Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. History: The Second Great Migration

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the migration of rural African Americans to northern cities following World War !!. After predicting the effects of cultural and economic factors, they write essays explaining the impact of migration on communities and...
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Immigration: Why Come to the United States?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Don't limit your curriculum to texts! Young historians listen to a song, read an interview, and examine a cartoon as they explore motivations for immigrating to the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

History of Immigration From the 1850s to the Present

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The Statue of Liberty may embrace the huddled masses of the world, but has American society always joined in? After young historians read a passage about the history of American immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Assembling a Story

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students observe, discuss, and interpret Radcliffe Bailey's work, By the River. They create personal narratives of people who came to the U.S. during the 18th or 19th century.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Buffalo Soldiers

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders explore the role of the buffalo soldiers in the United States Army during the nineteenth century conflict along the frontier with the Indian tribes. They discuss the social change represented by African Americans serving...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Kent School and the George W. Watkins School:

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers research the U.S. Supreme Court case that forced the integration of public schools and meet the individuals who experienced segregation, fought to dismantle the institution, and integrated the public school system of New...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

"Go West, Young Man!"

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine reasons why people migrated west. They describe how the geography of the U.S. changed in the 19 th century and design a PowerPoint presentation to convey factors for westward expansion.
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Ellis Island—The “Golden Door” to America

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Are you one of the 100 million Americans whose ancestors passed through the doors of Ellis Island? Learn about the historic entry point for immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with an informative reading passage. After...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln's Spot Resolutions

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Learners examine the controversy and varying points of view leading up to the 19th century Mexican War. They research examples of anti-war movements throughout history and write editorials about their findings.
Lesson Plan
TCI

Picking Rusty Gold: Why Do People Buy and Sell Antiques?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Your historical sleuths will work to research the in-depth history of chosen artifacts and will use their research to design a fictional advertisement for an early 20th century item.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The President and the Press ~ FDR's First Press Conference: March 1933

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students consider that many presidential aides now speak "off the record," in essence conveying a message from the president. They examine why most Presidents have fewer press conferences the deeper they get into their terms of office.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Emerald Necklace: Boston's Green Connection

For Teachers 7th - 12th
This lesson could be used in U.S. history, social studies, and geography courses in units on urban expansion in the late 19th century or city planning.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diplomatic Misunderstandings: Indian Treaties and the Black Hawk War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine and discuss the U.S./Native American treaty process of the early 19th century. They write essays describing the events behind the 1804 and 1816 treaties, and their assessment of U.S. diplomatic interactions with the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Impact of the Railroad on Western Settlement

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders utilize a painting to explore the effects of the railroads on the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They discover how art can reflect the mood and spirit of the time in which they are created.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Evaluating the "Save the Indian" Reforms

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the policies of the "Save the Indian" reforms. Working in groups, they review the motives, methods, and effects of the "Save the Indian" campaign of the late 19th century. Through discussion and writing, they form an...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Great Migration: Two American Tales

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students compare and contrast experiences of European immigrants and African American migrants in U.S. cities. After examining the topic, they write essays evaluating the differences and similarities of the groups' experiences.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Glidden's Patent Application for Barbed Wire

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students discuss the invention of barbed wire and how it affected various groups of peoples in the U.S. after its invention.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Literature - The American Dream: Past, Present, and Future

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students are introduced to the ideas of the American Dream at the turn of the century. They present their ideas on the American Dream at the turn of the century through a person characterized in Edgar Lee Masters' Spoon River Anthology.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Treaty Trail: US Indian Treaty Councils in the Northwest

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research and examine primary sources concerning the Washington Territory. In this Native American removal lesson, students view portrait images created by Gustav Sohon. Students then read several biographies that correspond to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First American Party System: A Documentary Timeline of Important Events (1787-1800)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct research on the events of the end of the 18th century in order to identify critical factors leading to the development of the Federalist and Democratic-Republican political parties. They summarize the key positions of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving/Coast Guard Station

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students complete a variety of activities that go along with the study of and possible field trip to the Little Kinnakeet Lifesaving/Coast Guard Station on the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Orphan Trains

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use readings and discussion to investigate the 19th century practice of Orphan Trains - sending U.S. urban orphans from the East to the Midwest in hopes of procuring them a home. They focus on the concept of social trade-offs.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson on Superlatives

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Middle schoolers practice basic Internet navigation skills, find and summarize information on a Web site, and explore tenement life in the 19th and early 20th Century.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Change During the Progressive Era

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Young scholars analyze the passage of the 16th through 19th amendments during the Progressive Era around the turn of the century. Using research skills, they write papers and create portfolios supporting and opposing the adoption of...