University of California
The Civil War: Secession of the South
Was the Southern states' decision to secede from the Union protected by the United States Constitution? Eighth graders discuss the constitutionality of the South's justification for secession, particularly the secession of South...
University of Arkansas
Promises Denied
"Promises Denied," the second instructional activity in a unit that asks learners to consider the responsibilities individuals have to uphold human rights, looks at documents that illustrate the difficulty the US has had trying to live...
What So Proudly We Hail
The Meaning of America: Freedom and Religion
The United States of America was founded on firm ideals of both the pursuit of happiness and a spirit of reverence. Through a close reading of Nathaniel Hawthorne's "The May-Pole of Merry Mount," you can examine what some consider was a...
Curated OER
declaration of Independence
Tenth graders research the Declaration of Independence and its impact. They assemble puzzle pieces of the declaration and create their own declaration of independence including grievances and resolution.
Curated OER
Expansion and Reform: Applying the Declaration of Independence
Students conduct inquiries and research-acquiring, organizing, analyzing, interpreting, evaluating, and communicating facts, themes, and general principles operating in American history. They use the Declaration of Independence to...
Friends of Fort McHenry
A Just War or Just a War?
What, if anything, makes a war "just"? This is an interesting and important question to explore with your class, and you can utilize an excellent lesson plan to support your group inquiry. The American Revolution and the War of 1812...
Carolina K-12
On the Road to Revolution: Creating a Living Timeline
Divided into nine topic groups, from the Proclamation of 1763 to the Battles of Lexington and Concord, your young historians research significant events on the road to the American Revolution, then create a two- to three-minute sketch...
Curated OER
Declaration of Independence
Students research the Declaration of Independence and write a group paper. Students use a set of designated questions as a guide for the threee to four page paper.
Curated OER
Understanding the Importance of the Declaration of Independence
Eighth graders examine the importance of the Declaration of Independence
by using a variety of research sources and computer technology to obtain information. They internalize the thoughts, actions, and motives of the signers of the...
Curated OER
Baseball Challenge: 5th Grade Social Studies
Quickly review facts relating to U.S. History in a Baseball Challenge presentation. The information relates to branches of government, the Vietnam War, WWII, and other key events.
Manchester University
Events leading to the American Revolution
The Stamp Act, Paul Revere's ride, and the Boston Tea Party pushed American colonists to the tipping point that led to the American Revolution. Fifth graders research the key figures of the war, study the Declaration of Independence, and...
Museum of the American Revolution
The Ongoing Revolution
America: a nation that continues to change. Budding historians analyze primary sources to understand the key ideas of the American Revolution and how the country has changed over time. Scholars read text from the Declaration of...
Curated OER
East Timor's Declaration of Independence?
Young scholars examine the significance of the 8/30/99 vote in East Timor, which determined the territory's independence from Indonesian rule, by analyzing an NYT article to explain actions/reactions.
Curated OER
Declaration of Complaints
In this protest and petition worksheet, students respond to 6 framework questions to help them outline and write their own Declarations of Complaints.
EngageNY
Close Reading: The Introduction to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
As part of a group of lessons, your class will return to the primary text for this unit, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Key vocabulary as well as close reading strategies continue to be the focus skills; however, this lesson...
Shmoop
ELA.CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.11-12.9
Guided by close-reading questions, groups examine the similarities and differences between the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. In addition, they look at how the principles are presented in these two foundational US...
K12 Reader
An Independent Nation
If your kids are curious about the American Revolution, help them understand more about its background with a reading passage and comprehension questions. Kids use context clues to answer each question, some of which require more...
San Antonio Independent School District
The Constitution
Young historians draw direct connections from the grievances expressed in the Declaration of Independence to protections implemented into the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Curated OER
Fourth of July Addition and Subtraction
What is Thomas Jefferson signing? Focus on American history with this cross-curricular math puzzle. Learners utilize addition and subtraction skills to solve the mystery of the Fourth of July. All numbers are 3-digit, and there are no...
Curated OER
Kinds of Sentences
Help your students mix up their writing with different kinds of sentences with this PowerPoint. Each slide gives a brief definition of the various types including: declarative, interrogative, imperative, and more! There are also examples...
Curated OER
Building a Nation
Eighth graders identify the main ideas of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. They read and discuss text, read and summarize a section of the Declaration of Independence in small groups, and write a paper on why the colonists felt it...
Curated OER
Lives, Fortunes, Sacred Honor
Students discover details regarding the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In this civics lesson, students read mini-biographies of some of the signers of the document. Students then create a model of one of the 10 signers.
Curated OER
We Are the Government
Students read primary documents to find the motivations of the founding fathers of the United States. In this primary documents instructional activity, students discuss the meaning of the Preamble to the Constitution, read parts of the...
Curated OER
To Be An American
Young scholars research the symbols of America, present their research to the class, write a paper about being an American and write their own Declaration of Independence.