Albert Shanker Institute
Making the Case for Equality: A Comparison
Martin Luther King Jr's " I Have a Dream" speech and Atticus Finch's closing argument during the trial of Tom Robinson both address the societal need to overcome racism. After examining the rhetorical devices and figurative language used...
US House of Representatives
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
Groups select a photograph from one of the four eras of African Americans in Congress and develop a five-minute presentation that provides background information about the image as well as its historical significance. The class compares...
ABCya
Martin Luther King Word Search
Reinforce key terms surrounding Martin Luther King, Jr. with a helpful online word search. Class members choose a small (easier) or big (harder) version and search for words like freedom, leader, and equality.
US House of Representatives
Black Americans in Congress Speak Their Mind
To conclude their study of Black Americans in Congress, groups select a statement made by one of the Members, examine the Member's profile on the provided link, and create a display that includes state represented, years of service, an...
Curated OER
The Civil Rights Movement in Kentucky
Eleventh graders examine how current race relations in their town compare to those of the 1960's.
Curated OER
American Civil War
Eighth graders read a collection of stories about the Civil War. Based upon their readings, they perform various activities to reinforce facts about the Civil War. Students create time lines, maps and reports about the war. They...
Curated OER
How Women Got the Vote: The Story of Carrie Lane Chapman Catt
Students participate in a simulation and compare and contrast the arguments for and against womens' right to vote. In this civil rights instructional activity, students simulate disenfranchisement of women by allowing only half of the...
Curated OER
A Time for Justice
Students explain the protections and privileges of individuals and groups in the United States.
Curated OER
The Sixties Protests and Social Change
Students identify, examine and analyze photographs of the sixties to determine the forces of social change at work in America during this decade. They determine the goals of each movement and the methods used by each to achieve those goals.
Curated OER
Thoreau, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Students explore the concept of non-violent resistance. In this political philosophies activity, students study the political tactics of Mohandas Gandhi, Henry David Thoreau, and Martin Luther King, Jr. in order to discover how each of...
Curated OER
Nativist and Racist Movements in the U.S. and their Aftermath
Students examine the nativist and racist movements in the history of the United States. In groups, they analyze the reactions of religious and ethnic groups to these movements and create a chart to compare the goals of each group. To...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Revolution '67, Lesson 1: Protest: Why and How
To some people, protesting is as American as apple pie, but the factors that lead to protests can be as confusing to veteran activists as to today's youth. Revolution '67 explores the riots in Newark, New Jersey as a case study. ...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Revolution '67, Lesson 2: What Happened in July 1967? How Do We Know?
Even in a world in which dozens of participants and curious onlookers record every controversial event, the basic facts of what happened are often in dispute. Revolution '67, Lesson 2 explores 1967 Newark, New Jersey using an examination...
PBS
The Sixties: Hitsville USA
James Jamerson. You probably heard him but may not have heard of him. But fans of Motown Records will certainly recognize his contributions to the sound that desegregated popular music during the 1960s. Challenge young history...
Center for History and New Media
The Impact of the Jim Crow Era on Education, 1877–1930s
Even though American slaves were officially emancipated in 1865, the effects of slavery perpetuated throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. Middle and high schoolers learn about the ways that discrimination and the Jim Crow laws...
Curated OER
From Jim Crow To Linda Brown: A Retrospective of the African-American Experience from 1897 to 1953
Students examine African American issue between the years 1897 and 1953. In this African American history lesson, students research the social, economic, and political conditions of African Americans during the aforementioned time span...
Curated OER
Just-Us and Kindness: A Voice for Children: King Day
Eighth graders investigate philanthropy. In this service learning lesson, 8th graders read human rights literature and use information gleaned to discuss children's rights around the world. Students discuss scenarios meant to prompt...
Curated OER
Equality: Are Some More Equal than Others?
Students research a person who has been active in supporting human rights around the world. They simulate an international conference and write a newsletter focused on human rights in a specific country.
Curated OER
Big Words
Students discover philanthropy. For this philanthropic lesson, students read Martin's Big Words and explore voluntarily being nice to people. Students discover how they may perform acts of service for others. Extension activities are...
Curated OER
The Power of Protest
Young scholars explain how Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man. They discuss how her actions were heroic and how they affected the civil rights movement. They reflect on the instructional activity in journal entries.
Curated OER
Apartheid and Segregation
Learners view a television program that depicts the history South African Apartheid and the United States' system of segregation. They discuss how laws were used to uphold these institutions and compare and contrast racism and...
Curated OER
Inventors & Trailblazers
Students are introduced to a groups of African American inventors. In groups, they research the role of each person in improving different industries. They also examine the barriers African Americans faced from the Civil War to the...
Curated OER
Say It Loud!: A Celebration Of Black Music In America
Students examine the role music played in African American history and research events of the Civil Rights movement.
Curated OER
Go Animate the 20th Century!
Students create animations to match their social studies. in this 20th century lesson, students work in groups to read and present to their classmates World War I, World War II, The Great Depression, The Space Race, or the Civil Rights...