Curated OER
Mastering the Document-Based Essay Question
Students use a primary source document from the Civil War period of history in order to derive meaning for an essay question. The essay is based completely on the document with no other research to support the content.
Curated OER
Geology and the Battle of Gettysburg
Students create geologic maps of the Gettysburg battlefield. In this geologic skills lesson, students consider the variations of Earth's surfaces and explore strategies employed by the North and South in the Battle of Gettysburg to...
Curated OER
The Battle of Gettysburg
Eighth graders participate in a basketball game that involves taking on the roles of Union and Confederate armies. In two teams, each wearing either gray or blue fabric strips, they attempt to capture their opponents and free their own...
Curated OER
Tolerance Quilt
Fifth graders read stories about giving and poverty and discuss why it is important to give to others. In this giving lesson plan, 5th graders make quilts to give to those in need.
Middle Tennessee State University
John Brown: Hero or Villain?
"Love it or leave it." "You're either for us or against us." Rhetoric and it's polarizing effects are the focus of a instructional activity that uses John Brown's attack on Harper's Ferry as an exemplar. Groups examine primary source...
Oklahoma State Department of Education
Narrative Prompt
Reading about history is nothing like experiencing it firsthand. Encourage your eighth graders to do the next best thing with a historical narrative prompt, in which they describe the experience of a first-time traveler on the...
Federal Judicial Center
Amistad and Dred Scott—a Comparative Activity
What do slaves fighting for their freedom on board a ship and a slave fighting for his freedom in a courtroom have in common? Budding historians investigate the two different cases of the Amistad slave revolt and the Dred Scott argument....
National Wildlife Federation
Yesterday: Our Energy Needs Over Time
How has our relationship to energy changed over time? An engaging exploration challenges learners to create a timeline showing human energy needs and uses over time. Scholars review what timelines are, choose a 50-year period in history...
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
Attitudes Toward Emancipation
Students evaluate the provisions of the Emancipation Proclamation. They trace the stages that led to Lincoln's formulation of this policy. Explore the range of contemporary public opinion on the issue of emancipation.
Curated OER
Go Animate the 20th Century!
Learners 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...
Curated OER
Monuments, Memorials and Public Spaces
Monument and memorial lesson plans can get students thinking about important topics and time periods in history.
Curated OER
LBJ-- Escalation in Vietnam and Domestic Programs
Eighth graders investigate the Vietnam War. In this Vietnam War lesson, 8th graders research the escalation of the war during Lyndon Johnson's presidency. Students also explore the domestic programs that Johnson promoted. Students...
Curated OER
"Martial Law in Hawaii After the Attack on Pearl Harbor"
Students explore the concepts of martial law, writ of habeas corpus, due process, discovery and human and constitutional rights during World War II. They assess the roles and responsibilities of government leaders and citizens during...
Curated OER
The Legal Challenge of Human Rights Protection
Students identify the types and extent of human rights violations that occurred in El Salvador . They will also analyze the various laws and statutes that dictate the processes to protect and punish war crimes and human rights...
Curated OER
Radical Reconstruction
Students explore the Republican plan for Radical Reconstruction. In this reading comprehension lesson, students use a PowerPoint presentation given by the teacher and multiple texts to answer questions that help them understand why the...
Curated OER
History of Change
Students research the history of Liberia to foster a better understanding of the current situation and reflect on the role of the United States as peacekeeper there.
Curated OER
Criminal or Hero
Fifth graders explore the origins of slavery. In this US History instructional activity, 5th graders create a map of the United States that shows where slavery existed. Students examine the life of a Northern slave through...
Curated OER
World Food Day
Students view slides of people without food and discuss how to fight hunger and what it means to be food secure. In this hunger lesson plan, students draw pictures based on the slides they see.
Curated OER
Native Lands: Indians in Georgia , Losing Ground: Removal, 1802-1838
Learners investigate the removal of the Creek Indians from Georgia. Students read the story of the Creek removal from Georgia, locate sites mentioned on a map, and create a related timeline. Learners share their thoughts on the Creek...
Curated OER
Life on Two Colonial Plantations in South Carolina
Fourth graders compare two colonial plantations. In this South Carolina history lesson, 4th graders compare the Drayton Hill plantation of Charleston Co. to the Walnut Grove Plantation of Spartanburg Co. This lesson plan uses primary and...
Curated OER
Images from South Carolina Cotton Mills
Fifth graders write a paragraph comparing their lives to the lives of a child working in South Carolina during the early 1900's. In this Industrial Revolution lesson plan, 5th graders explore primary and secondary sources to teach them...
Curated OER
United States Colored Troops in Missouri: Finding African American History at the M
Students analyze primary source documents about African American soldiers in Missouri. They work together to complete a worksheet about the document. They discuss the information they gathered as a class.
Curated OER
Black Americans in Delaware from 1639 to the Present: An Overview
Students complete matching activities and write an essay about Black Americans in Delaware from 1639.