National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 2: What Has Happened in the White House?
Working in small groups, or individually, learners are given images of events that took place at the White House. They study the image and research that time in history to better understand how the White House has been affected by...
Civil War Trust
Transcribing Civil War History
Primary sources are valuable for understanding the context of historical events, but the diction and dialect in these documents can be difficult to understand. Middle and high schoolers participation in a transcription process in which...
New York State Education Department
US History and Government Examination: August 2017
Developing a test that uses primary sources to assess class members knowledge of the history of the United States is no easy task! Save yourself the time and stress and use a final exam that includes essay, multiple choice, and short...
Middle Tennessee State University
Help Is on the Way: Civil War Women and Relief Work
The role women played in the Civil War, especially in relief efforts, is the focus of this seven-page resource. Groups examine primary source materials to determine how this work reflected and expanded the traditional roles women held in...
Washoe County School District
Eyewitness to the Holocaust
Scholars investigate the Holocaust through the eyes of an Auschwitz survivor. They analyze and research a firsthand account of events inside the gas chambers moments before hundreds died. Using Holocaust Reading Passages and...
Civil War Trust
The Gathering Storm: The Coming of the Civil War
Take a longer look at a formative time in history with a lesson that explores the causes of the American Civil War. After viewing a series of images and explanations for various forces at play, middle schoolers choose the images that...
Annenberg Foundation
Industrializing America
Imagine an eight year old spindle boy working barefoot in a factory in the late 1800s. Scholars research the industrial period in American history in the 14th lesson of a 22-part series that explores the country's background. Groups...
Curated OER
Old Stone House Lesson Plan
From stagecoach to railroad tracks, your class will discover how advancements in travel in the United States during the nineteenth century played an integral role in the industrialization and development of American society. The main...
Mountain View High School
World War I Research Project
Here is a fantastic World War I research project that includes clear guidelines for topic choice, guiding questions, and suggested presentation products. Research subjects range from battles of the war, trench warfare, and weaponry, to...
Rainforest Alliance
Climate Educator Guide
Climate change is a hot topic in the news. Class members examine carbon dioxide data to analyze trends of our atmospheric makeup over time. They also discuss climate and climate change, and determine how these changes are affecting life...
K12 Reader
Punctuation Theater
Break out the slide whistles, triangles, and tambourines. It's time for a punctuation lesson. This richly detailed plan is loaded with ideas and activities for using rhythm instruments to accent the punctuation in folk tales. A...
Curated OER
The Lure of The West
Here is a fabulous series of lesson plans on four of the most celebrated artists of the Old Western period in American history. Learners study the works of Charles King, George Catlin, Albert Bierstadt, and Thomas Moran. The pack is...
Curated OER
Can Justice Be Taylor-Made?
Students examine and discuss a quotation used as a slogan for Liberia's former president Charles G. Taylor. After reading an article, they consider the allegations against Taylor. In groups, they research a time period of his life and...
Curated OER
The Building Blocks of the Nation
Students research either people how have made history in Michigan, women or people who contributed in specified time periods in American history. They use the Internet to complete the research. They create cube reports using word...
Curated OER
Document-Based Essay on U.S. Reaction to North Korean Nuclear Policy
Students compose essays on nuclear policies. In this North Korea lesson, students examine political cartoons and primary documents regarding nuclear build-up by North Korea. Students write essays about North Korea's military goals and...
Curated OER
A Document-Based Essay on Korean Social Change
Young scholars interpret historical evidence presented in primary resources. In this Korean history lesson, students examine the provided information on life in Korea. Young scholars respond to the questions that accompany each source....
Cornell University
Sun or Water? or Both?
Over the course of 10 days, young scientists observe their cups of seed and soil—one that gets sun and water and one that gets no sun and only water. Then they reflect on the results of the experiment to determine if their hypothesis was...
Curated OER
Understanding the Geologic Timescale
Students identify and analyze how the geologic time scale was developed by investigating 11 periods of time and the vast expanse of time of the Earth's existence. They study their period, determine the important factors indicative to...
PBS
African-Americans in the American West
Secondary learners explore the westward movement of African Americans. Segmented into four time periods, the lesson plan provides an overview of how African Americans experienced westward expansion. Learners view PBS specials on the...
Curated OER
Differing Expectations
Young scholars examine the expectations that colonists had for lives prior to the revolution. In this colonial America lesson, students read primary documents that feature the perceptions of white men and minorities during the time...
Curated OER
In the Footprints of Lewis and Clark: 19th Century Artists -- Depictions of Native Americans
Eighth graders read excerpts of "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose. As a class, they view slides of artwork from the time period of westward expansion and Native Americans, write their reactions and share them with the class. To...
Curated OER
Women Suffered to Achieve Suffrage
Students compare and contrast the movement for suffrage in Nebraska and the U.S. They organize and interpret primary documents and images from the time period. In addition, they tie in religious movements to women's suffrage.
Curated OER
Progressive Era: Public Pressure and Government Actions
Students read sections of the novel, "The Jungle". They identify the problems of the meat industry during the Progressive Era. They discuss food concerns of today and make connections between the two time periods.
Curated OER
Introduction to the Rich European Jewish Culture
Students examine the culture of rich, European Jews. Using photographs, they discuss their feelings about them and decide on two they would like to use. They respond to questions found on the analysis guide. They research the music of...