Curated OER
Conflict in the Frontier town of Deerfield
Students use primary sources to investigate, explore and represent varying perspectives on the 1704 Deerfield Raid. They consider the reasons Deerfield was at the center of English, French and Native American conflicts in the early 18th...
Curated OER
Change in Early 20th Century America: Doing the Decades
Students investigate and develop relationships between selected themes and resources. In this Us history instructional activity, students interpret, analyze, and evaluate shifts in continuity throughout US history. Students will...
Curated OER
Slavery and Empire 1440 - 1770
Students reflect on the events that led up to slavery in the early years of North America. In this United States History instructional activity, students read excerpts from the book "Out of Many," then gather in small groups to...
Curated OER
Other Native American Groups
Fourth graders identify the three Native American groups highlighted in this lesson. In this Native American lesson plan, 4th graders answer comprehension questions, and classify the adaptations of the groups in a worksheet.
Curated OER
An American Ballad - Lesson 1
High schoolers listen to and analyze the ballad "American Pie." They utilize a worksheet imbedded in this plan. They circle the appropriate descriptive words of the song's medium form, melody, tempo and dynamics, and style.
Curated OER
A New Society Project
Ninth graders examine the social and political movements of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. For this American history lesson, 9th graders work in groups to form their own society and laws. Students make a diagram of their town and...
Curated OER
Cultural Exchange (Salem)
Young scholars view the photo of the The Tea Trade Painting and discuss what they see. They will then discuss what went into the beginning of a major sea voyage. Next they explore routes traveled by the New England traders. They study...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Walt Whitman to Langston Hughes: Poems for a Democracy
Explore the idea of democratic poetry. Upper graders read Walt Whitman, examining daguerreotypes, and compare Whitman to Langston Hughes. They describe aspects of Whitman's I Hear America Singing to Langston Hughes' Let America Be...
Curated OER
1704 Attack on Deerfield
Class groups examine conflicting primary and secondary sources describing the 1704 attack on the fort at Deerfield by French and Native Americans and analyze the implications of discrepancies.
Curated OER
Queen Anne's War and Its Impact on Deerfield
Class members read a series of primary and secondary source materials to examine the effects of Queen Anne's War, also know as the War of Spanish Succession, on the Pocumtucks and other Native Americans in the area of Deerfield, MA.
Curated OER
Pocumtucks in Deerfield
As part of a study of colonial and Native American history, class members focus on the beliefs and land use of the Pocumtucks, who settled near Deerfield, Massachusetts. Students examine their beliefs about land use and ownership, the...
Curated OER
The Tet Offensive and the Vietnam War
Learners discover how the United States became involved in the Vietnam War, the importance of the Tet Offensive in turning American public opinion against the war, and how the Vietnam War is still a part of American life and culture.
Curated OER
A Piece of Bread
Students prepare food. In this African American community lesson, students read a story and discuss how philanthropy was portrayed. Students write about a time they had the opportunity to share or give. Students decide ways they can be...
Curated OER
The Demise of the Great American Frontier
Students are introduced to Frederick Jackson Turner and how early Census data, when combined visually with maps, effectively demonstrated the end of the frontier.
Curated OER
History of the American West
Ninth graders research early mining in California. They study the "placer method" for mining gold, which is surface mining that does not involve tunneling. They examine what it was like for the early miners to pan for gold with...
Curated OER
People Of The Plains
Learners engage in a lesson that discusses how Native Americans lived in all different parts of North America. They focus on investigating the region's natural resources and how the indians used them to build shelter, make clothing, and...
Curated OER
African American History Challenge
Students research and retrieve information from the Internet. They participate in an online quiz. They identify areas of cultural diversity in United States history.
Curated OER
Unit Plan Template
Use this U.S. History unit plan as a template for creating your own! Simply download the resource and edit the text fields with your own customized unit plan. This is a great jumping-off step, especially for newer teachers.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
History of Immigration From the 1850s to the Present
The Statue of Liberty may embrace the huddled masses of the world, but has American society always joined in? After young historians read a passage about the history of American immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries, focusing on...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Ellis Island—The “Golden Door” to America
Are you one of the 100 million Americans whose ancestors passed through the doors of Ellis Island? Learn about the historic entry point for immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with an informative reading passage. After...
Curated OER
Splat! Boom! Pow! the Influence of Cartoons in Contemporary Art
Students relate abstract expressionism and cultural influences on 1960's art. They use images appropriated from comic books to create a painting in the abstract expressionist style by changing the scale of the comic and reducing content...
Curated OER
Parts of Art
Young scholars define and use new vocabulary associated with the elements of art. As a class, they brainstorm different ways in which we communicate with one another. In groups, they view different pieces of art from the Native American...
Curated OER
International Summit on Asia
Students participate in activities that are focused on the settlement of early America. The skills used in this lesson are diverse because of the application of The Multiple Intelligences Theory.
Curated OER
Native American Boarding School Choice Board
Students investigate the boarding school movement that was imposed on the American Indians from the late 1880's to the early 1900's. The assignment requires the use of primary and secondary resources to find historical information. Then...