Should land be redistributed to former slaves after the Civil War? This essential question guides a lesson on the Reconstruction Era, as learners analyze primary sources (linked), recording responses on a worksheet (linked). To model the...

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...

The era after the Civil War saw a flourishing of African Americans exercising their rights. Using graphic organizers and Internet research, pupils consider the legacy of Benjamin Sterling Turner, who sat in Congress. Afterward, they...

Fourth graders investigate the Civil War by researching the state of Virginia.  In this US History lesson plan, 4th graders identify Abraham Lincoln, James Chestnut and Fort Sumter, and discuss their roles in the start of the Civil...

Students examine the topics of the Freedman's Bureau and labor contracting. They analyze the economic conditions in Alabama after the Civil War. They draw conclusions about the problems with sharecropping.

Learners use films to identify the characteristics of a good parent. In groups, they research the different types of parenting methods used during colonial times, the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement. As a class, they develop...

Eighth graders study the ratification of the 14th Amendment and the Plessy v. Ferguson decision.  In this US History lesson plan, 8th graders read excerpts from the Brown v. Board of education decision.  Students investigate...

Student learn about the historical significance and local history of Charlestown SC. Students begin with lectures, notes, coloring books and culminate with historical building visits.