Curated OER
Genealogy Research
Students explore history is not as a listing of dates, wars, and leaders but as the story of real people whose lives were impacted by the events of their time. They complete a pedigree chart and tape record a family member.
Curated OER
Mosaic Masks
Students discover the history of mosaics through teacher-lead lectures and discussions. Individuals spend 3-4 weeks creatively constructing mosaic masks using step-by-step design instructions.
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Alabama Slave Codes in 1833: What They Can Teach Us About Slaves Themselves
After viewing a short PowerPoint about Nat Turner's rebellion, class groups examine Alabama's 1833 slave codes. Individuals then develop a mini-legal brief arguing against one particular slave law.
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Twain: Tom Sawyer—Mythic Adventurer
Students take a closer look at archetypes. In this characterization lesson plan, students examine the setting and the characters of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer as they read and analyze the novel. Students consider how Twain mythically...
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It’s a Big, Big World
Students examine the role of the explorers. In this explorers and conquistadors, students create word puzzles (Wordles) regarding the time period in history. Students conduct research regarding a particular explorer and create foldables...
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Can You Hear Me Now?
Learners explore the industry involving communication and put communication devices into activities. In this communication lesson plan, students put items into chronological order, review primary sources, compare and contrast items, and...
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Marching For Freedom
Students appreciate the sacrifices that people from across the country made to ensure that all citizens could exercise their constitutional right to vote. They access excellent websites and documents imbedded in this plan to guide their...
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With Liberty and Justice for All
Students examine the role of Supreme Court justices. In this judicial branch lesson, students consider the civil rights and civil liberties as they investigate Minersville School District v. Gobitis (1940) and West Virginia State Board...
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Civil Rights Movement
Students identify and acquire an understanding of what the Civil Rights Movement consisted of, the issues that sparked the Movement, the people who participated and the events that occurred during the Movement. They also identify how to...
PBS
Primary Sources
Students see how to use primary and secondary sources to investigate history. Whether it is a photograph, book, map, letter, postcard, newspaper, or official document, students can use sources to reconstruct and relive history.
Curated OER
Reconstruction
Students explain how the Civil War and Reconstruction both solved and created problems for our nation. They study how Reconstruction caused a further decline in relations between the North & South and how racism has been and is...
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Progression of Political Movements
Students examine the various political parties throughout history. In groups, they are given documents identifying the platforms of the parties in the 1868 election. To end the lesson, they share their information with the class and...
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President Thomas Woodrow Wilson
In this President Thomas Woodrow Wilson activity, students read to assess comprehension skills. In this multiple choice activity, students answer seven question.
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The Presidents of Mount Rushmore
Students understand the importance of Mount Rushmore as a national symbol. In this Mount Rushmore lesson, students locate Mount Rushmore on the map and investigate each of the four Presidents on Mount Rushmore. Students understand how...
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This Land Is Our Land
Learners explore land use. In this land lesson, students examine the use of land and land records. They create a diagram of a specified piece of land and determine the area of the land. Learners discuss their findings.
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Mapmaker, Mapmaker, Make Me a Map!
Students evaluate the different types of historical and geographical information that one can gather through close study of historical maps from the 16th through the 19th centuries. They create their own maps.
Curated OER
Tools Make A Difference
Students compare and contrast older and newer types and designs of tools, and examine how the change in tools affected life along the river in the book, "A River Ran Wild." They classify the tools for cooking, hunting, farming, and...
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Foreign Language And Culture
Young scholars consider the importance of appreciating a different culture in connection with the language associated with it. They explore how international politics, celebrations and relations are affected by language and culture.
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Great Robert Frost Poems: Fun Trivia Quiz
This 10-question quiz tests familiarity with several Robert Frost poems. Before giving this quiz, you will want to review the questions to be sure you've covered each of the poems.
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Frederic Remington: His Life and Time
Eleventh graders discuss the life of frederic remington and visit his museum. In groups, they research topics involving remington and write reports. They assemble their findings into a Web page about remington.
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.
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The Literature of Upheaval
In groups, 8th graders read different documents and answer questions on the Civil War period. Students read documents by Thoreau, Stowe and Frederick Douglas.
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The Frontier
Students, given certain background information, list hardships that Laura Ingalls Wilder and other people that lived during the same time period went through. They interview someone who grew up in a different era than them.
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Children of Long Ago
Students complete pre reading, writing, during reading, and interdisciplinary activities for the book Children of Long Ago. In this reading lesson plan, students complete journal entries, answer short answer questions, have discussions,...