Historical Thinking Matters
Social Security: 5 Day Lesson
Did the New Deal fundamentally shift the role of the American government in the economy? Your class members will examine the interpretations of various historians in answering this question, and use a variety of primary and secondary...
Curated OER
Security and Savings for All?
Students act as either Democrats or Republicans to debate plans to alter Social Security. For homework, they consider whether Social Security has become too politicized and propose their own solutions.
Curated OER
The Five W's of Tax Day
Use April 15th to teach your students the fundamentals of the American federal tax system.
Curated OER
Financial Security
Students take an economic angle on social security, working in small groups to create a reader's guide to the program and the current debate.
Foreign Policy Association
Latin America Online Lesson Plan
To understand the complexity of economic and foreign policies, class teams research a Latin American country, draft a strategic economic improvement plan for this area, and present their plan at a model economic summit.
Curated OER
Whose Neighborhood is It? Whose America is This?
Students use electronic resources to study immigration issues, analyze immigration issues dealing with security, economics, lawfulness, culture, and human rights, and discuss possible solutions. Students then express their opinions by...
Pulitzer Center
Food Insecurity
Food insecurity, whether as a result of food scarcity or a lack of nutritious food, is a growing and serious problem in the world today. After discussing the concept of food insecurity, learners listen to an NPR radio broadcast on the...
Curated OER
A Fallen Giant
Students investigate the economic concepts related to the fall of Enron in order to begin unraveling this complex scandal. They do research in small groups to identify such things as the Securities Exchange Commission.
Curated OER
The Great American Bank Robbery
Students examine the economic crisis of 2008. In this banking bailout lesson plan, students read the provided articles "Nicole Bradbury: Robo-Signer Victim," and "Bankers' Sloppy and Illegal Work." Students respond to the provided...
Humanities Texas
A President's Vision: Franklin D. Roosevelt
This poster goes well beyond any traditional worksheet in allowing learners to analyze a variety of primary source documents related to the presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Curated OER
Enduring Legacies of the New Deal
Students investigate U.S. history by listening to an economics lecture. In this U.S. government lesson, students research the "New Deal" which happened after the Great Depression. Students identify movies, books and music from the...
Curated OER
Create a Magic Lantern Show; Freed People in the Reconstruction South
Engage your scholars by having them create "magic lantern shows" inspired by the film Dr. Toer's Amazing Magic Lantern Show: A Different View of Emancipation. As they study the South's Reconstruction through primary sources, learners...
Curated OER
Turning the Tide on Trash: Marine Debris Curriculum
Six different lessons comprise this unit on marine debris. Science, language arts, social studies, and art projects make this an ideal interdisciplinary unit. The result will be well-informed future citizens who can help make a...
Curated OER
Food Insecurity in a Global World: Perspectives from Africa
Students investigate food shortages. In this global issues lesson, students examine how food scarcity issues have impacted the people of Eastern Africa. Students use the information they gather to consider how historical, political, and...
Curated OER
Is the Tassle Worth the Hassle?
Students analyze the costs of college education. In this economics lesson, students discuss the concept of opportunity cost as it relates to obtaining a college degree to secure a job.
Curated OER
"Lista Negra-The Black Lists"
Students review the history and political motivation behind the U.S. adoption of the Monroe Doctrine and how national security measures collide with the issues of due process and human rights during times of war. They learn about how the...
Curated OER
The Alien and Sedition Acts
Middle schoolers discover the conflicts that arose between the political parties over issues of foreign policy and economics. Using the Internet, they research the Alien and Sedition Acts and how they relate to the U.S. Constitution....
Curated OER
Cold War
In this Social Studies learning exercise, middle schoolers find the words related to the study of the Cold War and the answers are accessed with the button at the bottom of the page.
Curated OER
The Historical and Economic Impact of the Civilian Conservation Corps in South Carolina
Eighth graders explore the effects of the Civilian Conservation Corps. In this lesson, 8th graders use primary sources to examine how the CCC impacted North Carolina. Students will locate National Parks on a map, write a summary and...
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 African American Settlers
Go West, young man! Scholars investigate the impact of African American settlers moving to the Nebraska territory, following the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act in the mid 1800s. Using primary sources, timelines, maps, and...
Curated OER
English Perspectives
To further their understanding of the basis of the conflicts between the Pocumtucks and the English settlers, class members research the religious beliefs and attitudes of the Puritan farmers that settled in Deerfield, Ma.
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 Native Americans and Settlers
Did Western settlers receiving free land from the Homestead Act realize it wasn't really free at all? Scholars investigate the impact Western expansion had on Native American culture in the mid-1800s. They use documents, timelines, and...
Curated OER
How Do You Analyze a Corporation?
Students analyze corporation whose stock they may consider buying for the Global Stock Game (GSG).
NET Foundation for Television
1850-1874 The Kansas-Nebraska Act
How the Kansas-Nebraska Act created Bleeding Kansas is complicated—until scholars research and examine documents from the time. After completing activities that include mapping, photo, document analysis, and discussion, learners...