Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Need for Reconstruction: Devasation and Liberation in the South

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders examine the amount of destruction in the South following the Civil War. They explore the reasons why Reconstruction was needed.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters from the Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Students examine letters of Japanese-American children during internment in World War II. They discover what it was like in the camps and how they were treated once they were released. They also view photographs of the camps.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

American Justice on Trial

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Young scholars role play a trial in which they consider if the United States government violated the rights of Japanese Americans after Pearl Harbor.
Lesson Plan
Mississippi Whole School Initiative

Dream Big...With Your Eyes Wide Open

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
For many people, Barack Obama's presidency was the next step in Martin Luther King, Jr's dream of America's future. Explore the dreams of Americans past and present, as well as the young Americans in your class, with a set of activities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cultural Impact of Jim Crow Laws and the Civil Rights Movement

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students examine the Jim Crow laws and how they impacted the lives of both African Americans and white Americans. They discuss the Civil Rights Movement and how their lives may have been different had it not occurred. Groups...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African-American Participation in Wars and Conflicts

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Young scholars research the enlistment of African Americans, including particular divisions and individuals, in different conflicts. They, in groups, research past American military conflicts, and report on the experience of African...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Whitman and Lincoln

For Teachers 4th - 12th
Learners determine if Lincoln and Whitman ever met and write a dialogue between the two men. In this Whitman and Lincoln lesson, students read Whitman's poem "Beat! Beat! Drums!" and connect it to the events of Lincoln's presidency....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Noncombatancy and the Seventh ­day Adventist Church

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Upper graders investigate how the Seventh Day Adventists are objectors to the practice of war. The lesson covers the Civil War and examines the church's position about the practice of war. The research extends to modern wars and learners...
Lesson Plan
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University of California

Containing Communism Abroad

For Teachers 11th Standards
Learn more about the policy of the United States to contain communism during the Cold War. The fifth installment of an eight-part series looks at primary and secondary materials about a challenging time in history. After analyzing the...
Lesson Plan
PBS

The Meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The Fourteenth Amendment was extremely important to civil rights and is a crucial one to remember. The resource teaches about the Supreme Court decisions related to the amendment through writing exercises, reading, and working in small...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln's Political Theology

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students continue to examine the events of the Civil War. Using primary source documents, they identify how Lincoln's religious beliefs affected the decisions he made during this time period. They discuss the meaning of his "Meditation...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Recruitment

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders analyze and then draw recruitment posters.  In this Revolutionary War lesson, 5th graders analyze recruitment posters and discuss the attitude towards African Americans.  Students analyze primary documents from...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lincoln's Reconstruction Plan

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars explore Lincoln's Reconstruction plan. In this Reconstruction lesson, students examine Lincoln's speeches and writings on bringing the country back together following the war.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A Hero Betrayed: The Presidency of Ulysses S. Grant

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils analyze the career of Ulysses S. Grant. In this Grant presidency lesson, students listen to their instructor present a lecture regarding the details of Grant's presidency. Pupils respond to discussion questions regarding the...
Lesson Plan
1
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University of Arkansas

Individuals Making a Difference

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The focus of this, the third in a five-activity unit study of human rights, is on individuals who made a difference. Billy Bowlegs, Dr. Sun Yat Sen, Fannie Lou Hamer, Michi Weglyn, and Yuri Koshiyama are some of the people class members...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Checks and Balances: Japanese-American Incarceration

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students examine the three branches of the Federal Government and their decision to place Japanese-Americans in camps during World War II. They analyze debates made by leaders during this time period.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Johnny Tremain

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students study the Revolutionary War. In this colonial America instructional activity, students read Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. Students discuss chapter 1 as they respond to the provided discussion questions.
Lesson Plan
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Historical Thinking Matters

Rosa Parks: 5 Day Lesson

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
What led to the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and how might historians approach this question differently? This rich series of lessons includes a short introductory video clip, analysis of six primary source documents, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Japanese Internment

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders read about and discuss the Japanese Internment of World War II. In this Japanese Internment lesson, 11th graders examine the Japanese Internment. They talk about the civil rights aspect, how they would deal with being...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Brave New World

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students view a video about the effects of World War II on the map of Europe. They discuss the video and answer questions. They work together to identify accomplishments that best represent American culture.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Views of the American West: True or False?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explain that a landscape painting may or may not accurately represent a specific place. They identify techniques that create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat surface.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing the economic, political, social, and cultural transformation of the United States since World War II

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine political issues in the United States between 1936 and 2000. In this American history instructional activity, 11th graders study the economy, education, government, civil rights, and sports of this time period....
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Letters from the Japanese American Internment

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students make deductions about life in an internment camp by reading and comparing letters written to Clara Breed. Along the way, they consider the advantages of looking at a historical event from the multiple points of view of...
Lesson Plan
Albert Shanker Institute

Economic Causes of the March on Washington

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Money can't buy happiness, but it can put food on the table and pay the bills. The first of a five-lesson plan unit teaches pupils about the unemployment rate in 1963 and its relationship with the March on Washington. They learn how to...