DocsTeach
A Petition for the Cotton Gin
While almost forgotten today, the cotton gin could be seen as one of the causes of the Civil War. The innovation led to more cotton production, which in turn undermined political power balances in the 1800s. Individuals unpack the...
DocsTeach
Analyzing the Cotton Gin Patent
Decode primary sources in a fast-paced activity. A quick guessing game helps pupils use visual clues to understand primary sources. Academics look at a picture of the cotton gin and must guess what it is without other knowledge or clues....
Curated OER
Eli Whitney's Patent for the Cotton Gin
Students review the U.S. patent laws by researching Eli Whitney's petition for a renewal on his cotton gin patent. They examine documents to assess the impact of the cotton gin, role-play the patent hearing and discuss the effects of...
Curated OER
King Cotton
Sixth graders investigate the farming process for cotton and its impact on the United States history. In this cotton farming lesson, 6th graders read background information on the cotton farming process and discuss the role of slavery in...
Curated OER
Cotton Production and Milling
Students examine cotton production and milling. They compete in a hand-ginning contest to realize how difficult it was to separate the seeds from the fibers of cotton. They discuss why Eli Whitney's cotton gin was an important invention.
Curated OER
Images of Slavery
Middle schoolers analyze the ways slavery shaped social and economic life in the South after 1800, methods of passive and active resistance to slavery; escaped slaves and the Underground Railroad, and the ending of the Atlantic slave trade.
National Endowment for the Humanities
People and Places in the North and South
North and South: two opposite directions and two opposite economic and social systems in time of the Civil War. Pupils peruse census websites and primary source photographs to understand what life was like for the everyday person before...
Curated OER
JUST A MATTER OF TIME
Young scholars recognize the dynamic changes in themselves and in agriculture that have occurred through the years. They are shown pictures of a baby or students are asked to think of their little brothers or sisters or themselves in...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Factory vs. Plantation in the North and South
North is to factory as South is to plantation—the perfect analogy for the economy that set up the Civil War! The first lesson in a series of five helps teach beginners why the economy creates a driving force for conflict. Analysis of...
Curated OER
Changes in the New Nation
Students explore how technology has slowly changed the world, starting in the 18th Century. In this United States History lesson, students work in teams to complete numerous activities that compare and contrast life before and after...
Curated OER
From Bolls to Bolts
Fifth graders understand the importance of cotton in America. In this cotton instructional activity, 5th graders view a video on cotton from plant to market. Students examine cotton bolls and participate in other activities around the...
Curated OER
Connecticut First Challenge 2
In this Connecticut activity worksheet, students respond to 10 multiple choice questions that require them to exhibit the knowledge they have of firsts in the state of Connecticut.
Curated OER
The Colonization of Liberia
Students analyze how slavery shaped social and economic life in the South. They study methods of passive and active resistance to slavery, and the similarities and differences between African-American and white abolitionists.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Life Before the Civil War
American life before the Civil War was very different from American life today. To show this difference in a full spectrum, learners compare two communities that illustrate the differences between Northern and Southern life. Throughout...
Curated OER
TE Activity: A Merry-Go-Round for Dirty Air
Students observe a simulation of a cyclone to examine a method of pollutant recovery in cleaning industrial air pollution. They examine how engineers develop technology to reduce air pollution and determine percentages for technology...
Education Outside
Papermaking
Imagine recycling food scraps and using them to make paper. The directions are all here in a seven-page packet that details several paper-making strategies.
Curated OER
Slavery in the United States
Students investigate the personal accounts of slaves in the United States. They participate in various activities according to grade level to examine the role of slavery in the South.
Curated OER
The African Slave Trade
Learners share their feelings about the enslavement of Africans as they write journal entries discussing their role play activity.
Curated OER
Slavery, Manumission, and Freedom: Free Blacks in Charleston before the Civil War
Students explore the concept of slavery and manumission through a variety of activities. In this civil rights lesson, students gather information from primary sources, then analyze the politics and historical context of the time....
National Endowment for the Humanities
Women's Lives Before the Civil War
Women's lifestyles before the Civil War made a huge impact as a point of causation. Give middle schoolers the opportunity to view firsthand the lives of women before the Civil War. They analyze primary source documents, view photographs,...
Curated OER
Mystery Strategy for Elementary Students
Learners of all ages solve historical mysteries. Elementary learners research historical topics by organizing information presented by their instructor, formulating hypotheses, and considering solutions to mysteries presented about...
Curated OER
Alphabetize Connecticut's Firsts
In this alphabetize Connecticut's firsts worksheet, 4th graders use the word bank listing things that happened first in the state of Connecticut and write them in alphabetical order.
Curated OER
Changes and the Individual
Students evaluate the social effects of inventions and other developments on the lives of ordinary individuals. They create a profile of an individual who might have lived at that time and whose life would have been affected by those...
Curated OER
History: An African American Cultural Celebration
Students prepare and organize a cultural celebration of African migration and immigration. Working in groups or individually, they research topics and present the information, including dance demonstrations, instrumental or vocal...