Curated OER
Westward Expansion and the Frontier
Students explore U.S. history by researching a historic map. In this westward expansion lesson, students discuss the mystery of the western U.S. in the early 1800's and the impact expansion had on Native Americans and agriculture....
Curated OER
The Texas Cowboy: Myth and Reality
Young scholars create "cowboy ballads" in this interactive, multi-day lesson plan. The cowboy is researched using various sources and class discussions. Students evaluate individual work at the end of the lesson plan.
Curated OER
Reconstruction and the 1868 South Carolina Constitution
Students, through lecture and group discussion, explore the American Civil War Reconstruction and how it affected the development of the 1868 Constitution of South Carolina. They discuss its impact on South Carolina even today.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Analyzing the Inaugural Address
Get high school historians to step outside their own shoes by responding to JFK's inaugural address from the perspective of a civil rights activist, a soviet diplomat, or a Cuban exile. After a class discussion about the address,...
Curated OER
Oh, Could They But Speak! The MGTV Civil War Battle Flags Project: Lesson 9, Whatever Happened to Those Flags?
Learners view the second half of the MGTV video. Students name the stages that battle flags went through. They share their thoughts with the class. Learners complete a journal write about their life and something they would like to lobby...
Curated OER
Reconstruction: "Healing Wounds, Mending Fences"
Students examine material on the Civil War Era to develop an understanding of the major issues that were resolved. This six lessons unit provides a closer glimpse into our nation's political and ethical history.
Curated OER
Rituals/traditions with Gullah religion
Sixth graders discuss some of the earliest people who lived in each region in order to comprehend how humans interacted with the environmental conditions at that time. They make connections to present-day regions including...
Curated OER
The Eiserloh Story
Students read "The Eiserloh Story" and evaluate decisions made by the government in time of war. They determine if the government violated the rights of innocent civilians. They identify the Bill of Rights and analyze each Right.
Curated OER
Have Minorities Gained Acceptance
Learners cite evidence gathered from magazines about how much Blacks are accepted into the mainstream of American life. They support their conclusions by writing an answer to an essay question.
Fairfax Public Schools
Walter Dean Myers
If you are reading works by Walter Dean Myers in your class, this resource might be worth a look. Included here are activities and discussion questions for Malcolm X: By Any Means Necessary, Somewhere in the Darkness, Scorpions, Fallen...
Curated OER
Trails to the West
Eighth graders research American history of the 1850's. In this American history lesson, 8th graders write about how different American groups looked at the idea of Manifest Destiny. Students then draw the Oregon and Santa Fe Trail.
Curated OER
Jackie Steals Home
Students draw on their previous studies of American history and culture as they analyze primary sources from Jackie Robinson and Other Baseball Highlights, 1860s - 1960s in American Memory. A close reading of two documents relating to...
Curated OER
America's Great Disasters
The most famous American disasters - natural and otherwise - of the late 19th and early 20th century are the focus of this presentation. Detailing the 1865 sinking of the USS Saldana, the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake, and the Influenza...
Curated OER
Lessons in Drama: Learning About American Political Thought
Students develop critical thinking skills so that they may produce their own written plays or music from their thoughts and feelings. They express their thoughts based on what has been presented to them over the duration of the course.
Curated OER
Whose Side Are You On?
Learners role play, persuading and staying neutral during arguments. In this viewpoint activity, students examine the viewpoints of soldiers in the Spanish-American War and role play. After a discussion, some learners try to persuade the...
Curated OER
Progression of Political Movements
Students examine the various political parties throughout history. In groups, they are given documents identifying the platforms of the parties in the 1868 election. To end the activity, they share their information with the class and...
Foreign Policy Research Institute
Understanding the Koreas
Though this resource was designed in 2005, US tension with North Korea remains a relevant topic for exploration and understanding. Unfortunately, this lecture and reading-based lesson is unlikely to engage the class. The end product is a...
Curated OER
The Homestead Act
Eighth graders analyze the Native American's viewpoint of the Homestead Act. Using one Native American group who lived in Nebraska, they write a letter to the editor of a local newspaper discussing the Homestead Act and how it affected...
Curated OER
Rosa Parks/Segregation
Students examine the role of Rosa Parks in ended segregtation in the South. Using new vocabulary, they observe the effects of segregation by being placed into different groups over a two day period. They discuss the feelings and emotions...
PBS
The Sixties: Dylan Plugs in and Sells Out
Before Woodstock, there was Newport. Get plugged in to the social changes of the 1960s with a lesson that looks at Bob Dylan's performance at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival as a symbol of the radical changes that marked the era.
Curated OER
Eisenhower's Foreign Policy
Good for setting the context for 20th century foreign policy issues, these slides describe key points in Latin America, the Middle East, the Far East, and Europe. US or World History classes will appreciate the concise list on each...
Curated OER
Evaluating the "Save the Indian" Reforms
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...
Curated OER
Myths of the Wild West
Students examine the Wild West as it was depicted in films and books. In groups, they compare this information to what it was really like as they find out in books. They also discover the role of the Native Americans in the Wild West...
Curated OER
Women’s History
Students examine the "Cult of Domesticity." In this women's history lesson, students visit the specified Web sites to engage in research related to the characteristics that were thought to represent true womanhood as well as information...