesson Plan
1
1
iCivics

James Bond in a Honda? Trial Simulation

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Your class members will take on the roles of jury members in this exciting simulation. After reading a detailed script and reviewing pieces of evidence, they will determine whether Honda violated copyright and copied James Bond.
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

The “Supreme” in Supreme Court

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Does a public school have the right to restrict what t-shirts learners wear? Discover what happened when this question was brought to the Supreme Court, and review other major cases in United States history involving judicial review....
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Taxation

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A paycheck stub can offer loads of information on the taxes American citizens pay. This resource not only includes analysis of a stub as an activity, but also provides a wealth of informative reading material on such topics as the...
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Lesson Plan
What So Proudly We Hail

The Meaning of America: Freedom and Individuality

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What are the strengths and weaknesses of American individualism and independence? Explore these principles through a close reading of Jack London's To Build a Fire, and engage in high-level discussion with your class by analyzing the...
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Lesson Plan
4
4
What So Proudly We Hail

The Meaning of America: Enterprise and Commerce

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using Mark Twain's The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, invite your learners to consider the concept of virtue in a democratic society devoted to gain and self-interest. This stellar resource guides your class members through a close...
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Lesson Plan14:03
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

The Making of the Fittest: Natural Selection in Humans

For Teachers 8th - Higher Ed Standards
Sickle cell disease only occurs when both parents contribute the trait, and mostly in those of African descent. Where did it come from? How did it evolve? Tony Allison, a molecular biologist, noticed a connection between sickle cell and...
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Lesson Plan
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Personal Genetics Education Project

Genetics, history and the American Eugenics Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A poignant 20-slide show introduces high schoolers to the amazing accomplishments of genomics and raises the question of eugenics. This lesson is only for mature audiences, as it deals with rape and other sensitive topics, but it is...
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Lesson Plan
4
4
University of California

Roots of the Cold War

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
When and how did the Cold War begin? To answer this question, you will not find a better-organized, in-depth, activity- and inquiry-based resource than this! Executing best teaching practices throughout, each portion of this inquiry...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Comparing Slave Trades: A Study of the Transatlantic and Trans-Saharan Slave Trades

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While most people are familiar with the transatlantic slave trade, there is less knowledge of another major external African slave trade in world history: the trans-Saharan slave trade. Pupils work in groups to read informational texts...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Ancient Philosophy: Greeks or Romans?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
While often not recognized, the ideas of ancient Greek and Roman philosophers still echo today. Using a series of videos and graphic organizers, individuals explore how ancient Greeks and Romans have influenced current Western political...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Globalization Since 1945

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Using sources from various publications and a series of videos, pupils consider the global economy and the positive and negative effects of globalization. With a jigsaw discussion and a writing assignment, scholars weigh in on whether...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Civil Rights for All: Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Civil Rights Movement was only the beginning. Using images and a series of queries, learners consider current fights for equality. After viewing video clips profiling the women's rights movement, the American Indian Movement, and...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

But What About Me?: Teaching Perspective In The Social Studies Classroom

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
How would the story of the discovery of America be different if indigenous people told it through their eyes? Individuals compare the conventional account of this moment in history to an account given by one of the native peoples. After...
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Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

The Electoral College

For Teachers 10th Standards
Put the Electoral College into perspective with a simulation of an election. Scholars experience an electoral vote, participate in an in-depth discussion on the topic, and engage in a congressional committee where they learn about the...
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Lesson Plan
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1
Albert Shanker Institute

Making the Case for Equality: A Comparison

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Martin Luther King Jr's " I Have a Dream" speech and Atticus Finch's closing argument during the trial of Tom Robinson both address the societal need to overcome racism. After examining the rhetorical devices and figurative language used...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

Electoral College: Does My Vote Count?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How can a candidate get the most votes, yet still lose the race for the presidency? This is has happened more than once in American history, including in the elections of 2000 and 2016. Using an activity for creating group notes, young...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

The Physicist's War: Dr. Herman Branson and the Scientific Training of African Americans during World War II

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The mobilization of soldiers for World War II resulted in a worker shortage in the defense industries, especially in the fields of physics and other sciences. The Engineering, Science, and Management War Training program (ESMWT) was...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

Physicist Activist: Dr. Elmer Imes and the Civil Rights Case of Juliette Derricotte

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Elmer Imes was not only a brilliant physicist but also a civil rights activist. After an introductory lecture, groups read two articles about a traffic accident that killed one Fisk University student and injured several others. The...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

Historical Detective: Edward Alexander Bouchet and the Washington-Du Bois Debate over African-American Education

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Young scientists meet Edward Alexander Bouchet who, in 1876, was the first African American to receive a PhD in Physics. This two-part lesson first looks at the debate between Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois about the type of...
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Lesson Plan
K20 LEARN

The Bank Of Justice: Civil Rights In The US

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To launch a study of racial segregation and integration, young historians first watch a news video about a prom in Georgia that was first integrated in 2013. They then compare the goals in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address to King's "I Have a...
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Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

When Computers Wore Skirts: Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and the “West Computers”

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Did you know that people, known as computers, performed the complex calculations that are now done by electronic computers? Three of these human computers, Katherine Johnson, Christine Darden, and Melba Roy Mouton are featured in a...
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Lesson Plan
National Park Service

Remembering Pearl Harbor: The USS Arizona Memorial

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians use primary source materials to investigate the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and the sinking of the USS Arizona. After reading background articles and studying maps and images of the attack, class members consider whether...