Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Date Which Will Live In Infamy

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students use President Franklin D. Roosevelt's radio address following the attack on Pearl Harbor as a primary source to explain American reaction following the attacks. They explain how different Americans reacted to FDR's call for war.
Lesson Plan
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WWI Through the Film, Foot Soldiers

For Teachers 9th - 11th
If your historians are watching the History Channel documentary, Foot Soldiers during their WWI unit, this plan has some simple recall questions and one referential/debate question ("What was the worst part of the war?") to ask after...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigrants Welcome?

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders examine the world after the end of World War II. In groups, they complete a Naturalization Review Board activity and discuss how immigrants changed the United States. As a class, they discover how the immigration policies...
Lesson Plan
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Entering the World Stage

For Teachers 8th - 11th
For this American imperialism worksheet, students review a chapter as they define 5 vocabulary terms in their own words, eliminate 4 false statements, and identify 2 themes from this era of growth and challenge in America.
Lesson Plan
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The Cold War and Development of Post-War America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars view examples of political advertisements during the years of 1952 through 1964. After viewing, they discuss how the Cold War and the threat of Communism affected the development of the United States. They compare the Cold...
Lesson Plan
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Introduction to the Cold War

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students explore the correlation between the Cold War and the Domino Theory.  In this history lesson, students watch a short video that exhibits the domino effect, then divide into small groups, each representing an assigned...
Lesson Plan
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World War Ii - Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 9th
Ninth graders determine that nationality is not defined by race, especially in the United States. They group into teacher created dyads with eight pictures. Four pictures are of American citizens (multiracial representations), and...
Lesson Plan
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Civil War: Generals at the Battle of Stones River

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students explore U.S. history by creating a computer presentation in class. In this Civil War battle lesson plan, students read assigned text about the Battle of Stones River and research individual generals from the battles. Students...
Lesson Plan
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Spanish-American War

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils view a video called Battling Beyond the Borders about the Spanish-American War. They discuss the role of newspapers in the war and then analyze political cartoons of the time, writing explanatory sentences about them.
Lesson Plan
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Why the US Fought and Lost the Vietnam War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the role of the United States in the Vietnam War. For this Vietnam War lesson, students research primary and secondary sources to find out why the United States was involved in the war and why it was unsuccessful in the...
Lesson Plan
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Korean War

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students identify and interpret general information about the Korean War, including important dates, terms, events, and participants. They also identify what the Cairo Declaration was and what military forces, political forces, and...
Lesson Plan
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Land of the Rising Guns?

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the decision after World War II of Japan's to follow a policy of pacifism. After reading an article, they identify the ways Japan is strengthening its military. They watch a video to discover how their Constitution was...
Lesson Plan
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Lesson III: Crisis, Pearl Harbor, Internment

For Teachers 9th - 11th
The third in a series of lessons introduced by “A Fence Away From Freedom,” uses the Smithsonian website, “A More Perfect Union: Japanese Americans and the U.S. Constitution” and focuses on the section of the presentation devoted to the...
Lesson Plan
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Auschwitz Episode Guide: Surprising Beginnings

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine how the Nazis came to power and living conditions at Auschwitz. They watch and discuss a PBS documentary, read and discuss handouts, analyze a Pyramid of Hate, and assign experiences in their own lives to different...
Lesson Plan
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Life Prior to Kristallnacht (1933-1938)

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students research the way of life of the Jews before Kristallnacht. Using new vocabulary and resources, they discover how carefree life was before the days of discrimination and antisemitism. In groups, they create a timeline of the...
Lesson Plan
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Dropping the Atomic Bomb The Decision That Defined a Presidency.

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine historical evidence regarding the atomic bomb. In this Truman presidency instructional activity, students research images and documents about the use of the bomb in Japan. Students write position papers that identify...
Lesson Plan
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Out of the Dust: Visions of Dust Bowl History Lesson Overview

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students complete activities with the book Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse. In this literature lesson, students read this story and view the Dust Bowl history from the eyes of a child. They discover the Great Depression and life in...
Lesson Plan
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Pictures from Korea: Shards of an Almost Forgotten Past

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore the Korean War through photography. In this Korean War lesson plan, students examine photographs taken by a soldier and respond to question about them.
Lesson Plan
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Remember the Bridge: Poems of a People

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore poems of African Americans. They research a famous African American, write a report, create a timeline of events in African American history, create a map of the New World, and research Molly Walsh. After...
Lesson Plan
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Fallout

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view a short film about the results of dropping the atomic bomb at the end of World War II. They research controversies surrounding the use of the bomb and nuclear weapons. They write two editorials about the issue.
Lesson Plan
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Venn Diagram: Maine And the U.s.

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students compare and contrast major events in U.S. histroy using a Venn diagram. They focus on how the events affected their state and the country as a whole. Events expolred include World War I, the Great Depression, Prohibition, the...
Lesson Plan
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Defining Moments From the Past: Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students conduct a mock Congressional Hearing to decide whether or not Japanese Americans who were sent to internment camps during World War II should be provided financial restitution. They research and create a time line of events...
Lesson Plan
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WW II Historical Pop-Up Page

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research and chart events associated with World War II from 1935-1945 using a data retrieval chart in order to list in chronological order important dates and events with accuracy. Each student create a Historical Pop-Up Page.
Lesson Plan
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The History of Ethanol in America

For Teachers 6th
Sixth graders explore and examine the production of biofuels from the 1850's to the present. Included in their research is Henry Ford, ethanol, World War I and prohibition. They explain the importance of grains and grasses for the...