Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Reconstructing a Nation

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Think back to the aftermath of an family dispute. The awkwardness of having to make up, get along, and move forward can be very difficult. The tenth lesson of a 22-part series on American history examines the Reconstruction Era following...
Handout
PBS

The Diary of Anne Frank

For Students 8th - 10th Standards
While designed to supplement a viewing of the PBS Masterpiece Classic The Diary of Anne Frank, this resource can also serve as an excellent informational text and activity source for your learners on the historical context and timeline...
Activity
American Museum of Natural History

Piecing It All Together

For Students 6th - 12th
Archaeology digs are much like giant jigsaw puzzles. The artifacts found are often in pieces and scientists must reconstruct them. A hands-on activity lets young archaeologists experience this facet of the job as they create, smash, and...
Lesson Plan
Skyscraper Museum

Designing a Skyscraper

For Teachers 2nd - 6th Standards
Besides serving as awe-inspiring monuments of human achievement, skyscrapers are built to perform a wide range of functions in urban communities. The second lesson in this series begins by exploring the history of the Empire State...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Curated OER

Thanksgiving

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st Standards
Introduce the basics of Thanksgiving with a language arts instructional activity. As pupils practice observation skills, vocabulary, and reading comprehension, they design paper turkeys by outlining their hands and feet and by...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Two Different African-American Visions: W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
The strategies civil rights activists Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois proposed for blacks to achieve racial progress is the focus of an activity in which class groups identify the strategies as well as the benefits and drawbacks...
Lesson Plan
2
2
Museum of Tolerance

Immigration Journeys

For Teachers 3rd - 6th Standards
Through the journey of four stories of immigration, scholars complete graphic organizers and apply knowledge to create a visual representation of their findings on a large poster. Third and fourth readers write a letter to their...
Lesson Plan
Our White House

The Our White House Inauguration Celebration Kit for Kids!

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
Get the youngest American citizens involved in the presidential election and inauguration with a set of social studies activities. Focusing on the history of presidential inauguration ceremonies, learners draft their own poems, design...
Activity
US Department of Veterans Affairs

Veterans Day

For Teachers K - 12th Standards
Teaching class members all about the importance and meaning behind Veterans Day with an informative resource. Pupils complete a classroom activity guide and individual research to learn more about the brave men and women who defend the...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Beyond Birmingham, Summer 1963

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The assassination of Medgar Evers. The integration of the University of Alabama. The March on Washington. The "I Have a Dream" speech. Created by the Alabama History Education Initiative, this resource examines how the events...
Activity
Curated OER

Navajo Weaving: A Lesson in Math and Tradition

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Combine geometry and tradition with a lesson that spotlights Navajo weaving. The book, The Goat in the Rug by Charles L. Blood and Martin Link hooks scholars before watching a video of Navajo people tending their sheep and beginning...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

New Deal Programs in Alabama

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
New Deal programs are the focus of an activity that prompts middle and high schoolers to consider the end of the Great Depression. Groups examine primary source materials to gain an understanding of how these programs were...
Lesson Plan
Alabama Department of Archives and History

Working in Birmingham's Iron Industry

For Teachers 4th
What did railroads, iron, and industry contributed to Birmingham's successful growth? The lesson explains how the iron industry worked. It also describes how the location of Birmingham and its proximity to railroads. played a key role in...
Activity
Educa Madrid

Prehistory

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Images of the Atapuerca Caves, the cave paintings at Altamira, and a Neanderthal skull found at Forbes' Quarry on Gibraltar serve to introduce kids to prehistoric sites in Spain. Designed to support a study of prehistoric Spain, the...
Lesson Plan
Beyond the Story

The Diary of a Young Girl Digital Edition

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Access a wealth of rich, engaging activities that will allow learners to see through the eyes of Anne Frank and experience her emotional journey as they read her biography The Diary of a Young Girl.
Workbook
Smithsonian Institution

Ceramica de los Ancestros

For Students 3rd - 6th
Scholars join a field expedition team to unearth a plethora of treasures from Central America. Artifacts listed in alphabetical order come with an informational blurb and a picture designed for participants to color. Activity pages...
Lesson Plan
1
1
Breaking News English

More People to Stick to New Year's Resolutions

For Teachers 4th - 8th
What makes a good New Year's resolution? Practice goal-setting and reading comprehension with a set of language arts activities. English learners work on cloze passages, synonym matches, interviewing exercises, and...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Age of Absolutism

For Teachers 9th - 11th Standards
Who were the absolute monarchs of Europe and what effect did they have on their countries? Young historians begin by naming qualities they believe are important for a monarch to possess. They then take notes on four key factors...
Lesson Plan
Deliberating in a Democracy

Freedom of Expression

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Should democracies include hate speech as a protected right? Scholars analyze the rights found under the First Amendment to the Constitution through researching evidence. Freedom of expression becomes the focal point of the...
Handout
ProCon

Minimum Wage

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
The first ever minimum wage in America was set at 25 cents per hour in 1938 and has been steadily, if slowly, increasing ever since. Using the provided website, pupils decide if the United States should further increase the federal...
Lesson Plan
Anti-Defamation League

Emojis and Me

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
A lesson features the work of O'Plérou Grebet, a graphic designer who created a collection of emojis to represent his life in West Africa. Scholars explore the history and purpose of emojis, then read and discuss an article about...
Worksheet
Curated OER

What's the Context Worksheet

For Students 9th - 11th
What is context? The class researches a family treasure carefully for its hidden significance as well as its obvious story. They interview family members to gain more insight and context clues to determine point of view and meaning...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Pioneering Spirits: A Personalized History of Our Jewish Community

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students travel in groups to various stations to discover the history of the Jewish community. At each station, they read primary source documents about the history of their community and research their own family history. They mix...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Tell a Totem Story

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students study and view pictures of Native American totem poles on the internet. They create totem poles using PowerPoint that represent their family histories using symbols to designate historic events.