Lesson Plan
Curated OER

African American Women Trailblazers

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Young scholars take a closer look at the accomplishments of African-American women. In this African-American history lesson, students explore the work of Bessie Coleman, Gwendolyn Bennett, Lulu Madison White, and Zelma Watson George as...
Unit Plan
NPR

Exploring the American Dream

For Teachers 9th - 12th
What is the American Dream? When did this term first gain popularity? Intermediate and advanced English language learners discuss the idea of the American Dream and conduct out-of-class interviews with those who immigrated to the US. On...
Lesson Plan
National Park Service

“Famous Footsteps” Teacher’s Guide

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
As part of a study of Ellis Island Immigration Station, class members assume the role of immigration service workers, investigate the dossier of an immigrant, and recommend whether or not their subject should be allowed to enter the US....
Interactive
DocsTeach

Exploring America's Diversity: Motel Garber (Beginner)

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Young detectives delve into the past in an exciting series exploring immigration. The activity uses primary sources to teach elementary scholars historical analysis. Academics read records to understand the life of Motel Garber, from...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Exploring America's Diversity: Mercedes Valle (Beginner)

For Teachers 4th - 10th
An enlightening activity focuses on the life of Mercedes Valle, an immigrant from Ecuador. Scholars analyze ships and census records to understand the life of Mercedes Valle. In addition, they participate in a group discussion and...
Lesson Plan
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Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation

How Do Pictures Tell the Story of Angel Island?

For Teachers 3rd - 12th Standards
Young historians learn more about the history of Angel Island Immigration Station through their analysis of primary source images. Guided by a list of inferential questions, scholars learn how to make and record observations on a...
Lesson Plan
US Citizenship and Immigration Services

Thanksgiving 1—Pilgrims and American Indians

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
The Pilgrims first arrived in America in order to gain religious freedom. Here is a lesson that takes the class on this journey with the Pilgrims, stopping to look at how they got here, who they met when they arrived, and a peek into...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration and the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the effects of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882. In this immigration lesson plan, 11th graders consider the impact of Chinese immigration to America as they read and discuss writings on the topic from noteworthy...
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Utopian Promise

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Scholars learn all about the Puritans in the third installment of a 16-part lesson series. After watching a video, they read and discuss biographies of Puritans and Quakers from American history, write journal entries and poetry, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Coming to America

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Through this set of three lessons about Ellis Island, class members will learn about why immigrants came to the United States, find out about the difficulties that went along with coming to America, become familiar with the immigration...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

And the Streets Are Paved With Gold

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore immigrant experience at Ellis Island, New York, at the turn of the century, and answer questions that challenge them to use thinking skills from various levels of Bloom's taxonomy.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Diversity of Filipinos in the United States

For Teachers 9th - 12th
ELLs are introduced to the experiences of Filipino immigrants to the United States. As a class, they discuss the various waves of immigration to the United States and state the reasons why they would leave the Philippines. They compare...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Nos Creemos Americanos: Braceros in History and Song

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Mexican folk songs offer an authentic look at WWII immigrant workers. This study of the U.S. Bracero Program sets historians up with context information so they can write their own corrido. The class reviews themes and formulas of...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Understanding the 1855 Census Database

For Teachers 9th - 11th
Use data from the 1855 New York census to better understand the Irish immigrant experience during the late 19th century. Young historians analyze information from the census and build three hypotheses regarding the residents of the Five...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Teaching Reading Comprehension through Social Studies Readings

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Examine how immigrants have changed the environment of the United States. Individually, middle schoolers will take a pre- and post-test to assess their reading comprehension. In groups, they compare and contrast the religions of...
PPT
Curated OER

Early 19c Industrialization in America: The Market Revolution

For Teachers 8th - 11th
Posing a question about the effects of American Industrialization, this presentation provides viewers with a comprehensive look at the 19th century. From the "Lowell Girls" to the Iron Horse, these slides would be an excellent supplement...
Lesson Plan
Carolina K-12

Early American Settlements

For Teachers 11th Standards
What brought settlers from Europe to North America? By exploring primary sources, such as posters seeking recruits for the new lands, class members take a deeper look at these motivations. To finish, they present their findings to...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Second Graders Create Their Own Social Studies Book

For Teachers 2nd
Students develop their own social studies textbook. Students gain knowledge of American immigration and Ellis Island. Students discover the process of becoming a naturalized citizen and what it means to be a citizen
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Identifying the Social and Cultural Contexts of a Time Period-The Journey of the Jewish Americans

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students discuss the experience of 19th century Jewish American immigrants.  In this US history lesson, students research the cultural, social, and economic experience of Jews who immigrated to the United States.  Students view...
PPT
Curated OER

The Brief American Pageant: The American People Face a New Century

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The political landscape of Y2K is the focus of this series of slides, which cover the later years of the 20th century. Charts detail the poverty and social welfare rates in the 20th century, as well as a pie graph displaying the sources...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changing Places

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Learners investigate the Chinese-American immigration experience. In this assimilation lesson plan, students watch "Becoming American: The Chinese Experience" and then participate in classroom activities regarding the topic. The...
PPT
National Humanities Center

Teaching The Great Gatsby: A Common Core Close Reading Seminar

For Teachers 11th - 12th
The 41 slides in a professional development seminar model how to use close reading techniques to examine the many layers of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. In addition to passages from the novel, slides provide biographical...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cuban Americans: Exiles from an Island Home

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students define the terms Hispanic and Latino and explain why most immigrants from Central and South America and teh Caribbean prefer one over the other. They define cultural identity, acculturation, and assimilation. Students explain...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chapter 35: Labor-Market Issues - Unionism, Discrimination, and Immigration

For Teachers 10th - 12th
A discussion on American unions, employment discrimination, and collective bargaining transitions into a larger conversation about the workforce. A graph that details the amount of immigrants from various countries will surely get your...

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