Curated OER
Focused Learning Lesson: American History
Eleventh graders compare and contrast the type of immigrant that came to America during the 19th and 20th centuries. They write letters as if they were immigrants coming to America and what they faced and their hopes for the future.
Curated OER
Raise a New Torch
Students write their own poem about immigration. They are asked to write a kind of "welcome to America" update of Emma Lazarus's classic verse.
Curated OER
Vanderbilt Mansion National Historic Site: Monument to the Gilded Age (78)
Students discover how the Vanderbilts became one of the wealthiest families in America and how their lifestyle influenced business, culture, architecture, and society in ways that still affect us today.
Curated OER
Sojourner Truth
Students research Sojourner Truth. For this African-American history lesson, students read the speech "Ain't I A Woman?" and brainstorm descriptive words that describe Sojourner Truth. Students discuss why her acts were considered...
Curated OER
Reading Primary Source Documents: Historical Content
Why do we read primary source documents? What can they give us that other writings cannot? Provide your learners with any of the primary sources attached here (there are seven), and have them complete the graphic organizer (which opens...
Curated OER
Breaking the Chains, Rising Out of Circumstances
Discuss the history of slavery by analyzing historic photography depicting slavery. Learners write fictional stories based on these photographs. This is a creative and motivating way to launch a discussion of these topics.
Curated OER
Port of Entry
Students research patterns of immigration throughout American history. The focus is on the process of how immigrants came through Ellis Island. Students reflect upon the topic to develop critical thinking skills.
Curated OER
ANALYZING RUMORS AND MYTHS
Eleventh graders explore the phenomenon of "disinformation" that often circulates during a crisis. In this American Government lesson, 11th graders analyze an article on myths and rumors.
Curated OER
Investigation of Immigration
Learners assume the role of a crime scene detective and examine the lives of various immigrant groups. In this immigration lesson plan, students examine evidence, websites, and pull from existing knowledge to determine which group they...
Education World
Every-Day Edits: Ellis Island
For this proof reading instructional activity, learners read a paragraph about Ellis Island. Students locate and correct 10 errors in the paragraph.
Curated OER
Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave by Frederick Douglass
In this literature worksheet, students respond to 12 short answer and essay questions about Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass: An American Slave. Students may also link to an online interactive quiz on the novel at the bottom...
Curated OER
Breaking the Chains: Rising Out of Circumstances
Study history through photographs. In this visual arts and history activity, learners learn to analyze photographs to discover details about life during the Civil War era. Students write journal entries as if they are the...
Curated OER
From Jim Crow To Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953
Students examine African American issue between the years 1897 and 1953. In this African American history lesson, students research the social, economic, and political conditions of African Americans during the aforementioned time span...
Curated OER
Listening to Poetry: Sounds of the Sonnet
High schoolers experience and enjoy the sounds of poetry. They erform sound experiments with sonnets and closely read and analyze a sonnet by Shakespeare. Students write an analysis of how sound affects meaning in a sonnet chosen from...
Curated OER
Immigration and Photography: The Case of Lewis Hine
Students are introduced to the characteristics of documentary photography. Individually, they cut out a paper frame and view their classroom through the "lens" and at different angles. After veiwing photographs, they practice...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Upton Sinclair, Theodore Roosevelt, and Harvey W. Wiley
Though Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle shocked the American public into a thorough examination of the meat-packing industry, the author was disappointed that his book's main argument—the exploitation of American immigrants—was not part...
Curated OER
Taste the Learning
Lesson and activity ideas to Incorporate National Blueberry Month into all content areas.
Penguin Books
The Jungle
It's a jungle out there! Teachers gain information to guide learners through reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair. Instructors give an overview of the characters in the story and a summary of each chapter. The resource includes questions...
Curated OER
Prairie Scavenger Hunt
Middle schoolers take a close look at the prairie environment. They identify common plants and animals of the prairie. In addition, pupils work in teams in order to put together a presentation on a certain aspect of the prairie...
Syracuse University
Harlem Renaissance
The music and literature of the Harlem Renaissance defined American culture, including its poetry. Using a poem from the period, individuals explore its musical qualities and how it is reflective of the period. Then, they use what they...
Curated OER
Segregation: From Jim Crow to Linda Brown
Students examine the African American social, economic, and political conditions between 1896 and 1953. In this segregation lesson, students analyze primary sources to develop an understanding of the plight of African Americans'...
Curated OER
Foundations of WWI
Students explore how World War I created a foundation for the United States to become a world power. In this World History lesson, students work in small groups to create posters and an oral presentation to share their findings with the...
Curated OER
Todd Duncan: The First Porgy
Students view a video and conduct research about Jim Crow laws and their effects on race relations.
Curated OER
Freedom Voices: Abolition and Suffrage in the United States
Students explore abolition and suffrage in the United States.