Curated OER
Sam Cooke - Lesson 1
Students identify the impact of the social injustices and Civil Rights movement on Cooke's life and career. They create lyrics to a familiar song that express a personal struggle or concern.
Curated OER
Martin Luther King, Jr.
In this online interactive history worksheet, students respond to 10 short answer and essay questions about the accomplishments of Martin Luther King, Jr. Students may check some of their answers on the interactive worksheet.
Student Handouts
Letter from Birmingham Jail
Analyze an abridged version of Martin Luther King Jr's "Letter from Birmingham Jail." Class members read the excerpt and respond to four provided questions, which focus on the content provided. Consider taking the time to read the entire...
Curated OER
Who’s Got Rights? An Introduction to Human Rights and Human Rights Defenders
Students explore human rights issues. In this social justice instructional activity, students examine human rights as they read segments of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," discuss photographs with human rights implications,...
Curated OER
From Jim Crow To Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953
Students examine African American issue between the years 1897 and 1953. In this African American history lesson, students research the social, economic, and political conditions of African Americans during the aforementioned time span...
Curated OER
Breaking the Code: Actions and Songs of Protest
Students listen to and discuss the purpose of protest music. They analyze an editorial cartoon related to Jim Crow and read questions from the literacy tests given to African-Americans. They work together to write a song about the...
National Endowment for the Humanities
A Raisin in the Sun: Whose "American Dream"?
How does Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun factor into a discussion of the American dream? High schoolers define the American dream and recognize the historical setting of the play. Additionally, they identify...
Curated OER
Children's March Teacher's Guide, Activity 6
Students see the role that different genders played in the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham. They explain how popular culture influences them.
Curated OER
Return South Migration Lesson Plan
Students study the reasons so many immigrants returned to the South following the Civil Rights Movement. They examine how the former slaves influenced the cultural life in the Northern cities.
Curated OER
Harriet Tubman Warns "Kill the Snake Before It Kills You"
Harriet Tubman developed a rich extended metaphor for slavery and the imperative for Lincoln to abolish it in this dictated letter from 1862. Young historians read the original document and interpret Tubman's allegory with a pair of...
Curated OER
Lesson: Emory Douglas: Art and Activism
Visual literacy can be experienced in many different ways. Learners discuss the times, graphic art, and cultural significance of activism in art as they explore artist and Black Panther, Emory Douglas. This is a discussion-based lesson...
US House of Representatives
Congresswomen in an Age of National Crises, 1935–1954
Class members investigate congresswomen and the role these senators and representatives played in congress during the period from 1935–1954.
Curated OER
Marriage Equality: Different Strategies for Attaining Equal Rights
Young scholars examine gays rights issues in the United States. In this gay marriage instructional activity, students investigate how people have made their cases before the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of...
Center for History Education
Speaking Up and Speaking Out: Exploring the Lives of Black Women During the 19th Century
Young historians investigate the often-hidden history of free and enslaved African American women before the Civil War. Using a collection of primary and secondary sources, including speeches, diaries, and poems, they evaluate the often...
Center for History and New Media
Growing Up in a Segregated Society, 1880s–1930s
What did segregation look like in the beginning of the 20th century? Middle and high schoolers view images of segregated areas, read passages by Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. DuBois, and come to conclusions about how the influence of...
Novelinks
The Color of Water: Concept Analysis
Considering using James McBride's autobiography/memoir The Color of Water with your class? Check out this seven-page informational packet that includes background information on McBride, the organization pattern of the book, and...
Curated OER
All Access Spotlight: U2
Young scholars listen to songs from the group U2 to examine civil rights issues.
Curated OER
Eyes Worldwide on the Prize
Students examine Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech and see how it has been produced in China by reading an online article. They study discrimination in the world and write responses to the speech.
Curated OER
Fight For Your Right - Leading A Revolution of Change
High schoolers examine civil rights. In this civil rights lesson, students research human rights issues of United States history. High schoolers then discuss their research findings and write Bill of Rights statements for the topics they...
Curated OER
King's Dream Revisited
Students investigate the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They complete a Webquest, listen to an excerpt from a speech, take an online quiz, answer discussion questions, and read newspaper articles about current...
Curated OER
Role of Citizens in Montgomery Bus Boycott
Students consider the role of average Americans in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. In this Civil Rights lesson, students listen to a lecture that outlines the details of the boycott. Students conduct further research about the people who led...
Curated OER
Children's March Teacher's Guide, Activity 6
Young scholars explore the role of gender in the Civil Rights Movement. In this Children's March lesson, students watch "Mighty Time: The Children's March" and respond to the provided discussion questions that accompany it. Young...
Curated OER
Discrimination and the Struggle for Equality: African Americans in Professional Baseball: A Reflection of the Civil Rights Movement
Students develop the ability to research individuals and summarize the basic information on that person's life. They design a logo and graphic setting for a particular set of cards and create a set of trading cards of Negro League...
Curated OER
Thurgood Marshall Makes a Difference
Students find information about the life and legal career of Thurgood Marshall, including the NAACP and its causes. They comprehend the issues and context of the Brown v. Board of Education case that Marshall argued before the U.S....