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Looking Back at Pre-Civil War Slavery
Eighth graders explain the nature of slavery, the impact of slavery on African-Americans, and how slavery intensified the conflict between the North and South that eventually led to a major cause of the Civil War.
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The South Wins Gettysburg!
Students explore American Civil War, hypothesize that the Union Army was defeated at Gettysburg by Lee's army, and write an essay describing how different North America would be today if the South had won the Civil War.
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Building a Dichotomous Key
Students analyze how a dichotomous key helps us explain and identify unknown organisms. They design and construct a dichotomous key, developing a list of three observable characteristics per organism.
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Whose Voice Do I Hear?
Fifth graders examine the power of voice in writing by completing a story using words following a particular voice. They take simple nursery rhymes, then attempt to put their own voice to a revised version. An interesting instructional...
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Early America
Fifth graders, in groups, study the differences between the 13 Original Colonies, then explore the relationship between the Revolutionary War and the Civil War.
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Substitution in the Civil War
Students investigate primary sources to determine why soldiers might have wanted substitutes, and what the role of the substitute was.
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THE GREAT DISMAL SWAMP
Students analyze how slavery shaped social and economic life in the South after 1800, the different economic, cultural, and social characteristics of slavery after 1800, and slavery both prior and after the Civil War.
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MANY REASONS TO LEAVE
Students research different economic, cultural, and social characteristics of slavery after 1800, how slavery hindered the emergence of capitalist institutions and values, and slavery both prior to and after the Civil War.
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RUNAWAY JOURNEYS MIGRATION
High schoolers analyze the influences on urban life in the early and late 19th century, different economic, cultural, and social characteristics of slavery after 1800, the rise of racial hostility, and the ending of the Atlantic slave...
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Unsung Military Heroes
In this lesson, students are introduced to the contributions made by African-American soldiers that have been excluded from traditional textbooks. To gain an appreciation for these unsung heroes, students engage in research to ultimately...
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Heaven, Hell, and Baltimore
This lesson allows pupils to research and compare the city of Baltimore to other northern cities of interest during the Great Migration. After reading a narrative entitled Return South Migration and conducting extensive research,...
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Home Ties
Students explore the reasons people choose to migrate including political, economic and familial motivations. They interview family members and compare their ancestors own reasons for migration to those of African American urban migrants.
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A Divided Community
Young scholars work in teams to research the history of African migration and immigration in the U.S. They present their research in a town hall discussion format and then write a paragraph about their experiences.
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Sunrise, Sunset: Apparent Motion of the Sun
Students discuss the meaning of a day and what happens to the sun as it turns to night. Then they go outside and draw the view in front of them, paying close attention to the location of the sun. Every hour they return and chart the...
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Unionism versus Secessionism in Virginia
Eleventh graders, in groups, analyze newspaper articles and then debate and discuss if Virginia should succeed from the Union or not.
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Border Identity: AngloChicaNorteña
Students analyze concept of identity in the context of the border region, and in particular by considering the concept of identity in a movie concerning a famous border personality.
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Cities as Transportation Centers
Students work in small groups to identify some of the major transportation centers, recommending two as possible sites for a national political convention, based on population density and the travel networks available in 1835.
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CHARTING NEPTUNE'S REALM
Students design a twenty-first century book cover based on the concepts and designs of the eighteenth century.
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SURFACE CURRENTS
Students identify five major ocean currents and identify the correlation between ocean circulation and prevailing winds.
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Using Mean, Median, Mode, and Range through Basketball
Eighth graders use the sports pages of the newspaper to analyze the mean, median, mode and range of basketball statistics.
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Abraham Lincoln's Position on the Question of Slavery and Its Extension
Students read excerpts from Abraham Lincoln's speeches and letters between 1854 and 1861 and look for information relative to Lincoln's thoughts on the legal and Constitutional aspects of slavery.
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Native Americans and Native Plants
Students take a field trip to a native plant culture. They need to describe where the plants were before the Europeans occupied North America.
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The Constitution on Trial: The Internment of the Japanese During World War II
Eleventh graders analyze primary source documents during the Second World War. Students recall statements of Japanese-Americans who were placed into internment camps during the war.
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Need for Reconstruction: Devasation and Liberation in the South
Eighth graders examine the amount of destruction in the South following the Civil War. They explore the reasons why Reconstruction was needed.