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Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Making an Issue-Based Video

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Encourage class members to become engaged citizens by researching an issue they are passionate about and then producing a video to present to policymakers, the public, and their peers. Everything needed for the unit is contained in...
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Lesson Plan
Deliberating in a Democracy

Violent Video Games

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers examine violence in video games. In this American history instructional activity, students read an article on the link between video games and violence. High schoolers respond to discussion questions and debate the topic.
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Lesson Plan
2
2
Federal Reserve Bank

Important Financial Documents

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Emergencies usually come by surprise — preparation is key. Help to reduce anxiety of the unknown by having a financial plan in place for when they arise. Important documents are gathered and action plans are documented.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson 2: The Constitution: Our Guiding Document

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Explore the structure and content of the US Constitution in the second lesson of this five-part social studies series. A collection of activities, games, and videos complement a class reading of a document summarizing the US...
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Lesson Plan
Social Studies School Service

“Duck and Cover” (Civil Defense)

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Bert the Turtle models for viewers the 1950s Civil Defense Duck and Cover strategy that was supposed to protect citizens from a nuclear blast. After viewing the video, watchers are asked to consider the motivations of the producers of...
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Worksheet
Seattle Civil Rights and Labor History Project

Dr. Martin Luther King's Visit to Seattle

For Students 7th - 9th Standards
How was the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. viewed by others during the 1960s? After watching an oral history video, your class members will learn more about Dr. King's ability to personally connect with others, as well as discover...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Historical Presidential Campaign Announcement Analysis

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Using the announcements of presidential candidacies, pupils consider how contenders make their initial arguments to the public. A worksheet helps structure collaborative work to analyze 10 video clips. Writing prompts allow for extension...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

The Impact of Citizens United v. FEC

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What began as an effort to show a movie by an interest group has impacted financing of federal elections. Did the Citizens United case lead to more "dark money" in politics, or did it shine a light with more speech? Using video clips...
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Lesson Plan4:55
2
2
Curated Video

Detecting Lies & Harmful Links

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Who and what can you trust online? How do you know? After viewing a pair of introductory videos on positive and safe online conduct, learners discuss the content and put it into practice during an online search activity about alien life.
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Polling and Public Opinion

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Polls are ubiquitous in American politics, but just how reliable and equal are they? A video-driven resource helps learners discuss the question by examining what pollsters and pundits say. Extension activities involve evaluating the...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

Presidential Candidate Firsts

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Hilary Clinton may have been the first woman to run for president on a major party ticket, but she was only one example of an historic candidacy. Class members use video clips curated from C-SPAN to examine historical firsts in...
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Lesson Plan
C-SPAN

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
The United States is built on the presumption of equality—yet we have not passed the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. Using video clips featuring historians, a museum tour, and an interview with Ruth Bader Ginsberg, learners...
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Activity
Sharp School

Real Life Economics 101

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Your learners will take key economic concepts, such as identifying needs versus wants and the four factors of production, and design a video to explain their topic choice to the class. Rather than have one person in charge of dispensing...
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Interactive
US National Archives

WWII: Western Europe 1939-45 – Invasion

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Without the benefit of history, Western Europe in the 1940's had no idea what was about to befall them. Class members use primary sources, including political cartoons, videos, and internal documents, to analyze how much of a threat...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

March on Washington: A Time for Change

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians conclude their study of the events that lead up to and the planning for the March on Washington. After examining videos and primary source documents, they consider the civil rights objectives that still need to be...
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Interactive
British Council

Hamlet

For Students 10th - 12th
Introduce language learners to William Shakespeare's Hamlet with an interactive that presents a short, animated version of key scenes from the tragedy. Also included is a game where pupils match the image of a character with their name,...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Breaking it Down

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
After challenging themselves to correctly choose the form of erosion and length of time required for a given landform to develop, earth science class members model mechanical and chemical weathering with various lab demonstrations over...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Electric Vocabulary

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Practice electric vocabulary using multiple methods. Learners begin by watching a video that explains vocabulary related to electric currents. They match vocabulary cards to practice and then create an electric circuit. Using the...
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Lesson Plan
State Bar of Texas

Marbury v. Madison

For Teachers 8th Standards
Who has the final say in matters dealing with the rules under the United States Constitution? The case Marbury v. Madison brings to light the issue of judicial review. Learners investigate the Supreme Court's opinion in the case with a...
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Worksheet
2
2
Humanities Texas

Primary Source Worksheet: Excerpt from Reagan's Speech "A Time for Choosing"

For Students 8th - 11th
An excerpt from Ronald Reagan's October 27, 1964 speech in support of presidential nominee Barry Goldwater, "A Time for Choosing," is the text for primary source analysis activity. After reading the document, learners respond to seven...
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Lesson Plan
1
1
TPS Journal

Sourcing a Document: The First Thanksgiving

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
How reliable is a painting of the first Thanksgiving if it was created 300 years after the fact? Learners assess the validity of a primary source image to determine what it can actually reveal about this event. 
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Lesson Plan
K20 Learn

(Mis)Reported and (Mis)Remembered: The Vietnam War

For Teachers 11th Standards
New ReviewWhat are the complicated legacies of the Vietnam War? Learners consider the question as they examine videos and primary sources from the conflict. After examining footage and documents such as the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution and an op-ed...
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Activity
Grapevine Colleyville Independent School District

Mitosis Claymation Lab Instructions and Rubric

For Teachers 6th - 8th
A single-paged set of instructions and grading system for a mitosis project are laid out for your life science learners. (Note that the page is repeated, making this a two-page document.) Pairs of beginning biologists use clay to model...
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Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Watsons Go To Birmingham—1963 by Christopher Paul Curtis

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
A primary source set of photographs, videos, newspaper articles, and FBI reports provides insight into race relations during the 1960s, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing, and the murder of Emmitt Till. Designed to be used to...