Curated OER
Voices: Voting Rights
Students examine the history of the right to vote in the United States. In this civics instructional activity, students research steps taken during the Civil Rights Movement to secure the rights of African Americans to vote.
Curated OER
Youth Participation in Nonviolence
Students explore the use of nonviolent resistance. In this social justice lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as the Apartheid Movement in South Africa.
Curated OER
"The Circuit" and the Civil Rights Movement
Students compare and contrast concepts of the civil rights movement to the concepts presented in the short story, "The Circuit." In groups, they sort a series of ideas written on index cards into two categories - rights and freedoms. ...
Smithsonian Institution
Resistance to School Desegregation: The Boston Busing Crisis
Despite how it sounds, Boston's busing crisis wasn't a transportation problem. Academics address the problems faced by African Americans following school desegregation and the struggle to receive equal educational opportunities. Scholars...
PBS
Ken Burns: Jackie Robinson Taking the Measure of a Man
During his first few games as the first black player in Major League Baseball, Jackie Robinson proved that he could withstand the wily curveball of Johnny Sain as well as the racial epithets shouted from opposing teams' dugouts. A short...
University of Arkansas
Individuals Making a Difference
The focus of this, the third in a five-activity unit study of human rights, is on individuals who made a difference. Billy Bowlegs, Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Fannie Lou Hamer, Michi Weglyn, and Yuri Koshiyama are some of the people class members...
Curated OER
How Music Motivates
Learners form conclusions regarding the motivational effects of music on the mind during the Civil Rights era. In this Civil Rights movement activity, students describe how music motivates, describe the motivational role in freedom songs...
Curated OER
Riding the Bus - Taking a Stand
Students identify the policy of segregation which existed in Alabama, define the legal idea of being "separate but equal," and define and describe an editorial.
Curated OER
Women's Suffrage: Their Rights and Nothing Less
Students explore women's rights. For this women's history lesson, students examine primary and secondary sources regarding the women's suffrage movement in the United States. Students compare and contrast the states' methods for...
West Virginia Department of Education
Declarations and the Quest for Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Understanding how John Brown got his inspiration from the Declaration of Independence helps learners further understand both West Virginia and United States history. The resource, a standalone, uses worksheets, discussion, and essay...
Teaching Tolerance
Jim Crow as a Form of Racialized Social Control
Just because slavery was illegal doesn't mean it went away ... Jim Crow Laws took its place. An eye-opening lesson focuses on how Jim Crow Laws were used as a form of racial social control against African Americans in the United States....
Teaching Tolerance
Mass Incarceration as a Form of Racialized Social Control
Mass incarceration: A result of a tough stance on crime or racial discrimination, you decide. Academics explore the history and reasons behind mass incarcerations in the United States and its impact on ethnic communities. The...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: June 2014
The 1960s marked a pivotal point for social and foreign policy in the United States. Using documents, such as speeches from Martin Luther King Jr. and John F. Kennedy, and authentic test prompts, class members consider the impact of this...
US House of Representatives
Objects in Time
Artifacts can be used to study people and events of the past. That's the takeaway from the fifth lesson plan in a unit study of African Americans who served in Congress. Groups select an artifact associated with a Black Congress Member...
Newseum
The Freedom to Make a Change
As part of a study of the First Amendment, young historians research instances when individuals or groups used the First Amendment to change the United State's laws or policies. Teams are each assigned a different case study. With the...
US House of Representatives
Legislative Trends and Power Sharing Among Hispanic Americans in Congress, 1977–2012
Bilingual education, voting rights, and Congressional redistricting come up often in the news. Explore these topics from another view—the perspectives of Hispanic members of Congress. Activities include an article with comprehension and...
Anti-Defamation League
The Problem We Still Live With?
Norman Rockwell's painting "The Problem We Still Live With" launches a unit study of racism in the United States and segregation in U.S. schools. In the first lesson, scholars discuss the painting, review key elements of the Supreme...
National Woman's History Museum
Women, Education, Sports, and Title IX
Title IX did more than change the face of sports in the United States. This landmark legislation also impacted women in education and politics. High schoolers examine the text of the legislation and the 2016 Senate resolution and watch...
University of Richmond
Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America 1935-1940
Redlining—or the practice of racial discrimination in housing loans—directly led to today's segregated living patterns in America. Using data from the federal Home Owners' Loan Corporation, classmates visualize the impact of policy on...
Anti-Defamation League
Building Alliances
Bystander or up-stander? The final lesson in the "Looking Back Reaching Forward" unit asks participants to consider how they can become involved in encouraging change in their school and community.
National Woman's History Museum
Dolores Huerta and the Delano Grape Strike
Few have heard of Dolores Huerta and her part in organizing the California farm workers, establishing the United Farm Workers union and orchestrating the Delano Grape strike. High schoolers consider why this powerful woman has been...
Curated OER
Martin Luther King Jr. and Christianity
Students analyze the influx of Christian principles in nonviolent resistance. In this Civil Right Movement lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Martin Luther King, Jr.'s interpretation of Christianity and the...
Pulitzer Center
China's Rising Labor Movement
Young historians will explore the complex causes and effects of industrialization in China by perusing the numerous articles included in this webpage. Throughout the resource, there are many writing and discussion prompts to help direct...
University of Virginia
Uncle Tom's Cabin: Reading the Novel
Teach the importance of context and perspective with a unit focused on Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin. The first lesson considers the role of female characters and readers, including the gender expectations of the time. The...