Read Works
Plymouth Colony
Read about the tumultuous beginning to the United States with an informational text passage about Colonial America. As young researchers peruse an article about the arrival of the Mayflower, the settlers' relationship to the neighboring...
Lessons on American Presidents
Abraham Lincoln
Honor Abe Lincoln with a set of activity-based worksheets that can be used independently and in collaborative groups. Young historians participate in a listening activity where they fill in the missing blanks in a passage while being...
Curated OER
Colonial America: Causes Of The American Revolution
Students examine the causes of the American Revolution. In this colonial America lesson, students read handouts regarding the sequence of events that led to the commencement of the war. Students complete the provided worksheets and...
Curated OER
Decisions That Changed Our Lives: A Look At the African American Quest for Freedom and Rights
Students are introduced to the goals of abolitionists throughout history. In groups, they use the internet to discover the purpose of the Underground Railroad and why there were bus boycotts in the 1960s. They compare and contrast the...
Curated OER
Religious Freedom
Sixth graders examine the religious issues of the early settlers in the New World and the current issue of separation of church and state. They discuss a list of colonial laws from the 1600s, participate in a class discussion, and in...
Curated OER
Religious Expression in Public Schools
Students explore religious expression in the United States. In this religious freedom lesson, students read a handout regarding Religious Freedom Day and other handouts regarding religious expression in public schools. Students complete...
Curated OER
Colonial America: Causes of the American Revolution
Fourth graders analyze colonial rule and policies with regard to the causes of the American Revolution. In this Colonial America simulation lesson, 4th graders role play in an Independence Game, reacting to a variety of "events" that...
Newspaper Association of America
Press Ahead!
Give class members some great news! A media unit teaches individuals about ethics, parts of a newspaper, business writing, photojournalism, and more topics that have to do with the press. Full of material for a variety of learners,...
PBS
Broadway and The American Dream
Considering a unit study of American Musical Theatre? What better way to start than at the very beginning. Eight pairs of cards provide class members with background information about the genre from 1893 through 2004. The cards are...
Annenberg Foundation
The Progressives
The Progressive Era brought about a word that often leads to turmoil—change! Learners research the late 1800s in American history to uncover societal issues gripping the nation back in the day. The 15th lesson of a 22-part series...
National Constitution Center
Interactive Constitution
Did you know there are seven Articles and 27 Amendments to the US Constitution? Explore each and every one of them, including the Bill of Rights and other rights around the world, in a super neat US Constitution interactive.
Roy Rosenzweig Center for History and New Media
Slaves and Indentured Servants
In theory, at least, indentured servitude and slavery were two different practices in the American colonies. Class groups conduct a close reading of two primary source documents, one written by a slave and one by an indentured servant,...
Curated OER
The Revolutionary War: The Battle For Freedom
Eighth graders examine the events leading up to the Revolutionary War with a focus on the Boston Tea Party. Using the internet, they discover why the tea was dropped into the harbor by the colonists and research the Intolerable Acts. ...
Curated OER
VA Statute for Religious Freedom, III
High schoolers analyze the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedoms and consider its implications. In this governing principles instructional activity, students explore primary and secondary sources regarding the document penned by Thomas...
Curated OER
Revolution! Freedom for All?
Twelfth graders examine the causes of freedom by revolutionary patriots. In this Civics and Economics lesson plan, 12th graders analyze primary sources. Students work cooperatively to write a freedom declaration for their group.
Curated OER
Criminal or Hero
Young scholars investigate slavery in America circa the American Revolution. They will examine point- of view and perspective as they research a variety of informational resources. While this is designed to be used with the PBS video...
Curated OER
Cartoons for the Classroom: Human Rights
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a political cartoon is like reading an essay. Have your critical thinkers examine three cartoons to read between the lines, gaining insight and information. They analyze how these cartoons...
Library of Virginia
An Overview of American Slavery
The final lesson in a unit study of American slavery asks young historians to synthesize what they have learned about how slavery in America changed over time. Revisiting the many documents they have examined, they consider the economic,...
Curated OER
Breaking News English: President Bush OK'd Spying in America
In this English instructional activity, students read "President Bush OK'd Spying in America," and then respond to 47 fill in the blank, 7 short answer, 20 matching, and 8 true or false questions about the selection.
Curated OER
No Choice!
Young scholars explore the concept of democratic freedom. In this service learning instructional activity, students investigate the freedom the Pilgrims sought as they moved from England and write a journal from their point of view.
Curated OER
I, Too, Sing America Theme of Freedom
In this reading comprehension worksheet, students respond to 3 short answer and essay questions based on themes in "I, Too, Sing America." Students may also complete their choice of 3 reading activities suggested
Curated OER
The Voices of Slavery
Fourth graders recognize and can describe the settlers of Early America. In this American colonies lesson, 4th graders research using primary and secondary sources, Native Americans, Europeans, and African Americans role in the colonies....
Curated OER
Symbols of America
Students research the events of September 11th . In this symbols lesson, students discover ways to honor this day. Students research the Internet for symbols used to represent ideas, events and people. Students work in groups to design a...
Curated OER
America the Beautiful
Sixth graders examine the meaning and background of the song, "America the Beautiful." In this "America the Beautiful" lesson, 6th graders read the words and history of the song and answer comprehension questions about it.