Teaching American History
A Word Fitly Spoken: Lincoln's Most Famous Speeches on Union
Abraham Lincoln's words carried American democracy through one of its most tenuous and violent moments in the nation's short history. Explore an interactive timeline that places events of the 19th century in the context of Lincoln's...
The New York Times
Inaugural Words: 1789 to the Present
One of the reasons presidential inaugural speeches are so inspiring is the way word choice reflects the historical context of the time. An interactive timeline invites learners to click on their president of choice and view the most...
National Center for Families Learning
The Summer Fun Summer Learning Dramatic and Story Reading Unit
What's the difference between story reading and story telling? Participants in a summer enrichment program learn all about the difference as they listen to famous speeches, engage in dramatic readings, and craft their own short stories...
Curated OER
Rhetorical Devices in a Primary Source
Analyze Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous and powerful "I Have a Dream" speech as a primary source document. After reading up on rhetorical devices and working in small groups to define terms, class members identify and explain the use of...
DocsTeach
Fannie Lou Hamer and Voting Rights
To understand the challenges Black voters faced in Mississippi, middle schoolers first gather background information about Fannie Lou Hamer and then read her testimony given during the 1964 Democratic Nation Convention. After a...
Curated OER
Who Wrote That?
Students explore the Project Gutenberg website and conduct a webquest to answer questions about well known literature and authors.
PBS
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
What rights are guaranteed to students? Do they align with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was approved by the United Nations in 1948? Middle and high schoolers present persuasive arguments about the rights they believe...
Curated OER
Sojourner Truth
Students research Sojourner Truth. In this African-American history lesson plan, 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
Write with Writers
Write and work with authors on the Scholastic Website to promote the recognition of various genres. Â Young writers will participate in activities based on the type of writing such as biography, descriptive, folktales, mystery, news, and...
Curated OER
I Have a Metaphor
Learners locate the literary devices used in Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. In this figurative language lesson plan, students first distinguish between similes, metaphors, analogies, personification, etc. Learners...
Curated OER
You're Hired!
Students participate in a simulation of being a speech writer for the President. They listen to and analyze speeches and present one of their own.
Curated OER
Who Am I?
Middle schoolers utilize the tools and elements available in a multimedia application to create a 1-page document, presented in comic book form, about a famous person. The document they create may be part of a multi-faceted research...
Curated OER
Barack Obama
For this famous person worksheet, students read a passage about Barack Obama and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym matches, and...
Curated OER
Ideas for Classroom Election Activities
This handout provides suggestion8s for exploring the elections process including making a party platform poster, writing a speech in the style of a famous politician, having a debate, planning a convention, and more! While some of the...
Curated OER
Learning to Respect Each Other
Discover how important Martin Luther King Jr. is to our society. In this civil rights instructional activity, investigate how Dr. King was an advocate for nonviolence and how he fought for civil rights for all Americans. Read and analyze...
Curated OER
Postcards in Time
Students write and send postcards to and from famous historical figures.
Curated OER
WWI Propaganda
Students research propaganda from World War I and compare it with propaganda used today. They define propaganda and discuss the five techniques used by advertisers, conduct Internet research, and create a project that compares how...
Curated OER
The Civil War Experience
Students write or design a creative project about the Civil War. In this Civil War lesson, students share memorable quotes from speeches and discuss documents historians could use to analyze the Civil War. Students read excerpts from...
Curated OER
Anti-Vietnam War Movement Lesson
Students examine reasons why many Americans opposed the Vietnam War. In this world history lesson, students view a Powerpoint of anti-war images and a timeline of events that led to the war. Students examine speeches made by John Kerry...
Curated OER
Phrasal Verbs Quiz: Mixed 4
In this phrasal verbs worksheet, students check their understanding of English phrasal verbs by choosing the best ending for each sentence.
Curated OER
Colonial North Carolina
Pupils resarch people and events from a given list. Then based on teacher options, students employ perspectives, an audience, a presentation format, and topic to prepare a two-page document to share with the class. Pupils also prepare...
Curated OER
Outstanding African Americans Activity
Challenge historians to investigate influential African-Americans through this online research activity. Learners undertake this task using online links, some of which require investigative searching. Print the activity out first, so...
Curated OER
George Washington: The President Without Precedent
Students explore time period and events surrounding George Washington's inauguration, demonstrate how Washington set precedent for each action he took as American Republic's new president, and compare and contrast traditions and events...
Curated OER
Wall of Philanthropists: King Day (7th)
Young scholars recognize the importance of justice, tolerance, equality, and historical figures. In this philanthropic actions lesson, students study the philanthropic actions of historical figures, and learn about the concepts of...