Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Were There Two Wars for American Independence?

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students debate whether or not the War of 1812 can be counted as America's second war of independence. After researching the War of 1812, they complete a WebQuest designed to help them decide on the validity of the war as a quest for...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Women on the Wall: A Vietnam Memorial

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students investigate the role of women during the Vietnam War. They conduct Internet research, and create a Chronicle of Women in Vietnam project that could take the form of a journal, PowerPoint presentation, or scrapbook that includes...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Boxer Rebellion

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students research China and the Boxer Rebellion. In groups, they gather information using the internet and other sources. Students participate in a simulation where they become foreign correspondents for a local television station. One...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Vegas and the Mob

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students identify with and interpret the role of organized crime in the development of one of America's most vibrant cities. Then they look into the city's establishment and development, follow the role of organized crime in its...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Space Race

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers investigate the historical events that have surrounded The Space Race. They conduct research using a variety of resources and focus upon the progress between Russia and The United States. Students describe the events that...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Education of Freedmen...and Women and Children

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Pupils examine political debate surrounding Freedmen's Bureau, use primary sources to explore trials and successes of effort to educate newly-freed slaves of all ages, research reasons for creation of Freedmen's Bureau, discuss President...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Language Arts: The Rise of the Operetta

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students develop an appreciation for the musical theater form, the operetta. In addition, they present parodies of songs from The Mikado. Working in small groups and accessing provided Websites, they compose their parodies. Once...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

King Tut and All That

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars study the field of Egyptology and archeology. They create an artifact for posterity and create a special edition that tells the story in words, maps, and pictures. They create a storyboard for a "comic book" edition of the...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Will Rogers

For Teachers 2nd - 5th
Learners explore the concepts of irony and humor. They discuss Will Rogers' history and determine that he was a humorist who many viewed as very wise. They read quotes of Will Rogers and determine that everybody is ignorant, only on...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

The Sport of Kings: Horse Racing in America

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils examine the history of horse racing. They discuss their experiences with horse racing and conduct Internet research. They select a topic related to the history of horse racing, write and present a report, and read and summarize a...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Don't Be a Duffer! Understanding the Sport of Golf

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Students are divided into six groups to access the "History of Golf Since 1497" website, and familiarize themselves with the data on one of the six pages of the website. They then work together as a large group to construct a timeline of...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Gibson Girls and Flappers: What is this "New Woman"?

For Teachers 10th - Higher Ed
Students divide into five groups with each exploring one section of the website, "The New Woman". After they complete their research, they discuss the nature and characteristics of the "new woman" and compare these to characteristics of...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Social Studies: Who Burned Down Barnum's Museum?

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed
Learners examine the social conflict of the 19th century and the destruction of the American Museum. In pairs, they conduct Internet research and attempt to solve the mystery of who burned down the museum. Clues to the mystery are found...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

E.T. Phones Home: The History of the Telephone

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students create illustrated timelines of the telephone's history. In groups, they research 25-year sections beginning in 1876. Once each group has completed their portion of the timeline, they are all assembled to create one banner.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

'Tis a Gift to Be Simple: The Shaker People

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Learners identify the difficulties and benefits of a utopian community. They examine their own ideas of utopia and research an example of one such community that has had an impact on our own culture.
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Will the Real Pocahontas Please Stand Up?

For Teachers 1st - 5th
Learners explore the life of Pocahontas and Powhatan Indians. After studying information on a given website, students compare and contrast what they read about Pocahontas and what they previously thought of her. They explore life in a...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Recovery! Coping with the Effects of a Natural Disaster

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students explore natural disasters and the devastation caused by them. Using specified websites, learners examine how people rebuild after a disaster. In groups, they design and rebuild a community and conclude by writing an essay...
Lesson Plan
National First Ladies' Library

Building a Federal Town: Washington, DC

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Young scholars create a timeline of the history of Washington, D.C. from 1787 to 1879. Using the internet, they read specified articles about the design of the capital and city of Washington DC. Middle schoolers write a newspaper article...
Worksheet
Curated OER

Worksheet #61 Questions - James Madison

For Students 8th - 9th
In this James Madison historical term quiz, students define the meaning of several terms relating to the aforementioned topic in order to advance their historical knowledge.
Worksheet
Curated OER

President George W. Bush

For Students 4th - 6th
In this George W. Bush crossword worksheet, students fill in the boxes on the crossword puzzle with the answers to the clues given on the page. There are 14 words to fill in on the puzzle. The clues are all related to George W. Bush.
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

WACS, WAVES< and SPARS: Women during World War II

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders conduct a class discussion on the historical background information of women during World War II.  In this American History lesson, 11th graders evaluate what motivated women during this time.  Students create...
Worksheet
Curated OER

New York Girls Ask the President for a CCC of Their Own

For Students 8th - 12th
In this primary source analysis worksheet, students analyze a letter from young women in want of CCC jobs of their own during Great Depression. Students respond to 3 short answer questions about the letter to Roosevelt.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Barack Obama Worksheet

For Students 4th - 5th
In this President Barack Obama worksheet, students match 20 words pertaining to the life of our current President with the phrases and facts that go with them.
Worksheet
Curated OER

Carla Bruni

For Students 4th - 8th
In this famous person instructional activity, students read a passage about Carla Bruni and then complete a variety of in-class and homework activities to support comprehension, including partner interviews, spelling, cloze, synonym...