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Election of 1800

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The 2020 election is not the only unpredictable one in history. The Election of 1800 highlighted an unforeseen event in a presidential election. The activity reviews documents from the elections and what happened when the electoral...
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To What Extent was Reconstruction a Revolution? (Part 1)

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Some scholars consider the Civil War and Reconstruction a second American Revolution. Class members weigh in after examining primary sources, including a Congressional resolution calling for the Fifteenth Amendment and the credentials of...
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Patent Analysis: J.W. Davis and Levi Strauss's Fastening Pocket Openings

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Commonplace today, the zipper and button construction of blue jeans was a major innovation. Using the patent for the J.W. Davis and Levi Strauss innovation, individuals comb an image of the fly for clues. Afterward, they discuss its...
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Reasons for Westward Expansion

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
"Go West, young man!" is a familiar refrain in American history. But why did people leave their homes in the East to travel westward and what impact did that movement have on people already living in the American West? By examining...
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Suffragist Susan B. Anthony: Petitioning for the Right to Vote

For Teachers 3rd - 5th Standards
What is the best way to get a point across: a petition or a protest? Using primary sources, including a petition from Susan B. Anthony and a photo of a White House protest from the early 1900s, young historians examine what women did to...
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The Settlement of the American West

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What do Abraham Lincoln and the Transcontinental Railroad have in common? Using a set of primary source documents, including pictures, maps, and treaties, class members link together the common themes of expansion into the American West....
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Why Did Women Want the Right to Vote?

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
No taxation without representation may have been the battle cry of the American Revolution, but women used the same argument when demanding their right to vote in the late 1800 and early 1900s. Young historians examine petitions from...
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National Park Service

Lesson 1: Journaling with Songs of Freedom

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
There's more to music than a memorable tune. The songs of those who were enslaved reveal the harsh realities of their lives. Using both songs and slave narratives, historians uncover this hidden history. The lesson plan incorporates a...
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Analyzing Evidence of the Pearl Harbor Attack

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Don some detective caps and delve into the past to explore the evidence left behind after the attack on Pearl Harbor. An interesting activity uses primary sources to explore how the United States Navy was caught off guard and how the...
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Letter to Truman about the Manhattan Project

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Delve into the past to understand the opposition to the Manhattan Project. An interesting activity is designed to be completed in pairs, groups, or individually. Scholars analyze historical documents, complete an online worksheet, and...
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The Night Before D-Day

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Get inside the mind of General Eisenhower regarding the D-Day invasion. An interesting activity uses historical documents to highlight the differences between Eisenhower's public stance on D-Day and his private opinions. Scholars analyze...
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The School Lunch Program and the Federal Government

For Teachers 6th - 12th
The school lunch program is rooted in the struggles of the Great Depression and is still assisting families today. Academics research documents and images relating to the creation of the school lunch program. Scholars use a worksheet to...
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What Else Was Happening During the Civil War Era?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Examine a time of political division and upheaval— not unlike our own—using firsthand accounts. While study of the Civil War often takes center stage in the classroom, the 1850s and 1860s were a period of profound change in other areas...
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Patent Analysis: Joseph Glidden's Barbed Wire

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Barbed wire may have made cattle farming easier, but it brought to an end the free-roaming days of the plains. No longer could Native American groups continue their nomadic lifestyle, and the days of cowboys herding large groups of...
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The Impact of Westward Expansion on Native American Communities

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Although Westward Expansion is often romanticized, its impact was devastating on Native American communities. Primary source documents, including pictures of United States troops invading indigenous lands and Native American tribes, tell...
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The SS Quanza and European War Refugees

For Teachers 8th - 12th
World War II not only resulted in major loss of life, but it also displaced thousands of people. An eye-opening activity uses primary documents to explore the refugee crisis during World War II. Scholars compare the event to modern-day...
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Lesson Plan
National Park Service

The Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March: Shaking the Conscience of the Nation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Travel back in time to examine how tragic events can spur positive change. Scholars explore the impact of the Selma Voting Rights March, including the tragic loss of life and the later signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Academics...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Progressive Era: Muckrakers Grade 8

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
As you explore an excerpt from Upton Sinclair's The Jungle with your class, discuss how his descriptions of the meat-packing industry caught the public's attention and helped to promote change in the Progressive Era.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Rosa Parks

For Teachers 2nd
Second graders discover who Rosa Parks was and the significance of her role in Black History. Students place events in Rosa Park's life in chronological order.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Review of World History I for Lifeskills Students

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders play a Jeopardy style game to review World History. In teams, 9th graders choose a category and a value for their question. Students are given an answer, and they give the correct question to match the answer.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Nez Perce War

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
A lesson plan which combines the skills of notetaking with a history of the Nez Perce War against the United States Cavalry is here for you. Learners take notes while their instructor lectures them on the information. A quiz is given as...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Migration of the African American Family

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students investigate the influence Africa has had on African-American families as they have migrated from Africa to various sections of the United States. They utilize map skills to locate regions in Africa and in the United States.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Changing Times of The Future

For Teachers 1st
First graders share their wishes for the future and discuss changes that have taken place. They observe a puppet who describes life in the future and identifies positive and difficult challenges he may face. Individual students draw a...
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Lesson Plan
PBS

Shakespeare & The Renaissance: Activity Ideas

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Looking for ways to implement the words and works of William Shakespeare into your curriculum? This list of activity ideas is a great starting point, as it covers a wide range of grade levels and a wealth of online references to explore.

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