During World War II people saw how far the government's control would go, but it was at the expense of its citizens. The resource brings the conditions of Japanese American internment camps to light using primary documents. Scholars...

Primary source texts provide scholars with the background information they need to understand why Chinese peasant farmers were driven to emigrate. After underlining keywords, phrases, and/or lines in the texts, individuals craft a...

The DREAM Act (Development, Relief, and Education for Alien Minors Act) is the focus of a lesson that asks high schoolers to investigate the act's provisions and read statements by individuals who support and oppose the act. They then...

Even without captions, photographs can tell amazing, involved, and complex stories. Viewers analyze two photos, consider what the pictures reveal about the subjects' identity, and determine the social justice issues represented in the...

The controversies surrounding migrants seeking asylum in the U.S. have recently been a hot topic. To understand some of the issues involved, young scholars investigate the Migrant Caravans of 2018. A 10-page packet, including photos, a...

Second graders engage in the task of looking at the how people flock to America from different parts of the world. They conduct research using a variety of resources. Students look at history as a vehicle of change and how people...

Ninth graders examine the social and political movements of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. In this American history lesson, 9th graders work in groups to form their own society and laws. Students make a diagram of their town and...

Students research their family heritage by interviewing family members. Using their responses, they record them in an organized fashion and develop a presentation. Using the Internet, they locate an artistic representation of their...

Students access web based resources in order to study the history of Asian-Americans as they immigrated and assimilated into live in America using grade level appropriate resources. Also, they examine journals, artifacts, and complete...

Fifth graders read a story about immigration, listen to songs about America and explore the history of their ancestors. They discuss how immigration creates a multicultural country. Pupils create a collage of the people in America. ...

Here is a well-designed lesson inviting learners to consider the qualities of a hero. They describe the lives and deeds of national, state, and/or local heroes. This is a thoughtful lesson, which is part of a sequential group on heroes....

Students examine and explore various aspects of change at the turn of the century including economic, political, civil and others. Students then locate and analyze various primary sources to write an essay that demonstrates their...

Students read a news article from the New York Times related to the construction of a fence between Mexico and the U.S. and its impact on the lives of the people living on both sides. They read and discuss a variety of scenarios, answer...

Students use maps, the Internet, graphic organizers and discussion to explore the history of the Middle American Colonies. They consider how the colonies were founded and the ideas of religious freedom and self-government they embodied.

Learners use photographs to study the Bracero Labor Program. In this analyzing photographs lesson, students are broken up into groups and given a photograph of Bracero laborers. They predict the answers to questions about the photo...

Students analyze documents of miners and identify their working conditions.  In this industrial revolution instructional activity students view documents and photographs of miners and discuss their conditions and what some possible...

Learners become curators and museum reviewers for an online gallery using a selected group of primary sources on Mexican migrant workers. They share and reflect on their own and each other's ideas though participation in an on-line...

Young scholars, after reading the novel, "The Joy Luck Club," create a four question survey about assimilation in America. They each ask four members of their family or peers to take the survey. After data is collected, they create...

Students reflect on the impact of the Taiping Rebellion.  In this World History lesson, students work in small groups to research and discuss the Taiping Rebellion and the ramifications it had around the world, then share their...

What were political machines and whom did they serve? As part of a study of US immigration patterns and how these patterns influenced politics, groups investigate how Tammany Hall and other political machines gained support from voters.

Eleventh graders analyze a chart comparing U.S. census data from 1850, 1880, 1900, and 1920. They read a handout summarizing immigration legislation from 1882-1996 and create a graph charting how open / closed U.S. immigration is over time.

Tenth graders explore the massive immigration from Vietnam and Cambodia.  For this World History lesson, 10th graders examine the crisis that led to this immigration.  Students participate in a debate on whether the United...

Students explain immigration to the United States and identify major international migration streams. They evaluate the impact of migration on U.S. population and explain the impact of major refugee movements on both source and host...

High schoolers examine the balance between civil liberties and protection. In this national security lesson, students explore the Korematsu case which references the Japanese internment camps of World War II. High schoolers draw...