Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Poor People's Campaign

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners research and analyze the campaign that was conceived by Dr. Martin Luther King, The Poor People's Campaign. The concepts of poverty and cultural diversity along with the Civil Rights Movement is also covered in detail within...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The March on Washington and Its Impact

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
High schoolers read Martin Luther King, Jr's speech that he gave in Washington. They identify the social conditions that led to the civil rights movement. They discuss the significance of the March on Washington.
Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Emmett Till: Connecting the History of Lynching to The Murder

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Though the murder of Emmett Till shocked 1950's America into turning attention to the racial crimes of the South, it was far from the first time racism had erupted into violence. High schoolers examine the killing in context with the...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Emmett Till: Choosing to Remember

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Mamie Till, the mother of Emmett Till and civil rights activist, believed that her son's murder was the last straw before public outrage over racial injustice spilled over into the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. A history...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

JFK, LBJ, and the Fight for Equal Opportunity in the 1960s

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the presidencies and John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. In this American history lesson, students specifically analyze the civil rights support of the 2 presidents and their support of civil rights legislation....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In the Struggle for Equality and Justice for All

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners focus on the struggle for minorities rights. They describe the civil rights movement of the late 1950's and the 1960's. They trace the roots of the movement in the second-class treatment accorded many black Americans and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Black Separatism or the Beloved Community? Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this African American history lesson, students compare and contrast the tactics employed by Malcolm X and Martin Luther King,...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A New Birth of Freedom: Black Soldiers in the Union Army

For Teachers 6th - 10th
Students investigate the history of civil rights by viewing historical photographs.  In this U.S. history lesson, students discuss why Black Soldiers fought for their rights by joining the Union Army in the 1800's.  Students...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

City Desk with Malcolm X

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers view a film about civil rights and the role Malcolm X played in the civil rights movement. They create a timeling about the events that occured from segregation to integration. They discuss discrimination as well.
Lesson Plan
1
1
US House of Representatives

Keeping the Faith: African Americans Return to Congress, 1929–1970

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The third lesson in a unit that traces the history of African Americans serving in the US Congress examines the period from 1929 through 1970. After reading a contextual essay that details the few African Americans elected to Congress...
Lesson Plan
Facing History and Ourselves

After Charlottesville: Contested History and the Fight against Bigotry

For Teachers 9th - 12th
History doesn't always reflect all sides. Academics discover how the remembered history of the Civil War differs for White and African Americans. The lesson explores how Civil War monuments and celebrations have racist connotations for...
Lesson Plan
1
1
US House of Representatives

Permanent Interests: The Expansion, Organization, and Rising Influence of African Americans in Congress, 1971–2007

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The fourth installment of the seven-lesson unit focused on African Americans elected to and serving in the US Congress looks at the period from 1971 through 2007. Class members read a contextual essay that provides background information...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Segregation

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students consider the implications of prejudice. In this segregation lesson, students experience a simulation that has school staff favoring students with blue eyes. Students discuss the simulation experience, watch "The Eye of the...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Strange Fruit: Lynching in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
To continue their study of the Civil War, Reconstruction, and the beginning of the civil rights movement, class members watch the YouTube video of Billie Holiday singing "Strange Fruit" as an introduction to an examination of...
Lesson Plan
3
3
Alabama Department of Archives and History

"Scottsboro Boys": A Trial Which Defined an Age

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Here's a must-have resource. Whether your focus is racism, the Great Depression, the "Scottsboro Boys" trial, or part of a reading of To Kill A Mockingbird, the information contained in the seven-page packet will save hours of...
Lesson Plan
Stanford University

Beyond Vietnam

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
On April 4, 1967 Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his speech "Beyond Vietnam." The controversy that followed is the focus of a three-lesson unit that asks class members to consider the political and social implications of King's...
Lesson Plan
1
1
West Virginia Department of Education

An Act Worthy of Reward

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
John Brown is considered by many to be a martyr for abolition and civil rights. The resource covers an important event in West Virginian history, the raid by John Brown, as a standalone that discusses Brown's last words and his reaction...
PPT
Curated OER

Antebellum Revivalism and Reform

For Teachers 8th - 11th
A gold mine for American history teachers, this presentation cascades through the middle of the 19th century with the central themes of moral and social reform. Between the blossoming Mormon church, the tightening of the Temperance...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Power of Protest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students recognize the power of protest. In this civil rights lesson, students consider the success of Rosa Parks and her protest that sparked the movement. Students study the Montgomery Bus Boycott in depth and reflect on Parks's...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Afghanistan Today: Civil War and Human Rights

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the relationship between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War. They analyze the role of religion and cultural identity in shaping governments. They also examine the United States foreign policy.
Lesson Plan
1
1
Facing History and Ourselves

Emmett Till: Confronting the Murder

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The 1955 murder of Emmett Till is often regarded as the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement of the 20th century. Learn more about the brutal crime—and, as many believe, the miscarriage of justice—that began a national conversation...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Is Environmental Health a Basic Human Right?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine basic human rights as defined by the United Nations. They develop a list of rights by class consensus, read an article, answer discussion questions, and complete a worksheet.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Building a Human Rights Document

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students identify the issue of basic human rights, examine the importance of the UDHR, and compare it to United States Bill of Rights. They create a definition of human rights as a class. Students are divided into groups of four and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Picturing America: Images and Words of Hope from Romare Bearden and Langston Hughes

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A carefully crafted three-day instructional activity integrates poetry and visual art. By analyzing and comparing Langston Hughes' poem "Mother and Son" and Romare Bearden's collage "The Dove," readers explore the theme of hope. The...