Curated OER
Changing Perspectives on the Japanese Internment Experience
Students explore the issue of Japanese-American internment. In this World War II activity, students analyze historical biases regarding Japanese-American internment as they analyze literature, research print and Internet sources, and...
Curated OER
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words: How to Analyze a Historic Photograph
Learners analyze historical images. In this primary source analysis instructional activity, students examine an photograph of Hershey, PA from the 1920's. Learners collaborate with one another and their instructor to note the details in...
Jane Addams Project
Woman Suffrage
Suffragettes, suffragists, and anti-suffragists. A two-day, richly detailed lesson plan has young historians investigate the twentieth-century suffrage movement. Groups examine primary and secondary source materials about Jane Addams and...
Curated OER
Multiple Perspectives on the Korean War
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Korean War lesson, students examine and analyze primary sources regarding U.S. involvement in the Korean War.
Curated OER
Perceptions of German Unification Over Time
Through a series of readings and handouts, learners will study the shifts in perception that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. The history instructional activity focuses on periods of change in post WWII German history that led to a...
Curated OER
Create a Magic Lantern Show; Freed People in the Reconstruction South
Engage your scholars by having them create "magic lantern shows" inspired by the film Dr. Toer's Amazing Magic Lantern Show: A Different View of Emancipation. As they study the South's Reconstruction through primary sources, learners...
Newseum
Weighing the Arguments
To understand how personal perspectives can affect policy and politics, scholars examine the woman suffrage media map and historical artifacts to analyze arguments for and against women's suffrage. Class members then take on the role of...
Curated OER
Civil War Literature Circle
Historical fiction can be a valuable asset when learning about the past. Integrate several novels written about the Civil War into your social studies unit, with groups of four working collaboratively to comprehend the novel from...
Curated OER
English Perspectives
To further their understanding of the basis of the conflicts between the Pocumtucks and the English settlers, class members research the religious beliefs and attitudes of the Puritan farmers that settled in Deerfield, Ma.
Curated OER
Adapting Documents for the Classroom: Equity and Access
Students examine primary sources to gain historical perspectives. In this historical analysis lesson plan, students analyze documents that their instructors have adapted to make more user-friendly. Example adapted primary documents are...
Curated OER
Historical Perspectives Through the Eyes of Young People
Students gather knowledge about various roles of students in different cultures and eras. Students research their choice of eras and create a personal artwork to express the tone of the selected era.
West Virginia Department of Education
The Debate - John Brown: Martyr or Madman?
Did he die for a cause, or was he crazy? Although the resource discusses John Brown and West Virginia history, many historical figures have the same reputation. Teach learners about different perspectives and highlight the importance of...
Stanford University
Pullman Strike
History is ironic, isn't it? In the Pullman strike, federal power thought to protect citizens was used to break the union. What started as a quest for better wages and benefits during an economic crisis was crushed through violence and...
DocsTeach
Road to Revolution: Patriotism or Treason?
Patriot or traitor? Scholars debate the line between patriotism and treason in a short activity. Academics analyze a political cartoon and discuss varying viewpoints between different groups living in the American colonies. The activity...
Curated OER
Treaty Trail: Historical Perspectives Point of View
High schoolers research the point of view of key figures present at the Walla Walla Treaty council. Students analyze primary and secondary sources to determine how various groups of people involved in the treaty council viewed the...
Curated OER
Who Tells the Story? Defining History
Seventh graders examine historical perspectives. For this historical writing lesson, 7th graders discuss their definitions of history and then discuss perspectives of history. As a culminating activity, students write narrative stories...
Curated OER
Thanksgiving: Multiple Perspectives
Students examine different perspectives about Thanksgiving that include those of the European Settlers and the Native Americans. They read and discuss an article about Plymouth being "America's Hometown." They develop a landmark for...
Curated OER
Writing to Learn History: Annotations and Mini-Writes
Students use their critical thinking skills to write about historical events. In this historical perspectives lesson, students read documents about historical events and make annotations and marginal notes. Students then respond to...
Curated OER
Background Knowledge and Making Connections
Students investigate what they know about the Holocaust. In this historical perspectives lesson, students complete KWL charts about Hitler and the Holocaust and create found poems on the topic prior to reading Wiesel's "Night."
Curated OER
Was the Stamp Act Fair?
Elementary and middle schoolers examine and evaluate different perspectives concerning events leading to the American Revolution. In this case, they hone in on the Stamp Act. They research controversial bills, laws, or events of the time...
Curated OER
First Meeting of the Indians and the Europeans
Your class hears a Native American Indian point of view of Europeans' arrival in Louisiana. They assess how cultural perspectives (especially an insider's view) and native language can shape a story. Each pupil identifies the...
Curated OER
Historical Lessons on Wartime and Race Relations
Students identify perceptions towards Asians widely held by the American public through the analysis of political cartoons from the 1940's. They recognize the ramifications of such perceptions on Asian American and Arab American.
Curated OER
Does It Look All Right to Me?
Students identify different viewpoints in society. They describe the characteristics of some of the individuals involved in the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. They listen to a historical narrative and identify issues of...
Curated OER
Your Land is My Land: A Look at Bootleg Coal Mining During the Depression
Students examine the extreme conditions of unemployment during the Great Depression. In this multiple perspectives lesson, students analyze photographs of coal mining, research and adopt the perspective of a person affected by...