Curated OER
Cuban Missile Crisis
Eleventh graders determine how causation shaped the Cuban Missile Crisis. In this Cold War lesson, 11th graders examine photographs and documents related to the crisis and analyze the television address that President Kennedy made to the...
Curated OER
The Unfinished Lincoln Memorial
Students develop a list of images of President Abraham Lincoln: for example, self-taught youth, great debater, advocate of abolition of slavery and assassinated hero. They must determine if these images of Lincoln stand up under scrutiny.
Curated OER
Thomas Jefferson
Students explore the accomplishments of world leaders. In this Thomas Jefferson lesson, students list the accomplishments achieved by Jefferson and read his epitaph. Students then write epitaphs for recent world leaders or celebrities.
Curated OER
Digital Dreams
Students write a speech. In this dreams lesson, students define the word dreams and list their own dreams. Students read and discuss Langston Hughes work, read and discuss excerpts from speeches by JFK and Martin Luther King, Jr., and...
Curated OER
A Light in the Storm
Examine the genre of historical fiction while reading A Light in the Storm. They extract events in chronological order to make a timeline. Then, they use information in the book important to the characters to create a presentation of an...
Curated OER
JFK Analysis
Pupils examine a recent study of the JFK assassination. They review evidence provided by retired atmospheric chemist, Ken Rahn, and ballistics specialist and statistician, Larry Sturdivan, and determine whether or not they believe a...
Curated OER
At What Price the Truth?
Young scholars read President Kennedy's speech to the nation on October 22, 1962. Using the text, they identify the deception by the Soviets. In groups, they create a comip strip showing what they believe might have happened had there...
Curated OER
You're Hired!
Students participate in a simulation of being a speech writer for the President. They listen to and analyze speeches and present one of their own.
Curated OER
Civil Rights Leaders
Tenth graders investigate three American leaders from the Civil Rights Movement while they examine the early 1960's and the topic of racial equality. They listen to music from the era, read speeches, and look at images of Martin Luther...
Curated OER
Corridos About the Mexican Revolution
Students explore the meaning behind Mexican corridos. In this Mexican Revolution lesson, students discover details about the war and its leaders as they read, analyze, and write their own corridos.
Curated OER
Analyzing Photographs: From Theory to Practice
Learners analyze photographic images and use cameras to document their own life. In this analyzing photography instructional activity, students apply formal analysis techniques to images, then create a documentary of photographic images...
Curated OER
Lewis and Clark: Artful Recordings
Students examine the nature journals of Lewis and Clark. In this primary source analysis lesson, students research the journals that the members of the Corps of Discovery kept during the expedition and then conduct further research on...
Curated OER
Pioneer America: Journey West
Fourth graders experience pioneer life on the Oregon trail. In this pioneer instructional activity, 4th graders research the reasons for moving west and what life was like on the trail. They create a map, complete an oral presentation,...
Curated OER
Political Cartoons as Part of the Election Process
Students explore the impact of political cartoons on American elections. In this presidential elections lesson, students discuss the election process and then analyze political cartoons that were published during presidential elections....
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum
Red States/Blue States: Mapping the Presidential Election
Young historians investigate how voting patterns have changed by comparing the outcome of the 1960 election to the outcome of the recent election. A creative final assessment has participants making a news show wherein they provide...
Curated OER
Analyzing the Language of Presidential Debates
Scholars assess how word choice and linguistic patterns affect a presidential debate. They examine candidates' words for repetition and analyze what this repetition means. Then they locate countries that fit the expression free world. In...
Teach with Movies
Learning Guide to Thirteen Days
While Thirteen Days is a fantastic film to use in the classroom in reference to the Cold War and the Cuban missile crisis, it is important to take care to effectively and properly incorporate its contents into your curriculum. This...
Teach With Movies
Learning Guide to: Schindler's List
Take your history class through Schindler's List with a learning guide, which offers an introduction to the film and a variety of discussion questions and related assignments. There are several useful resources in the sidebar, such as a...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Beyond Birmingham, Summer 1963
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 that...
Tennessee State Library & Archives
Vietnam War
A picture can speak 1000 words. Scholars research the Vietnam War through the lens of a camera. Examining photos from the collection of Christopher D. Ammons allows open interpretation of life during one of America's darkest conflicts....
Scholastic
The Rise of Railroads: California
Railways are an integral part of the history of California. Using a timeline format, class members connect major historical events to the rise of the railroads and their impact on the state. Activities include a mix of independent and...
Scholastic
The Rise of Railroads: Illinois
Railways not only cross the US, but they are also intertwined with the history of America. Using a timeline format, individuals explore the connections between major events in American history—such as the Civil War—and the rise of the...
Curated OER
Barbara Jordan
Students examine the contributions made to our country by Barbara Jordan. They read and discuss the books "The Sneetches" and "Building a Bridge," write journal entries, participate in a discrimination simulation, create a class...
Curated OER
The U.S. Trade Embargo on Cuba
Students examine perspectives for and against the U.S. trade embargo on Cuba, develop a position on the embargo and articulate viewpoints in a public forum.