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Unit Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Lesson 2: Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Fix the Articles of Confederation or develop a new constitution? That was the question facing the Founding Fathers. Several of those in favor of a new constitution published a series of essays, collected in the Federalist Papers, urging...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Seven Steps for Writing an Academic Essay

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students brainstorm ideas for a teacher selected writing topic. They demonstrate seven steps for writing an academic essay. They jot down words or phrases using different colored pens. They write a thesis statement and create an outline...
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Lesson Plan
Scholastic

The First Thanksgiving Feast for Grades 3-5

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
Scholars examine the first Thanksgiving through books and interviews while they complete a KWL chart. Pretending they are part of the feast, learners craft a scrapbook page that features images related to their experience. Pupils reflect...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Election of 1864

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An interesting lesson plan uses a hands-on-activity and group discussion to explore the 1864 presidential election and Lincoln's plans for ending the Civil War. Designed for high school, the resource also requires historians to...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Catch-22: What It Means to Be a(n Anti)Hero

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed Standards
Catch-22, Joseph Heller's send-up of military organizational bureaucracy, provides readers with an opportunity to consider the importance of the anti-hero. Class members fill out a worksheet comparing and contrasting the qualities of...
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Lesson Plan
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Channel Islands Film

Cache: Lesson Plan 1 - Grades 9-12

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Archaeologists have discovered a cache of Native American relics. They want to preserve these relics by removing them from the rapidly eroding site to a lab where they can be studied. Native American traditions demand that the items be...
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Lesson Plan
National Constitution Center

Civil Liberties and Rights Worldwide

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
How do governments differ in how they protect human rights? While the United States prides itself on its Bill of Rights, other countries have their own ways of protecting citizens' liberties. An interactive website, paired with...
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Unit Plan
Trinity University

I Didn’t Know that was Poetry

For Teachers 8th Standards
Poetry or prose? That is the question facing middle schoolers as they begin a month-long poetry unit by examining the characteristics that differentiate poetry and prose writing. Pupils learn about poetic devices and different types of...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

One Event: Different Perspectives

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners watch a video clip from "The Path to 9/11" and write a summary of one of the events depicted. Next, they read the 9/11 Commission Report to compare information from the report to that of the media clip. They chose one more print...
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Interactive
Curated OER

The Crucible Essay Questions

For Students 10th - Higher Ed
In this literature instructional activity, students respond to 9 short answer and essay questions about Arthur Miller's The Crucible. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
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Interactive
Curated OER

Doctor Faustus - Essay Questions

For Students 10th - Higher Ed
For this literature worksheet, learners respond to 16 short answer and essay questions about Marlowe's Doctor Faustus. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom of the page.
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Printables
Achievement Strategies

ACT College Readiness Standards

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Here is a template offering a comprehensive outline of ACT skill categories, what standards are expected to be mastered, and blank spaces for you to include how you plan to address those standards within your curriculum.
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Lesson Plan
National Endowment for the Humanities

Harriet Jacobs and Elizabeth Keckly: The Material and Emotional Realities of Childhood in Slavery

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Young historians learn how to make generalizations based on primary sources in a activity that uses the autobiographies of two women born into slavery. The class watches a historical re-enactment of scenes from the lives of Harriet...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Literary Genres in “Moby-Dick”

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Moby Dick is more than a whale of a tale narrated by Ishmael. A lesson studying Herman Melville's classic novel asks readers to examine the different genres the author weaves into his story. Instructors model how to conduct a stylistic...
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Lesson Plan
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National Endowment for the Humanities

Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Pain and suffering do not have to be inevitable in a study of Crime and Punishment. A carefully scaffolded lesson introduces readers to the divided natures of the characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky's complex novel. Groups use the provided...
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Lesson Plan
University of Southern California

Coming to America After the War

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
As part of their exploration of the American dream, class members examine primary source materials to compare immigrant experiences of those arriving early in our country's history to those arriving in the US after World War II. To...
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Lesson Plan
2
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Maryland Department of Education

The Concept of Diversity in World Literature Lesson 5: The Tragic Hero

For Teachers 10th - 11th Standards
Should identifying a tragic hero be based on a universal definition or a definition based on the morals and values of a specific culture? As part of a study of Things Fall Apart, class members read Sylvia Plath's "Colossus" and then...
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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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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Armenian Genocide

For Teachers 8th - 11th
As your historians examine the beginnings of WWI, ensure they are familiar with the Armenian Genocide. This basic introductory lesson plan utilizes teacher-led discussion, map analysis, and a Socratic seminar. Not much detail is offered...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Working in your Cubicle: Critical Thinking and Writing

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Explore informative and explanatory writing with this lesson. Using a cube labeled with directives to describe, analyze, compare, associate, apply, and argue the topic, middle schoolers work individually or in groups to answer questions....
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Lesson Plan
Nancy Fetzer's Literacy Connections

Expository Paragraph

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Upper elementary and middle school writers learn how to craft an expository paragraph by following the six steps detailed in a 48-page instructional guide. Learners learn how to write six different types of informational paragraphs: to...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Mark Twain: Storyteller, Novelist, and Humorist

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
Scholars investigate the use of satire in Mark Twain's writing. Literary lovers research the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer, political cartoons, and videos to see how Twain uses satire to make the stories more memorable....
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

THEMATIC ESSAY

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students Compare and contrast the beliefs and methodology of three leaders of the Civil Rights movement. Using specific examples, discuss how these leaders were either successful or unsuccessful in attaining their goals.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Comparing Countries

For Teachers 3rd - 12th
Students use a graphic organizer to research, compare and contrast two countries. They write a brief (or detailed - depending on age) report of their findings.