Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Labor Unions in an Industrializing U.S.

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Have class members eager to enter the workforce? They'll be glad to learn that things aren't how they used to be. Have your young historians examine then discuss four primary source images related to the negative effects of...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Coming to America: U.S. Immigration

For Teachers 5th - 10th
Students study immigration in the late 19th and early 20th century. In this immigration lesson plan, students participate in activities including creating maps, responding to non fiction text, memorizing and analyzing poetry, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. Imperialism PowerPoint Project

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore U.S. Imperialism. They explain why stronger countries take control of weaker countries. Students research Imperialism in other parts of the world. In groups, 8th graders create a PowerPoint presentation discussing...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. History: Immigrant Scrapbooks

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students role-play as immigrants coming to America around the turn of the 19th century. They conduct Internet research and print out pictures to use in an immigrant scrapbook. Students write captions for the pictures and narratives to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Changes in the New Nation

For Teachers 6th - 10th
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...
Lesson Plan
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media

Immigration: Why Come to the United States?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Don't limit your curriculum to texts! Young historians listen to a song, read an interview, and examine a cartoon as they explore motivations for immigrating to the US in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. 
Lesson Plan
TCI

Picking Rusty Gold: Why Do People Buy and Sell Antiques?

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Your historical sleuths will work to research the in-depth history of chosen artifacts and will use their research to design a fictional advertisement for an early 20th century item.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Immigration

For Teachers 8th - 12th
This 3-day immigration study draws on historical trends and current events. A worksheet accompanies initial research on one group's U.S. immigration history, giving opportunity for collaborative learning through sharing findings. Groups...
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Ellis Island—The “Golden Door” to America

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Ybor City: Cigar Capital of the World

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students discover how immigrant cigar makers in this section of Tampa, Florida adapted to life in the U.S. in the late 19th and early 20th century while maintaining their ethnic identity. They design brochures describing the Ybor City.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Imperialism and Expansion: Part 1

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Pupils explore the era of imperialism and expansion of the United States. In this American history lesson, students play a game regarding the U.S. attempts to expand the nation in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Chinese Immigration in the Mid-19th Century

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers interpret historical evidence presented in primary and secondary resources. In this Chinese immigration lesson, students research the Chinese immigration between 1850 and 1882.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Treaty Trail: U.S. Indian Treaty Councils in the Northwest

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students create a timeline with the major events of the 19th and 20th century dealing with Native Americans. They examine artifacts and discuss how they reflect culture. They also identify trade routes the Native Americans used.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Defining moments from the past with lessons for a post-9/11 world...

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine extension ideas concerning 9/11, Defining Moments. They analyze a variety of Supreme Court cases, the U.S. Constitution, Mass Media Interpretations, Racism, Immigrant groups and U.S. geography. Many questions are asked...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bison on the Plains

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders explore U.S. geography by reading assigned text about American Indians. In this migration lesson, 5th graders identify the differences between Native Americans and European settlers who traveled through middle America in...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Personal Stories of the National Parks

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students explore historical information about U.S. national parks using the stories of Edward and Margaret Gehrke as a primary source document. In this United States geography, history, and literacy lesson, students view the diary...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Twain: Tom Sawyer—Mythic Adventurer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers take a closer look at archetypes. For this characterization lesson, students examine the setting and the characters of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as they read and analyze the novel. High schoolers consider how Twain...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Diplomatic Misunderstandings: Indian Treaties and the Black Hawk War

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine and discuss the U.S./Native American treaty process of the early 19th century. They write essays describing the events behind the 1804 and 1816 treaties, and their assessment of U.S. diplomatic interactions with the...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

U.S. History: The Second Great Migration

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the migration of rural African Americans to northern cities following World War !!. After predicting the effects of cultural and economic factors, they write essays explaining the impact of migration on communities and...
Lesson Plan
Constitutional Rights Foundation

History of Immigration From the 1850s to the Present

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
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...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

New Kent School and the George W. Watkins School:

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students research the U.S. Supreme Court case that forced the integration of public schools and meet the individuals who experienced segregation, fought to dismantle the institution, and integrated the public school system of New Kent...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Photography and the National Park Service

For Teachers 9th - 12th
During the 1800s the United States was expanding westward; land was there for the taking.  Kids explore how some early photographers used their photography to influenced the US Congress to save areas like Mirror Lake. They...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lesson on Superlatives

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students practice basic Internet navigation skills, find and summarize information on a Web site, and explore tenement life in the 19th and early 20th Century.
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

Stamp Stories of Westward Expansion

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
What a fantastic project idea for discussing not only the history of America's expansion into the West, but for reviewing any major unit of history in your class. Pupils build stamp collections to visually represent themes of the...