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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Step Eight: Positions, Please!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Everyone sees the results of public policy, but not everyone understands the strategy that goes into creating an effective one. Now that your class understands the brainstorming process from earlier in the series, they continue on to the...
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Step Seven: Brainstorm A-Brewin'

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Brainstorming—the art of coming up with endless ideas. Pupils brainstorm how to solve local problems in their counties and eventually narrow their ideas down to one solution as a team.
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Lesson Plan
iCivics

Step Five: All about Public Policy

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Public policy is important to understand because it affects everyone. The resource tells middle schoolers how the government uses policy to accomplish goals in the administration. It includes a reading, true or false worksheet, a...
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Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

If Men Were Angels: Teaching the Constitution With the Federalist Papers

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Much like the methods of group work, the writers of the Federalist Papers worked together to advocate for their viewpoints against the anti-federalists. The resource enables learners to break into small groups and conduct research before...
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

Students’ Response to 9/11—A Documentary Report

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Young historians research the devastating attacks of 9/11 and use that information to script their own documentaries. The follow-up activity includes recording the documentary and conducting classmate interviews, 
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Lesson Plan
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Smithsonian Institution

The Soldier’s Experience—Vietnam versus World War I

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The Vietnam War and World War I were two very important—and different—wars. To understand the differences, and similarities, class members watch videos, examine primary source documents, and then create a newscast that examines the...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Smithsonian Institution

Lexington and Concord: Historical Interpretation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Learners view and analyze three different images related to the Battle of Lexington and Concord. They also answer a variety of questions in a graphic organizer to help keep the information straight.
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Lesson Plan
1
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Smithsonian Institution

Two Perspectives on the Battle of Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Learners understand why historians conduct research and the importance of perception when it comes to studying history. The resource covers The Wars of Expansion and the Battle of Little Bighorn/Greasy Grass through group work, debate,...
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Lesson Plan
Federal Reserve Bank

The Story of the Federal Reserve: Middle School Lesson Plan

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
After reading the charming cartoon about the United States Federal Reserve, pupils often need to complete activities to retain their learning. The resource does a wonderful job of using class discussion and various written exercises to...
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Lesson Plan
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Hometown Heroes

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Transform studying about veterans in a textbook to personal interviews with veterans in the community. Four varying lesson plans make up an entire unit or individualized learning based on your class's needs. Exercises include researching...
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Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Middle Years (Part 3)

For Students 5th - 7th Standards
How did Abraham Lincoln begin to change the minds of American citizens? Join him in his quest with a reading passage about Lincoln's experiences as a congressman and public denouncement of slavery. The resource contains reading...
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Interactive
Mr. Nussbaum

Abraham Lincoln Reading Comprehension—The Middle Years (Part 1)

For Students 5th - 7th
Learn more about Honest Abe with an informative passage that details his life chronologically. As learners read sections of the text, they answer multiple choice questions that draw on their ability to recall details from the passage.
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Lesson Plan
1
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Montana State University

Ice in Action

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Make your own bite-size glacier! A resource teaches about the formation and melting of ice. Activities include videos, a hands-on activity where your pupils build glaciers, and a photographic analysis to teach individuals the chilling...
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Lesson Plan
1
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Montana State University

What's the Weather?

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
How many jackets do you need to stay warm and climb Mount Everest? An informatie resource covers the topic of Mount Everest, the resource helps young scientists discover the difference between climate and weather. Activities include...
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Lesson Plan
2
2
PBS

Women's History: Parading Through History

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Want to teach your pupils about debate, effective speech techniques, propaganda, and the women's movement? The first in a sequential series of three, scholars analyze real propaganda images from the the historic women's movement, view a...
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Activity
Novelinks

Words by Heart: Question Answer Relationship

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Even though readers investigate matters of the heart, this activity promotes the inner workings of learners' brains. The fifth lesson of six has the teacher first model the strategy to the class before having small groups practice. To...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

The Goals of the March on Washington

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Who else had a dream other than Martin Luther King, Jr.? Pupils explore civil rights leaders in a fourth lesson out of a series of five about people who paved the way to freedom for African Americans. The inquiry-based unit has your...
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Unit Plan
Roald Dahl

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

For Teachers 3rd - 7th Standards
The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory unit is a golden ticket for teachers looking for nicely written plans. Elementary and middle schoolers draw their impressions of characters, design and market their own candy creations, and use...
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Lesson Plan
National History Day

Helping Life and Aiding Death: Science, Technology, and Engineering at Work during World War I

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Science, engineering, and United States history? Pupils research collections of artifacts from the Smithsonian to learn about historical scientific innovations. At the end of the lesson, they write an essay to discuss technology's...
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Lesson Plan
National History Day

“War Is Hell. We Know it Now.” American Soldiers in the Meuse-Argonne Offensive

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Understanding the soldier's experiences during World War I sometimes takes a newscast. Learners see the importance of understanding multiple points of view with a newscast project surrounding the Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Compare and...
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Lesson Plan
National History Day

“The Art of War”: Trench Art of World War I

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Teach pupils how veterans used art to deal with PTSD and shell-shock from trench warfare during World War I. Scholars use graphic organizers, a cartoon analysis sheet, and their own inferences to analyze primary source art work by veterans.
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Lesson Plan
National History Day

Uncovering a World at War

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Has media always had an influence on public policy? After researching and reading news articles written during World War I, learners understand the influence of communication and media. They discuss articles in small groups and as a...
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Lesson Plan
National History Day

No More Sticks and Stones: Technological Advancements in World War I Warfare

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Remind young historians that many technological advancements influenced the events of World War I. After analyzing technology's evolution through primary sources, discussing the changes over time, and watching various video clips,...
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Lesson Plan
National History Day

World War I Propaganda: Targeting all Americans to Join the War Effort

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Is propaganda from World War I any different than the propaganda of today? Class members learn about the effectiveness of advertising and its influence on American's behavior. Activities include a propaganda think sheet, assessments of...