Eighth graders apply their knowledge of North American history from the mid 1600's through the mid 1700's to a role-playing scenario. In small groups they plan, write, and perform a dramatic skit of a group that was affected by events in...

Students research the Saratoga Campaign and its importance in the overall outcome of the Revolutionary War. They consider French involvement in the war and what the Paris Peace Treaty meant for the new Americans.

Letters have long been prized by historians as primary sources for what they reveal not only about events but also about the emotional responses of the writers to these events. "My Dear Little Boys," a letter written by Leonard Isacks on...

"We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union..." These familiar lines begin the Preamble to the Constitution, but do learners know what they mean? A close reading exercise takes a look at the language of the...

Students analyze copies of primary source documents and list similarities between the Fundamental Orders of Connecticut and the United States Constitution following a review of culture and government of the 17th century.

Students take a field trip to the state capital, Sacramento. Using the Internet, they explain the physical and human geographic features of the area and discuss interactions between the people of California between the time of explorers...

Seventh graders complete a unit on the French and Indian War. They conduct an Internet document search and use what they find to complete a document based essay about the war.

High schoolers examine primary documents and apply their knowledge to describe them.  For this primary document analysis lesson students interpret sources and evaluate roles of foreign allies. 

Pupils examine the circumstances under which Theodore Roosevelt first became President of the United States and how his policies and actions modernized the presidency.

Students compare/contrast bird's-eye views of Texas cities in the 1800s to those in the 2000s through the identification of landmarks. They write a summary of how one selected city has changed over time.

Sixth graders conduct Internet research to determine what makes Gutenberg Bible authentic, view Ransom Center's digitized version of Gutenberg Bible, and create Powerpoint presentation supporting research findings.

Students identify the strategy that General Washington used to defeat a stronger force. In this Revolutionary War lesson plan, students investigate how Washington won the battles of Trenton and Princeton by watching the video Ten Crucial...

High schoolers interpret the Second Amendment. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students examine the right to bear arms as they compare 2 Michigan Supreme Court cases and discuss their personal interpretations of the amendment.

Students explore abolition and suffrage in the United States.

This lesson can be used in American history, social studies, and geography courses in units on westward expansion and the Civil War.

Students examine the class systems of New Spain. In small groups, they create a five-day diary about the family life, food, occupation, and government involvement of an assigned personality from the time of Colonial Latin America.

Students examine the area where the Northwest Territory was located. They discover the steps territories need to follow to become states. They create a map of the Northwest Territory and label the states that came out of that region.

Students access websites for background information and learn how to interpret political cartoons. They incorporate higher-order thinking skills to determine if the information presented in the cartoons is accurate, what the colonists...

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...

Students create a timeline of their lives. In this timeline lesson, students discuss relative and absolute time. They use events in their lives to create categories on a timeline. They link this lesson to geologic timelines.

Fourth graders reflect on the Revolutionary War.  In this Colonial America history instructional activity, 4th graders discuss various battles of the war, specifically the Battle of Cowpens.  Students begin by watching a...

Young scholars research the events that led to the Civil War and the Reconstruction. In this Civil War history lesson plan, students study images of Robert Smalls and research his role in the Civil War. Young scholars review the South...

Students explore the culture of the United States in the 1950's.  In this history lesson, students research culture in the 1950's, with a focus on fashion, music, television, automobiles, etc., then work in groups to create a...