National First Ladies' Library
The First Great Awakening
Connecting social studies and American literature, students study the Great Awakening and draw comparisons between its impact on England and on parts of Colonial America. They research the lives and experiences of people who lived during...
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Personalities, Perspectives and Agendas
Students debate the causes of the American Revolution. In this American history lesson, students conduct research to determine how bias and perspective have made their way into historical documents. Students compose essays about the 2...
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Death and Dying in Puritan New England: A Study Based on Early Gravestones, Vital Records, and other Primary Sources Relating to Cape Cod, Massachusetts
Students examine the time in which the Puritans lived in colonial New England. In groups, they research the Puritans view on life and death and discuss as a class. They read gravestones, diaries and other primary sources to discover...
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World Trade Organization
High schoolers determine if the social and political consequences of free trade outweigh the economic benefits through case studies. They determine of the World Trade Organization willingly or unwillingly aids in neo-colonial...
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The English Settle America
Sixth graders compare immigration today with that of the colonial period. They locate colonies on a map and describe reasons their families immigrated to the United States.
Carolina K-12
Group Project: Freedom Parade
Parades are a great way to celebrate. Get young historians into the festivities by asking them to create an informational float for a Freedom Parade. Picking a topic from the provided list or suggesting one of their own, class members...
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Organizing Main Ideas and Supporting Details
Students read given information and identify the main ideas and specific detail of the story. In groups, they read a historical title and create a "book talk" for each one, summarizing the story. In addition, students create a...
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Chuuk Introduction (Middle School)
Students pretend they are visiting a relative in the Chuuk nation of Micronesia. Using their knowledge of the 4th of July, they compare and contrast the holiday to the Chuuk's independence day. They create travelogues that outline...
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Streams of Time Lesson Plan: Visually Organizing the History of the Atlantic Slave Trade
Young scholars, after reading the Transatllantic Slave Trade, create a color coded triple-timeline to help them explain the chronological streams that flow through the essay.
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Taxation Without Representation
Eighth graders empathize with how colonists felt when they were taxed without representation. They use a metaphor of students and a school principal to describe the strained relationship that developed between the colonies and Britain.
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Three Centuries of Child Labor In America
Fifth graders investigate the history of child labor that is found in America. They use a variety of resources to conduct research. Students create cause and effect arguments using the information that is found. They also compare and...
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The Stamp Act of 1765
Eleventh graders explore the origins of colonial objections to "taxation without representation". In this American History lesson, 11th graders create a presentation on specific topics in relation to the Stamp Act.
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Causes of the American Revolution
Students answer the question of: How did England impose its political and economic control over the colonies? They create a comic strip depicting the event of the Boston Massacre. Students complete a Wordstoming activity to anticipate...
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Slavery in Virginia
Fourth graders assess primary sources to analyze the effects plantation life and slavery had on Colonial Virginia. They study the issues of slavery, rural life, movements, colonization and revolution. Each student makes predictions,...
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Military Tactics and Battle Plans Oh Boy!
Eighth graders compare and contrast a Loyalist and a Patriot. After reading selected pages in the book, 8th graders use a graphic organizer to examine the battle plans of the colonists and the British during the Revolutionary War. They...
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African Art: Ntan Drum
Students study African history, anthropology and culture using the lens of the art object, Ntan Drum. Lesson and instruction is differentiated for elementary, middle and high school students.
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To Live
Students explore Chinese life during the Cultural Revolution. They read and discuss a brief historical essay on 20th century China as well as viewing a fictionalized film account of the time period titled, "To Live". They write a...
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Longfellow Amongst His Contemporaries: the Ship of State Dbq
Students evaluate the ship of state metaphor in relation to the historical events in America from the Revolutionary War to the Civil War. They synthesize ideas presented in ten different primary source documents and compose an essay...
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Bill of Rights
Students research, list, define and discuss all the aspects to the United States Bill of Rights. They assess their foundations by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson and reflect on all the conditions happening at the time period of...
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Space the Next Frontier
Students examine the use of space as the frontier of the future. Using the colonist's experience coming to the New World, they identify challenges they would face if they were to settle in space. As a class, they share what they already...
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Students Working in Local Historic Preservation
Students develop an appreciation of history as they volunteer their time in historical museums. In this historical perspectives lesson, students work with valuable local documents as they aid the staff of selected local historical museums.
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Civil War
Historical poetry is lyrical in form and rich with content. After examining the differences between the Northern and Southern states before and during the U.S. Civil War, learners complete a Venn diagram and create an illustration of the...
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Volunteering Requires Freedom of Choice
Students explore ways to volunteer. In this volunteerism and philanthropy lesson, students brainstorm how the early Americans benefited from philanthropy, then discuss how others benefit from our philanthropy and how we choose ways to...
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A Flip of Life in the 13 Colonies
Fourth graders create a flip book illustrating the 13 original colonies. They study the growth and development of each of the three groups of the original colonies. They use maps to observe and interpret geographic information and...