Smithsonian Institution
Western Indian Wars
Why do many Native Americans live on reservations? An interactive resource teaches about how reservations came to be and the tragic history behind Native Americans moving from their lands. Teenagers read passages, view images, and click...
Smithsonian Institution
Eastern Indian Wars
Many know that Native Americans were forced off their lands and moved west, but how did these people react? The Red Sticks faction of the Creek nation opted to defend themselves and their lands in a series of wars called the Eastern...
Smithsonian Institution
Mexican War
Did you know that without the Mexican War, the United States would not include the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, and even parts of Colorado? Scholars learn a variety of interesting facts about the...
Smithsonian Institution
War of 1812
Luckily for those who aren't history buffs, anyone can guess that the War of 1812 happened in ... 1812. But how to cover the rest of the story? The resource does just that with effective direct instruction that includes statistics,...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Saved from the Gallows — the Trial of Leopold and Loeb
Was justice served for Bobby Franks? An informative article about the 1924 trial of Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold includes an overview of the murder of Bobby Franks, the defense’s legal strategy, and excerpts of closing arguments from...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
The Election of 1912
The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...
American Press Institute
Newspapers in Your Life: What’s News Where?
Big news isn't necessarily newsworthy everywhere! How do journalists decide what to cover with so much happening around them? A instructional activity on media literacy examines the factors that affect the media's choice of stories to...
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Preamble to the Constitution: A Close Reading Lesson
"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union..." These familiar lines begin the Preamble to the Constitution, but do learners know what they mean? A close reading exercise takes a look at the language of the...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
One Land, Many Trails: Challenge Activities (Theme 5)
Bring history to life through literature. The first in a series of three challenge activities designed to accompany Theme 5: One Land, Many Trails does just that through unique projects connected to historical fiction and nonfiction...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
One Land, Many Trails: English Language Development Lessons (Theme 5)
English is not the only subject that requires its own set of vocabulary words—geography does too! A series of language development lessons designed to be used with Theme 5: One Land, Many Trails helps introduce readers to key vocabulary...
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
One Land, Many Trails: Extra Support Lessons (Theme 5)
Grammar, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies are all part of the journey toward understanding a text. The last in a series of three extra support lessons designed to accompany Theme 5: One Land, Many Trails provides a wealth of...
Annenberg Foundation
Curating an Exhibit
A curated exhibit at a museum has a point of view. Artifacts are selected and arranged to cause viewers to contemplate this point of view or theme. An interactive provides class members with an opportunity to create an exhibit, to curate...
Scholastic
Perfect Postcards: Illinois
Connect the geography and history of Illinois using an art-centered lesson on the railroads. The railroad connected once-distant places, particularly in the Midwest. Using research, class members create postcards of fictional cross-state...
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
What Brought Settlers to the Midwest?
Drawn by promises of fertile land, thousands of settlers poured West because of the Homestead Act of 1862. By examining images of the ads that drew them westward, learners consider the motivations for movement. They also consider how the...
Scholastic
The Rise of Railroads: Illinois
Railways not only cross the US, but they are also intertwined with the history of America. Using a timeline format, individuals explore the connections between major events in American history—such as the Civil War—and the rise of the...
Scholastic
The Rise of Railroads: California
Railways are an integral part of the history of California. Using a timeline format, class members connect major historical events to the rise of the railroads and their impact on the state. Activities include a mix of independent and...
Library of Congress
Loc: Teacher Resources
This compilation of teacher resources has useful collections of primary sources, lesson plans, themed subject overviews, and ready-to-use presentations and activities to support the study of U.S. history at all academic levels.
ibiblio
Ibiblio: Herbert Hoover
This site from ibiblio.org gives extensive biographical information on Herbert Hoover based on the collection in the Herbert Hoover Museum.
Library of Congress
Loc: The World of 1898: The Spanish American War
The Library of Congress offers this detailed history of the Spanish American War from historical papers. Includes manuscripts, maps, and illustrations, and an excellent overview essay.
Curated OER
History Matters: Many Pasts
These primary source documents are about ordinary Americans throughout US history. There is a full search feature. All the historical documents, whether they are text, image, or audio, have been vetted by a historian. They are initially...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Eyewitness to History (Lesson Plan)
Understanding the important events in United States history and being able to recognize how history affects current events are crucial skills for students. This lesson plan lets them examine and analyze important milestones through...
Library of Congress
Loc: Collections, Guides and Bibliographies: Web Guides
This series of web guides serves as a collection of resources for research into a variety of areas including the performing arts, sports, government, law, art, American history, Women's history, African American history, literature and...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: Dust Bowl Days
Seven-lesson plan collection of lessons and suggested activities for instructing early learners about the Dust Bowl using a variety of primary sources (songs, letters, photos, etc.).
Curated OER
National Park Service: Teaching With Historic Places
Lessons and activities using places on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places to enliven courses in U.S. history, U.S. geography, and U.S. government.