Lesson Planet Curated
World Population History
Six lessons challenge 21st-century learners to interpret maps, analyze real-world data sets, and use technology such as GIS to understand key global issues. The lessons, which can be used sequentially as a unit or individually, are...
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Learn About the Dreyfus Affair
Innocent man or traitor to France? That is the question addressed in a five-lesson unit that looks at multiple interpretations of the Dreyfus Affair. As young historians examine primary sources, they also consider the bias that history...
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COVID-19 Science Lessons
A pair of presentations from National Geographic examine the science of viruses, the history of worldwide pandemics, and society's response to the COVID-19 crisis. Students first learn about the various types of viruses that exist before...
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Civil Rights and Martin Luther King Jr. Worksheets
Expand a celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday as well as Black History Month with a collection of eight worksheets that include biographical questions about Dr. Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, word searches and word...
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Center for Civic Education: Black History Month
Six lesson plans in the Black History Month collection introduce middle and high schoolers to nonviolent actions as a means to resist oppression and encourage reform. Lessons look at the Children’s March, music, and citizenship schools...
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America from Scratch
What if the people of the United States started over and, knowing what we know now about how things are working, redesigned the government created by the founding fathers? That's the central premise of the 11 resources in the American...
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Ben Across the Curriculum: High School
Benjamin Franklin: The man, the scientist, the inventor, the statesman, the legend. A 10-lesson collection introduces high schoolers to the many facets of Franklin’s character. Although developed for the International Traveling...
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What Makes Democracy Work?
Eight lessons make up a collection designed to help high schoolers make sense of an election year. Class members learn about voting rights, the importance of a free press, and civic participation. The focus is on the 2020 presidential...
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History Blueprint: The Civil War
Northerners, Southerners, and abolitionists all had a different perspective on the American Civil War. To understand these different points of view, class members analyze primary documents including speeches by Abraham Lincoln, the...
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Teaching With Laurel Grove School
The Laurel Grove school was established by freedmen and freedwomen after the United States Civil War. The school is now a museum and offers this collection of six lessons that use primary and secondary source materials to tell the story...
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Anticommunism in Postwar America, 1945–1954: Witch Hunt or Red Menace?
From allies to enemies—the post-World War II period saw a dramatic shift in the relations between the United States and the Soviet Union. A three-lesson collection examines the turbulent period and the rise of the anti-communist...
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The American War for Independence
Imagine the chances of a ragtag militia taking on the disciplined army and the majestic navy of the world’s largest empire. What were the colonialists thinking and what were their chances of success? Using primary source documents and an...
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Judicial Learning Center: Student Center
A collection of 22 interactive resources provides learners with information about the United States federal courts. The pages are divided into five sections: The role of the federal courts; The organization of the federal courts; How the...
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C-SPAN Classroom: Middle School Civics
Introduce middle schoolers to the roles and powers of the three branches of the United States government, with the 21 resources in the C-SPAN Civics collection. Sorted into the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial...
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Energy of a Nation: Immigrants in America
Immigration and immigration reform are hot button topics, now more than they have been. The Energy of a Nation curriculum is designed to dispel myths about immigrants, build empathy, and provide up-to-date facts. The 13 lessons in the...
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Standing Up for Democracy
The mission of the Standing Up for Democracy unit is to bring about “a more humane, just, and compassionate society rooted in democratic values.” These 16 lessons, built on a foundation of mutual respect, tolerance, and participation,...
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2020 Election Lesson Plans
With all the hyperbole of an election year, it can be difficult to find the facts, just the facts about candidates, issues, and ballot measures. Young political scientists, with the help of 21 resources from a nonpartisan, information...
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Life in the North and South 1847–1861: Before Brother Fought Brother
A five-resource collection looks at the complex series of events that led to the American Civil War. Using primary source documents, scholars research the social and economic issues that led to the country-fracturing conflict.
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The Crisis of American Diplomacy, 1793–1808
The tangled web of the United States’ diplomatic alliances and foreign policy during the French Revolution comes under scrutiny in a three-resource collection. Young historians examine how Great Britain and France challenged both the...
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American Diplomacy in World War II
The “Grand Alliance” between the United States, Great Britain, and the Soviet Union was established during World War II to counter the aggression of German and Japan. A four-resource collection looks at the differences in the members’...
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Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators - Middle School Edition
Rather than just talking about giving peace a chance, with the 15 resources in this collection middle schoolers learn the skills they need to become peace builders. The lessons were developed by the United States Institute of Peace...
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Peacebuilding Toolkit for Educators - High School Edition
Established by Congress, the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is a nonpartisan institution whose goal is to "increase the nation's capacity to manage international conflict without violence." The 15 USIP resources in the...
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Crash Course: Intellectual Property
Intellectual property is a whole new, fast growing field of law. The basic ideas is that non-physical property or a novel idea can be owned owned. The seven-episode collection defines intellectual property, and covers the complexity of...
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The Fed Explained
Animated videos, colorful graphics, and catchy examples help young economists gain an understanding of the Federal Reserve and its role in the Reserve System. The nine resources in the collection cover such basic economic concepts as...