Curated OER
A Dream of Classic Perfection
Students look at how Greek classical art and philosophy influenced the French Revolution. In this French Revolution lesson plan, students use primary sources, Neoclassical art, to look at how they show what society was like during this...
Manchester University
Events leading to the American Revolution
The Stamp Act, Paul Revere's ride, and the Boston Tea Party pushed American colonists to the tipping point that led to the American Revolution. Fifth graders research the key figures of the war, study the Declaration of Independence, and...
Curated OER
Turning Points in the American Revolution
Fifth graders examine the causes and effects of the American Revolution. In groups, they make a portfolio page and write a response to the Proclamation of 1763. They also make a timeline of the events of the Boston Massacre and answer...
Curated OER
Marie Antoinette: The Tragic Queen
Students view a documentary on Marie Antoinette, who became a symbol of the reviled monarchy. After viewing, students discuss what they saw then create a family line of Marie Antoinette. They compare maps of Europe from her time to ours.
Curated OER
Road to Revolution (Part 3)
Students explore the road to the American Revolution. In this American history lesson, students research the events in colonial America that led to the Declaration of Independence and the American Revolution. They then create a timeline.
Curated OER
The Road to the American Revolution
Fifth graders explore the causes of the American Revolution. In this American Revolution lesson, 5th graders examine the people, places, and events that led to the outbreak of war in the colonies.
Curated OER
Sparking a Revolution!
Students investigate the causes and events that lead to the US Revolutionary War. They use a number of study techniques in this unit to discuss why the colonies wanted freedom from Britain.
Curated OER
French and Indian War
Seventh graders complete a unit on the French and Indian War. They conduct an Internet document search and use what they find to complete a document based essay about the war.
Curated OER
George Washington - A Graphic Novel
Students write and illustrate their own graphic novels. In this George Washington activity, students collaborate to research Washington's life as surveyor, his involvement in the French and Indian War as well as the American Revolution,...
Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation
Making a Patriot Inquiry: Are Independence, Freedom, and Liberty the Same Thing?
As part of a study of the American Revolution, class members engage in an inquiry-based lesson that has them watch a scene from the play Slave Spy, examine multiple primary source documents, and then discuss the similarities and...
Curated OER
The War in the South, 1778-1781
Students explore the major terms of the Franco-American alliance and their importance to the cause of independence. The most important military engagements in the South are discussed and their significance for the outcome of the war noted.
Curated OER
The Haitian Crisis: Thinking Historically
Learners analyze the 2010 earthquake's effects on Haiti. In this Economics lesson, students brainstorm the problems caused in Haiti by the earthquake. Learners listen to interviews with scholars to identify additional answers to focus...
Smithsonian Institution
Picturing George: A Pictorial Survey of the Life of George Washington
Pupils create pictorial biographies of George Washington. Working in groups, they research various portions of Washington's life, highlighting significant events. After presenting their projects to the class, they are displayed for other...
Curated OER
Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice: The Novel as Historical Source
Young scholars examine historical fiction as historical sources. In this historical fiction lesson plan, students analyze excerpts from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice as well as Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of...
Curated OER
Can't You Make Them Behave, King George?
Fifth graders describe the changes in King George III's policy toward the American colonies by sequencing key events between the French and Indian War and the American Revolution. They explain the colonial reactions to command decisions...
Curated OER
Creating Context: The Printing Press as Impetus
Tenth graders examine the invention of the Gutenberg printing press and its effect on society. In groups, they research how much the press enabled various revolutions around the globe. They also identify the causes and effects of each...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Benjamin Franklin and the Long Struggle for Independence
Young scholars explore U.S. history by reading biographical material in class. In this Benjamin Franklin lesson, students identify the life of Franklin and the events that led him to become one of America's first heroes. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Boston Spies' Report on the Redcoats
Students collect information about British actions in Boston and send it by secret message to leaders in Philadelphia.
Curated OER
Lesson 4. Killing Fields
Eleventh graders describe several of the WWI's bloodiest battles, track the battles' progression to determine advances made by leading nations, and write frontline journalistic accounts of one or more of the battles.
Curated OER
Taking Up Arms and the Challenge of Slavery in the Revolutionary Era
Students examine a series of documents which discuss the contradiction in the Americans' rhetoric about slavery. They act as members of designated Committees of Correspondence in the five different colonies, communicating their...
Curated OER
Stamp Act
Fifth graders write about the Stamp Act and pretend they are being taxed by the British and write how they feel. In this Stamp Act lesson plan, 5th graders view a taxation simulation.